--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't set boundaries for myself when I…" description: "\"I don't set boundaries for myself when I am writing; if I did, I would be paralyzed from the start, unable to write a word on the page.\" — Terry Tempes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/terry-tempest-williams-835_boundaries_i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i_2848699.png" --- # I don't set boundaries for myself when I am writing; if I… ![“I don't set boundaries for myself when I am writing; if I did, I would be paralyzed from the start, unable to write a word on the page.” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/terry-tempest-williams-835_boundaries_i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i_2848699.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/terry-tempest-williams-835_boundaries_i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i_2848699.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/terry-tempest-williams-835_boundaries_i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i_2848699.png) > “I don't set boundaries for myself when I am writing; if I did, I would be paralyzed from the start, unable to write a word on the page.” [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Setting boundaries in writing can stifle creativity; freedom fuels productivity **In simple terms:** No self-boundaries in writing prevents paralysis Key Takeaway Write freely without self-imposed limits Themes creativity freedom writing Mood inspirational practical Type creative process When to use this quote - novel writing - journalism - poetry - blogging Key Concepts psychology artistic process Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help you stay focused without rigid boundaries? A Different Perspective Lack of structure may lead to unfocused work ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Boundaries Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries-writing-3778263/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Paralyzed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paralyzed/) [Set Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/set-boundaries/) [Unable Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unable-write-3712120/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It's a long process for me since I am unable to write a script faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/it-s-a-long-process-for-me-since-i-am-unable-to-write-a-script-faster/) [Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/) > [For me, the first sign of oncoming madness is that I'm unable to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/for-me-the-first-sign-of-oncoming-madness-is-that-i-m-unable-to-write/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [A lot of people say I can't do it because I'm blind, or I have red hair, or my feet are too big. Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabriye-tenberken/a-lot-of-people-say-i-can-t-do-it-because-i-m-blind-or-i-have-red/) [Sabriye Tenberken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabriye-tenberken/) > [When people show you their boundaries ("I can't do this for you") you feel rejected...part of your struggle is to set boundaries to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-show-you-their-boundaries-i-can-t-do-this-for-you-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are reasons to set boundaries for yourself, but there are also reasons to keep doors open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-graham/there-are-reasons-to-set-boundaries-for-yourself-but-there-are-also/) [Ashley Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-graham/) > [“To cherish my purity and set boundaries are, in my opinion, the highest forms of feminism—a woman who saves her body proves she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-george/to-cherish-my-purity-and-set-boundaries-are-in-my-opinion-the-highest/) [Caroline George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-george/) > [To define is to limit, to set boundaries, to compare and to contrast, and for this reason, the universe, the all, seems to defy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-define-is-to-limit-to-set-boundaries-to-compare-and-to-contrast/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Do we really have the right to take care of ourselves? Do we really have the right to set boundaries? Do we really have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/do-we-really-have-the-right-to-take-care-of-ourselves-do-we-really/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [Being a nice person is about courtesy: you're friendly, polite, agreeable, and accommodating. When people believe they have to be nice in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/being-a-nice-person-is-about-courtesy-you-re-friendly-polite/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [“You are still a good mom if you -forget to click a selfie with your kid -set boundaries with your little monsters -are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeksha-arora/you-are-still-a-good-mom-if-you-forget-to-click-a-selfie-with-your/) [Deeksha Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeksha-arora/) > [I guess if you are making more money than your mom and dad, you can set your own boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-vega/i-guess-if-you-are-making-more-money-than-your-mom-and-dad-you-can/) [Alexa Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-vega/) > [“The kingdom of God is not a geographic domain with set boundaries and settled decrees, but a set of relationships in which Christ is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/the-kingdom-of-god-is-not-a-geographic-domain-with-set-boundaries-and/) [Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/) > [You don't owe anybody the present other than yourself. Take time for you. Respect yourself and your privacy. Set boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/you-don-t-owe-anybody-the-present-other-than-yourself-take-time-for/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/daring-to-set-boundaries-is-about-having-the-courage-to-love/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“Burnout is real. If you want success without the hustle and grind, plan for breaks and set boundaries for yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felecia-etienne/burnout-is-real-if-you-want-success-without-the-hustle-and-grind-plan/) [Felecia Etienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felecia-etienne/) ## More by Terry Tempest Williams > [I admire how she protects her energy and understands her limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-admire-how-she-protects-her-energy-and-understands-her-limitations/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Buddha says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/buddha-says-there-are-two-kinds-of-suffering-the-kind-that-leads-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I wonder how, among the Fremont, mothers and daughters shared their world. 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I write to create red in a world that often appears black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-make-peace-with-the-things-i-cannot-control-i-write-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Hope is not attached to outcomes but is a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/hope-is-not-attached-to-outcomes-but-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I have spoken about what we can do as citizens, what we can do as a responsive citizenry, and this is where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-have-spoken-about-what-we-can-do-as-citizens-what-we-can-do-as-a/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The moment Eve bit into the apple, her eyes opened and she became free. She exposed the truth of what every woman knows: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-moment-eve-bit-into-the-apple-her-eyes-opened-and-she-became-free/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I accept the Organic Trinity of Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal with as much authority as I accept the Holy Trinity. Both are sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-accept-the-organic-trinity-of-mineral-vegetable-and-animal-with-as/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Good writing must stay open to the questions and not fall prey to the pull of a polemic, otherwise, words simply become predictable, sentimental,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/good-writing-must-stay-open-to-the-questions-and-not-fall-prey-to-the/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I believe we must do things in our lives for the right reasons, because we enjoy doing them, with no expectation of getting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-we-must-do-things-in-our-lives-for-the-right-reasons/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [A mother and daughter are an edge. Edges are ecotones, transitional zones, places of danger or opportunity. House-dwelling tension. When I stand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-mother-and-daughter-are-an-edge-edges-are-ecotones-transitional/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“To be read. To be heard. To be seen. I want to be read, I want to be heard. I don't need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/to-be-read-to-be-heard-to-be-seen-i-want-to-be-read-i-want-to-be/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-eyes-of-the-future-are-looking-back-at-us-and-they-are-praying/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) [Explore all 357 Terry Tempest Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## More Boundaries quotes > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. But let’s dig into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-subside-into-a-single-mandatory-way-of-thinking-or-feeling/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/) [A. B. 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The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) [Browse all 2,012 Boundaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't set boundaries for myself when I am writing; if I did, I would be paralyzed from the start, unable to write a word on the page.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Tempest Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i-am-writing-if-i-did-i-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boundaries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i-am-writing-if-i-did-i-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/terry-tempest-williams-835_boundaries_i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i_2848699.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/terry-tempest-williams-835_boundaries_i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i_2848699.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/terry-tempest-williams-835_boundaries_i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i_2848699.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't set boundaries for myself when I am writing; if I did, I would be paralyzed from the start, unable…” — Terry Tempest Williams", "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": "Terry Tempest Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't set boundaries for myself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i-am-writing-if-i-did-i-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-don-t-set-boundaries-for-myself-when-i-am-writing-if-i-did-i-would/#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 } } ] } ```