--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think about Rilke , who said that it's…" description: "\"“I think about Rilke , who said that it's the questions that move us, not the answers. As a writer I believe it is our task, our responsibility, to hol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/terry-tempest-williams-835_books_i-think-about-rilke-who-said-that-it-s-t_628262.png" --- # I think about Rilke , who said that it's the questions… ![“I think about Rilke , who said that it's the questions that move us, not the answers. As a writer I believe it is our task, our responsibility, to hold the mirror up to social injustices that we see and to create a prayer of beauty. The questions serve us in that capacity. Pico Iyer describes his…” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/terry-tempest-williams-835_books_i-think-about-rilke-who-said-that-it-s-t_628262.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/terry-tempest-williams-835_books_i-think-about-rilke-who-said-that-it-s-t_628262.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/terry-tempest-williams-835_books_i-think-about-rilke-who-said-that-it-s-t_628262.png) > ““I think about Rilke , who said that it's the questions that move us, not the answers. As a writer I believe it is our task, our responsibility, to hold the mirror up to social injustices that we see and to create a prayer of beauty. The questions serve us in that capacity. Pico Iyer describes his writing as "intimate letters to a stranger," and I think that is what the writing process is. It begins with a question, and then you follow this path of exploration. ... I write out of my questions. Hopefully, if we write out of our humanity, our vulnerable nature, then some chord is struck with a reader and we touch on the page. I know that is why I read, to find those parts of myself in a story that I cannot turn away from. The writers who move me are the ones who create beauty and truth out of their sufferings, their yearnings, their discoveries. It is what I call the patience of words born out of the search. ... Perhaps as writers we are really storytellers, finding that golden thread that connects us to the past, present, and future at once. I love language and landscape. For me, writing is the correspondence between these two passions. It is difficult to ever see yourself. I don't know how I've developed or grown as a writer. I hope I am continuing to take risks on the page. I hope I am continuing to ask the hard questions of myself. If we are attentive to the world and to those around us, I believe we will be attentive on the page. Writing is about presence. I want to be fully present wherever I am, alive to the pulse just beneath the skin. I want to dare to speak " the language women speak when there's no one around to correct them ".”” [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. Writing arises from questioning, vulnerability, and a desire to connect personal humanity with broader social truth. **In simple terms:** Questions drive authentic, compassionate writing. Key Takeaway Write from honest, probing questions. Themes creativity social justice self‑exploration Mood reflective inspirational Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - education - personal growth Key Concepts introspection empathy storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What personal questions can you writing to uncover truth? - How does vulnerability shape your creative voice? A Different Perspective Questions alone don’t guarantee insight; action and honesty are required. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Love Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-language/) [Past present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-present/) [Past present and future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-present-and-future/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-process/) ## Related quotes > [Pico Iyer describes his writing as "intimate letters to a stranger," and I think that is what the writing process is. 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And, if you write, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-abbey/if-you-write-one-of-the-questions-you-re-always-trying-to-answer-is/) [Lynn Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-abbey/) > [I don't think writers should write about answers. I think writers should write about questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-don-t-think-writers-should-write-about-answers-i-think-writers/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you can't say or write, but the questions, you always want to get as close to that line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/whenever-you-re-reporting-there-s-always-something-you-can-t-say-or/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) ## 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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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. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think about Rilke , who said that it's the questions that move us, not the answers. As a writer I believe it is our task, our responsibility, to hold the mirror up to social injustices that we see and to create a prayer of beauty. The questions serve us in that capacity. Pico Iyer describes his writing as \"intimate letters to a stranger,\" and I think that is what the writing process is. It begins with a question, and then you follow this path of exploration. ... I write out of my questions. Hopefully, if we write out of our humanity, our vulnerable nature, then some chord is struck with a reader and we touch on the page. I know that is why I read, to find those parts of myself in a story that I cannot turn away from. The writers who move me are the ones who create beauty and truth out of their sufferings, their yearnings, their discoveries. It is what I call the patience of words born out of the search. ... Perhaps as writers we are really storytellers, finding that golden thread that connects us to the past, present, and future at once. I love language and landscape. For me, writing is the correspondence between these two passions. It is difficult to ever see yourself. I don't know how I've developed or grown as a writer. I hope I am continuing to take risks on the page. I hope I am continuing to ask the hard questions of myself. If we are attentive to the world and to those around us, I believe we will be attentive on the page. Writing is about presence. I want to be fully present wherever I am, alive to the pulse just beneath the skin. 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