---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had begun to write novels because of a…"
description: "\"I had begun to write novels because of a fierce, self-serving impulse in my own heart. I had not considered the potential in a book for felt communion,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/sue-monk-kidd-404_because_i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a_152240.png"
---

#  I had begun to write novels because of a fierce…

![“I had begun to write novels because of a fierce, self-serving impulse in my own heart. I had not considered the potential in a book for felt communion, the bright largesse of intimately participating in the lives of other people.” quote by Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/sue-monk-kidd-404_because_i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a_152240.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/sue-monk-kidd-404_because_i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a_152240.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/sue-monk-kidd-404_because_i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a_152240.png)

> “I had begun to write novels because of a fierce, self-serving impulse in my own heart. I had not considered the potential in a book for felt communion, the bright largesse of intimately participating in the lives of other people.”

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing can start from selfish desire but evolves into a shared experience, offering readers intimate connection.

**In simple terms:** Writing grows from self‑interest to shared communion.

Key Takeaway

Write to connect, not just to express.

Themes

creativity empathy storytelling

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- authoring novels
- book clubs
- writing workshops

Key Concepts

self‑reflection community building literary art

Questions to Reflect On

- How can personal motives enrich communal stories?
- What does “bright largesse” mean in writing?

A Different Perspective

Focusing solely on personal impulse may limit broader impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Communion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communion/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I think the impulse to get to the heart of the story and to tell it well is in my genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-think-the-impulse-to-get-to-the-heart-of-the-story-and-to-tell-it/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [I don't try to make any decision of the impulse of my heart. I think things through and go from there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-bridgewater/i-don-t-try-to-make-any-decision-of-the-impulse-of-my-heart-i-think/)

[Teddy Bridgewater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-bridgewater/)

> [We must see that we are afraid of the thing we most desire, and so we live a mediocre life, never bringing to consummation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/we-must-see-that-we-are-afraid-of-the-thing-we-most-desire-and-so-we/)

[David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/)

> [And most of all, books. They were, in and of themselves, reasons to stay alive. Every book written is the product of a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/and-most-of-all-books-they-were-in-and-of-themselves-reasons-to-stay/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“Steadily, the room shrank, till the book thief could touch the shelves within a few small steps. She ran the back of her hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/steadily-the-room-shrank-till-the-book-thief-could-touch-the-shelves/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“...on those days when he could not spend half an hour in the company of a good book, he felt deprived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/on-those-days-when-he-could-not-spend-half-an-hour-in-the-company-of/)

[Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/)

> [“The book felt wonderful in my hands. I held it up to my nose and drank in its aroma. I think I'm addicted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syrie-james/the-book-felt-wonderful-in-my-hands-i-held-it-up-to-my-nose-and-drank/)

[Syrie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syrie-james/)

> [Books, books, books had found the secret of a garret-room piled high with cases in my father's name; Piled high, packed large, where, creeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/books-books-books-had-found-the-secret-of-a-garret-room-piled-high/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [Many women have told me they remember where they were when they read the book, and how they felt suddenly that what they really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-gilligan/many-women-have-told-me-they-remember-where-they-were-when-they-read/)

[Carol Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-gilligan/)

> [The Catcher in the Rye had such a deep impact on me, because it felt like it was just Holden and me. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-blanchard/the-catcher-in-the-rye-had-such-a-deep-impact-on-me-because-it-felt/)

[Rowan Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-blanchard/)

> [First of all there is always that artistic challenge of creating something. Or the particular experience to take slum life in that period and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artistic-challenge-of-creating/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [I cut hundreds of pages from my book because I felt myself being reiterative or redundant. Sometimes I wanted to leave just hints of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-cut-hundreds-of-pages-from-my-book-because-i-felt-myself-being/)

[Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/)

> [“This particular book felt familiar, like an old friend. The characters drew me into their world, and I blocked out mine for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-raisin/this-particular-book-felt-familiar-like-an-old-friend-the-characters/)

[Rebecca Raisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-raisin/)

> [“The writer ultimately tires of the subject's self-serving story, and substitutes a story of his own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-writer-ultimately-tires-of-the-subject-s-self-serving-story-and/)

[Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/)

> [Contrary to some self-serving reports, I am okay and strong. I have not hit rock bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-tomic/contrary-to-some-self-serving-reports-i-am-okay-and-strong-i-have-not/)

[Bernard Tomic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-tomic/)

## More by Sue Monk Kidd

> [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“It's part of our overall Body Negation Program.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-s-part-of-our-overall-body-negation-program/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“That was the thing mauma and I loved, our time with the quilts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/that-was-the-thing-mauma-and-i-loved-our-time-with-the-quilts/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“The mermaids came to me finally, in the pink hours of my life. They are my consolation. For them I dove with arms outstretched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-mermaids-came-to-me-finally-in-the-pink-hours-of-my-life-they-are/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [I eventually found that the soul is more than an immortal commodity to win and save. It is the repository of the inner divine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-eventually-found-that-the-soul-is-more-than-an-immortal-commodity/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Readiness for dying arrives by attending the smallest moment and finding the eternal inside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/readiness-for-dying-arrives-by-attending-the-smallest-moment-and/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“I sat at her desk and turned one page after another, staring at what looked like bits and pieces of black lace laid cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-sat-at-her-desk-and-turned-one-page-after-another-staring-at-what/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“There's no pain on earth that doesn't require a benevolent witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-s-no-pain-on-earth-that-doesn-t-require-a-benevolent-witness/)

[sue monk kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“afflicted with the worst female curse on earth, the need to mold myself to expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/afflicted-with-the-worst-female-curse-on-earth-the-need-to-mold/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Her forbidden bath all those months ago still hung leaden between us, though Handful didn't seem the least bit ashamed by my discovery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/her-forbidden-bath-all-those-months-ago-still-hung-leaden-between-us/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Why should God’s perfection be based on having an unchanging nature?” I asked. “Isn’t flexibility more perfect than stasis?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/why-should-god-s-perfection-be-based-on-having-an-unchanging-nature-i/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

[Explore all 584 Sue Monk Kidd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

## More Because quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/)

[Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/)

[Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/)

[Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

Browse all 15,485 Because quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had begun to write novels because of a fierce, self-serving impulse in my own heart. I had not considered the potential in a book for felt communion, the bright largesse of intimately participating in the lives of other people.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sue Monk Kidd"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a-fierce-self-serving-impulse/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Because"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a-fierce-self-serving-impulse/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/sue-monk-kidd-404_because_i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a_152240.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/sue-monk-kidd-404_because_i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a_152240.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/sue-monk-kidd-404_because_i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a_152240.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had begun to write novels because of a fierce, self-serving impulse in my own heart. I had not considered…” — Sue Monk Kidd",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sue Monk Kidd",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had begun to write novels...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a-fierce-self-serving-impulse/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a-fierce-self-serving-impulse/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
