---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing I have done religiously in…"
description: "\"The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal. I have hundreds of them, filled with feathers, flowers, photographs, and words - w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/terry-tempest-williams-835_done_the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-i_797799.png"
---

#  The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep…

![“The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal. I have hundreds of them, filled with feathers, flowers, photographs, and words - without locks, open on my shelves.” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/terry-tempest-williams-835_done_the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-i_797799.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/terry-tempest-williams-835_done_the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-i_797799.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/terry-tempest-williams-835_done_the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-i_797799.png)

> “The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal. I have hundreds of them, filled with feathers, flowers, photographs, and words - without locks, open on my shelves.”

[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.

Keeping a personal journal openly preserves memories, emotions, and observations, fostering self‑reflection and connection to nature.

**In simple terms:** Journaling openly stores memories and feelings.

Key Takeaway

Write regularly, keep it accessible.

Themes

self‑reflection memory nature creativity

Mood

introspective reflective

Type

personal creative

When to use this quote

- daily reflection
- creative projects
- mental health
- environmental awareness

Key Concepts

journaling personal history mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How does openness affect honesty?
- What do you gain from sharing your journal?

A Different Perspective

Open journals can be read by others, risking privacy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Feathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feathers/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal/) [Journal Hundreds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal-hundreds-6114640/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-journal-2828811/) [Locks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locks/) [Open Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-shelves-6057647/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photographs Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographs-words-2940341/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelves/)

## Related quotes

> [I liked reading and working out my ideas in the midst of that endless crowd walking in and out of the (library) looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-kazin/i-liked-reading-and-working-out-my-ideas-in-the-midst-of-that-endless/)

[Alfred Kazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-kazin/)

> [“Our dead become the photographs and words we hang on the walls, but they also hang on the walls of our hearts, the windows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeina-kassem/our-dead-become-the-photographs-and-words-we-hang-on-the-walls-but/)

[Zeina Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeina-kassem/)

> [“Growing up, I always had a journal – whether it was a marble composition book or a pretty hardcover journal—I reached out to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-proto/growing-up-i-always-had-a-journal-whether-it-was-a-marble-composition/)

[Sandra Proto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-proto/)

> [When Emily Dickinson writes, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul,” she reminds us, as the birds do, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/when-emily-dickinson-writes-hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-that/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“Birds, unlike us, lack countenance. But they make us smile when they connecting the sky with their dazzling feathers. They amaze us with how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ligori/birds-unlike-us-lack-countenance-but-they-make-us-smile-when-they/)

[Susan Ligori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ligori/)

> [“Featherweight by Suzy Kassem One evening, I sat by the ocean and questioned the moon about my destiny. I revealed to it that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/featherweight-by-suzy-kassem-one-evening-i-sat-by-the-ocean-and/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [I've been doing 'The Bachelor' long enough that I don't really care whose feathers I ruffle and how many waves I cause, because my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-harrison/i-ve-been-doing-the-bachelor-long-enough-that-i-don-t-really-care/)

[Chris Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-harrison/)

> [The world is not a burden; we make it a burden by our desires. When the desires are removed, the world is as light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baba-hari-dass/the-world-is-not-a-burden-we-make-it-a-burden-by-our-desires-when-the/)

[Baba Hari Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baba-hari-dass/)

> [I often say if men were meant to fly we would have been born with either feathers and wings or at the very least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zakour/i-often-say-if-men-were-meant-to-fly-we-would-have-been-born-with/)

[John Zakour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zakour/)

> [Now I'm free of him and I'm light as a feather. There's no weight holding me down; I'm ready to spread my wings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/now-i-m-free-of-him-and-i-m-light-as-a-feather-there-s-no-weight/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/just-erotic-nothing-kinky-it-s-the-difference-between-using-a-feather/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [All she saw, down in the cellar well beneath the stoop, was a light yellow feather with a tip of green. And she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/all-she-saw-down-in-the-cellar-well-beneath-the-stoop-was-a-light/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [“Only the chicken-lover will understand me. He will give me a kindly look, maybe mildly desirous. His eyes will tell me: You might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/only-the-chicken-lover-will-understand-me-he-will-give-me-a-kindly/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [Stefan: "Indian with a dot, not a feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/stefan-indian-with-a-dot-not-a-feather/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [A free society depends upon a high degree of mutual trust. The public will not give that trust to officials who are not seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-cox/a-free-society-depends-upon-a-high-degree-of-mutual-trust-the-public/)

[Archibald Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-cox/)

## 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. Did they walk side by side along the lake edge? What stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-wonder-how-among-the-fremont-mothers-and-daughters-shared-their/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [I believe the personal is the collective. One of the ironies of writing memoir is in using the "I" it becomes an alchemical "we."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-the-personal-is-the-collective-one-of-the-ironies-of/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts... I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-discover-i-write-to-uncover-i-write-to-meet-my-ghosts-i/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. 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 Done quotes

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [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've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/)

[Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

[Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal. I have hundreds of them, filled with feathers, flowers, photographs, and words - without locks, open on my shelves.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Tempest Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-in-my-life-is-keep-a-journal-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Done"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-in-my-life-is-keep-a-journal-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/terry-tempest-williams-835_done_the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-i_797799.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/terry-tempest-williams-835_done_the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-i_797799.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/terry-tempest-williams-835_done_the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-i_797799.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal. I have hundreds of them, filled with…” — 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": "The only thing I have done...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-in-my-life-is-keep-a-journal-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-only-thing-i-have-done-religiously-in-my-life-is-keep-a-journal-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
