---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have to go make books. Sorry about that."
description: "\"I have to go make books. Sorry about that.\" — Teresa Nielsen Hayden"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_book_i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that_1575435.jpg"
---

#  I have to go make books. Sorry about that.

![“I have to go make books. Sorry about that.” quote by Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_book_i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that_1575435.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_book_i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that_1575435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_book_i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that_1575435.jpg)

> “I have to go make books. Sorry about that.”

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

## About This Quote

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

The writer priorit duty is to create books, and sometimes that means leaving other tasks.

**In simple terms:** Writers must write books.

Key Takeaway

Dedicate time to writing despite distractions.

Themes

writing discipline creativity career focus

Mood

determined inspired practical

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- daily writing routine
- publishing deadlines
- creative blocks

Key Concepts

authorial responsibility time management creative process

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you schedule writing time?
- What motivates you to keep writing?

A Different Perspective

Writing can be isolating and financially unstable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-sorry-5939053/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-books-1274776/) [Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorry/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [“I make books because I love them as objects; because I want to put the pictures and the words together, because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-make-books-because-i-love-them-as-objects-because-i-want-to-put-the/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [Make books your companions; let your bookshelves be your gardens; bask in their beauty, gather their fruit, pluck their roses, take their spices and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-ben-judah-ibn-tibbon/make-books-your-companions-let-your-bookshelves-be-your-gardens-bask/)

[Samuel Ben Judah Ibn Tibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-ben-judah-ibn-tibbon/)

> [“don’t expect a magic formula that’ll make books fall out of your head and automatically give you a wide readership.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrell/don-t-expect-a-magic-formula-that-ll-make-books-fall-out-of-your-head/)

[David Morrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrell/)

> [Since I was trying so hard to make books lead my life, I didn’t want to read them and then just put them back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gantos/since-i-was-trying-so-hard-to-make-books-lead-my-life-i-didn-t-want/)

[Jack Gantos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gantos/)

> [“Even when you do nothing, you are doing something. Be aware of your decisions and what they mean for the book you are designing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armand-mevis/even-when-you-do-nothing-you-are-doing-something-be-aware-of-your/)

[Armand Mevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armand-mevis/)

> [“We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don't have books, don't fuck them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/we-need-to-make-books-cool-again-if-you-go-home-with-somebody-and/)

[John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/)

> [If schools don't make books important then children who come from homes with no books, and who don't visit libraries, will never find their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosen/if-schools-don-t-make-books-important-then-children-who-come-from/)

[Michael Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosen/)

> [There are men that will make you books, and turn them loose into the world, with as much dispatch as they would do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-men-that-will-make-you-books-and-turn-them-loose-into-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Books never make religions, but religions make books. We must not forget that. No book ever created God, but God inspired all the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/books-never-make-religions-but-religions-make-books-we-must-not/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I loved to read when I was a kid, and as soon as I realized that an actual person got to make up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/i-loved-to-read-when-i-was-a-kid-and-as-soon-as-i-realized-that-an/)

[Margaret Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-haddix/)

> [I try to make my books reflect humanity as I see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hillerman/i-try-to-make-my-books-reflect-humanity-as-i-see-it/)

[Tony Hillerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hillerman/)

> [I want to make books. I want to take pictures and then write all over the pictures. And then I don't have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-want-to-make-books-i-want-to-take-pictures-and-then-write-all-over/)

[Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/)

> [I like to make books. To me, it's just as great to have some book of mine be in a flea market as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-pierson/i-like-to-make-books-to-me-it-s-just-as-great-to-have-some-book-of/)

[Jack Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-pierson/)

> [“Make books your friends!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehuda-ben-tibbon/make-books-your-friends/)

[Yehuda Ben Tibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehuda-ben-tibbon/)

> [The publishing industry has always wanted to make books as cheaply and as ephemerally as they could; it's nothing new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/the-publishing-industry-has-always-wanted-to-make-books-as-cheaply/)

[Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/)

## More by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

> [If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they-read-they-will-all-be-right/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [There's a rule for what makes good fantasy work, and it's as strange as any riddle ever posed in a fairy tale: In fantasy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/there-s-a-rule-for-what-makes-good-fantasy-work-and-it-s-as-strange/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [Writers say many true things about their own experiences with publicity and promotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/writers-say-many-true-things-about-their-own-experiences-with/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [“Writer: It's not an occupation; it's a compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/writer-it-s-not-an-occupation-it-s-a-compulsion/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [So many problems are solved simply by knowing enough verbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/so-many-problems-are-solved-simply-by-knowing-enough-verbs/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [If there is no willingness to use force to defend civil society, it's civil society that goes away, not force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-there-is-no-willingness-to-use-force-to-defend-civil-society-it-s/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [Didn't need the user icon to know you're white and male.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/didn-t-need-the-user-icon-to-know-you-re-white-and-male/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [Just because you’re on their side doesn’t mean they’re on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/just-because-you-re-on-their-side-doesn-t-mean-they-re-on-your-side/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [I believe God put that itchy spot on our backs just exactly where we can't reach it in order to encourage us be nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/i-believe-god-put-that-itchy-spot-on-our-backs-just-exactly-where-we/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [Plot is a literary convention. Story is a force of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/plot-is-a-literary-convention-story-is-a-force-of-nature/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [Don't use metaphors in fantasy; your readers will take them literally. Or they may take them figuratively - but if so, they'll also take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/don-t-use-metaphors-in-fantasy-your-readers-will-take-them-literally/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [Sometimes writers say true things about the overall nature of publicity, promotion, and the publishing industry; but alas, not always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/sometimes-writers-say-true-things-about-the-overall-nature-of/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [The advent of the internet has made so many things possible. Self- published recreational journalism has always been around; but back when you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/the-advent-of-the-internet-has-made-so-many-things-possible-self/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [If this power could be used for good, it wouldn't be this power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-this-power-could-be-used-for-good-it-wouldn-t-be-this-power/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

> [That's the great thing about doing good: Anyone can do it, any time, no waiting periods or batteries required.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/that-s-the-great-thing-about-doing-good-anyone-can-do-it-any-time-no/)

[Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

[Explore all 16 Teresa Nielsen Hayden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have to go make books. Sorry about that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Teresa Nielsen Hayden"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_book_i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that_1575435.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_book_i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that_1575435.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_book_i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that_1575435.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have to go make books. Sorry about that.” — Teresa Nielsen Hayden",
                "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": "Teresa Nielsen Hayden",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have to go make books....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
