--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: you once said to would like to sit beside…" description: "\"you once said to would like to sit beside me while I write. Listen in that case I could not write at all. For writing means revealing one self to exces..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/susan-cain-647_cases_you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-besid_1985294.jpg" --- # you once said to would like to sit beside me while I… ![“you once said to would like to sit beside me while I write. Listen in that case I could not write at all. For writing means revealing one self to excess; that utmost of self-revelation and surrender, in which a human being, when involved with others, would feel he was losing himself, and from…” quote by Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/susan-cain-647_cases_you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-besid_1985294.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/susan-cain-647_cases_you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-besid_1985294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/susan-cain-647_cases_you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-besid_1985294.jpg) > “you once said to would like to sit beside me while I write. Listen in that case I could not write at all. For writing means revealing one self to excess; that utmost of self-revelation and surrender, in which a human being, when involved with others, would feel he was losing himself, and from which, therefore, he will always shrink as long as he is in his right mind...That is why one can never be alone enough when one writes, why there can never be enough silence around one when one writes, why even night is not night enough.” [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing demands deep self-exposure, requiring solitude and silence; without it, the writer feels lost. **In simple terms:** Writing needs solitude and honesty. Key Takeaway Seek quiet spaces for authentic writing. Themes creativity solitude self-expression silence Mood contemplative inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - writing retreats - academic research - creative workshops - personal journaling Key Concepts vulnerability focus inner voice Questions to Reflect On - How does silence affect your creative flow? - What balance of solitude and interaction works for you? A Different Perspective Not all writers need constant silence; some thrive on collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-revelation/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“You once said that you would like to sit beside me while I write. Listen, in that case I could not write at all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/you-once-said-that-you-would-like-to-sit-beside-me-while-i-write/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“That is why one can never be alone enough when one writes, why there can never be enough silence around one when one writes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/that-is-why-one-can-never-be-alone-enough-when-one-writes-why-there/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Writing means revealing oneself to excess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/writing-means-revealing-oneself-to-excess/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“There is only so much revealing one can do. For every self-revelation, there has to be a self-concealment. A life-long commitment to writing involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/there-is-only-so-much-revealing-one-can-do-for-every-self-revelation/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“O where does he stalk like a horse in pastures very far afield? I cannot hear him, and silence writes more terrible things than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/o-where-does-he-stalk-like-a-horse-in-pastures-very-far-afield-i/) [Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/) > [The process of re-writing and writing and re-writing means that you may have a brilliant phrase, but over time it distills and distorts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/the-process-of-re-writing-and-writing-and-re-writing-means-that-you/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [Writing means being a fascinated slave to current events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/writing-means-being-a-fascinated-slave-to-current-events/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Most words come into being first in speech, then in private writing, and then in public, published writing, which means that if the date…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/most-words-come-into-being-first-in-speech-then-in-private-writing/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [The act of writing means you wish to communicate. Whether you're writing a memoir for yourself you put in a drawer, or you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/the-act-of-writing-means-you-wish-to-communicate-whether-you-re/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [Writing, for me, means humility. It’s a process that involves fear and doubt, especially if you’re writing honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-desai/writing-for-me-means-humility-it-s-a-process-that-involves-fear-and/) [Kiran Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-desai/) > [“Formal writing does not mean gratuitously fancy writing; it means clear, clean, maximally considerate writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/formal-writing-does-not-mean-gratuitously-fancy-writing-it-means/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [My routine is to create activities for myself unrelated to writing that allow little time for writing. This means that when I do get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-mccarten/my-routine-is-to-create-activities-for-myself-unrelated-to-writing/) [Anthony McCarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-mccarten/) > [“In all people I see myself, none more and not one a barleycorn less, And the good or bad I say of myself I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/in-all-people-i-see-myself-none-more-and-not-one-a-barleycorn-less/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [I'm not that guy who thinks I have all the answers. Writing is a means of communicating, and if enough people say, 'I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-m-not-that-guy-who-thinks-i-have-all-the-answers-writing-is-a-means/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [My pen.’ Funny, I wrote that without noticing. ‘The torch’, ‘the paper’, but ‘my pen’. That shows what writing means to me, I guess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/my-pen-funny-i-wrote-that-without-noticing-the-torch-the-paper-but-my/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) ## More by Susan Cain > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“where we fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum. Our place on this continuum influences our choice of friends and mates, and how we make conversation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/where-we-fall-on-the-introvert-extrovert-spectrum-our-place-on-this/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they’re good talkers, but they don’t have good ideas,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/i-worry-that-there-are-people-who-are-put-in-positions-of-authority/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“He believes, as most of us do, that venting anger lets off steam. The “catharsis hypothesis”—that aggression builds up inside us until it’s healthily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/he-believes-as-most-of-us-do-that-venting-anger-lets-off-steam-the/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Soft power is not limited to moral exemplars like Mahatma Gandhi. Consider, for example, the much-ballyhooed excellence of Asians in fields like math and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/soft-power-is-not-limited-to-moral-exemplars-like-mahatma-gandhi/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Events like this don't give me the sense of oneness others seem to enjoy; it's always been private occasions that make me feel connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/events-like-this-don-t-give-me-the-sense-of-oneness-others-seem-to/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Social anxiety disorder”—which essentially means pathological shyness—is now thought to afflict nearly one in five of us. The most recent version of the Diagnostic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/social-anxiety-disorder-which-essentially-means-pathological-shyness/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Potential clients would walk out of Charlie’s office scared”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/potential-clients-would-walk-out-of-charlie-s-office-scared/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“So when introverts assume the observer role, as when they write novels, or contemplate unified field theory- or fall quiet at dinner parties- they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/so-when-introverts-assume-the-observer-role-as-when-they-write-novels/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Osborn’s theory had great impact, and company leaders took up brainstorming with enthusiasm. To this day, it’s common for anyone who spends time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/osborn-s-theory-had-great-impact-and-company-leaders-took-up/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Extroversion is an enormously appealing personality style, but we've turned it into an oppressive standard to which most of us feel we must conform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/extroversion-is-an-enormously-appealing-personality-style-but-we-ve/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“But as the word satyagraha implies, Gandhi’s passivity was not weakness at all. It meant focusing on an ultimate goal and refusing to divert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/but-as-the-word-satyagraha-implies-gandhi-s-passivity-was-not/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“The Extrovert Ideal has been documented in many studies, though this research has never been grouped under a single name. Talkative people, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-extrovert-ideal-has-been-documented-in-many-studies-though-this/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“introverts prefer to work independently, and solitude can be a catalyst to innovation. As the influential psychologist Hans Eysenck once observed, introversion “concentrates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-prefer-to-work-independently-and-solitude-can-be-a/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [ “People who tend to \[suppress their negative emotions\] regularly,” concludes Grob, “might start to see the world in a more negative light.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/people-who-tend-to-suppress-their-negative-emotions-regularly/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) [Explore all 428 Susan Cain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) ## More Cases quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/) [Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 6,420 Cases quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "you once said to would like to sit beside me while I write. Listen in that case I could not write at all. For writing means revealing one self to excess; that utmost of self-revelation and surrender, in which a human being, when involved with others, would feel he was losing himself, and from which, therefore, he will always shrink as long as he is in his right mind...That is why one can never be alone enough when one writes, why there can never be enough silence around one when one writes, why even night is not night enough.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Cain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-beside-me-while-i-write-listen-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cases" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-beside-me-while-i-write-listen-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/susan-cain-647_cases_you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-besid_1985294.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/susan-cain-647_cases_you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-besid_1985294.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/susan-cain-647_cases_you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-besid_1985294.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“you once said to would like to sit beside me while I write. Listen in that case I could not write at all…” — Susan Cain", "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": "Susan Cain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "you once said to would like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-beside-me-while-i-write-listen-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/you-once-said-to-would-like-to-sit-beside-me-while-i-write-listen-in/#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 } } ] } ```