--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The scribe was a strict teacher and he…" description: "\"“The scribe was a strict teacher and he did not accept anything less than perfect... Like a mother sensing the baby quickening within her, suddenly, to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/theresa-breslin-23100_inspirational_the-scribe-was-a-strict-teacher-and-he-d_1230143.png" --- # The scribe was a strict teacher and he did not accept… ![“The scribe was a strict teacher and he did not accept anything less than perfect... Like a mother sensing the baby quickening within her, suddenly, to me, the letters were no longer hostile and unwieldly. I had command of them, with my head and with my hand... The words struck, as clear and as…” quote by Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/theresa-breslin-23100_inspirational_the-scribe-was-a-strict-teacher-and-he-d_1230143.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/theresa-breslin-23100_inspirational_the-scribe-was-a-strict-teacher-and-he-d_1230143.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/theresa-breslin-23100_inspirational_the-scribe-was-a-strict-teacher-and-he-d_1230143.png) > ““The scribe was a strict teacher and he did not accept anything less than perfect... Like a mother sensing the baby quickening within her, suddenly, to me, the letters were no longer hostile and unwieldly. I had command of them, with my head and with my hand... The words struck, as clear and as pure as a bell peal on a winter morning.”” [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) ## 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, once hostile, becomes a trusted companion when the author gains mastery and confidence. **In simple terms:** Mastery turns writing from foe to friend. Key Takeaway Practice to command your words. Themes creativity mastery confidence Mood inspired hopeful Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - academic research - creative projects Key Concepts Writing process flow self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What steps help you feel in control of your writing? - When have you felt writing become a friend? A Different Perspective Even skilled writers can still feel intimidation with new forms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hand Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-words-3801474/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Matteo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matteo/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Scribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scribe/) [Scribe Strict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scribe-strict-3801472/) [Sinistro-scribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinistro-scribe-171008/) [Strict Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strict-teacher-3801473/) [Winter morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter-morning/) [Words Struck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-struck-1239333/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Ho there, scribe. I see that you write well enough. Can you also read?' 'Obviously you cannot, boy,' he replied. 'For if you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/ho-there-scribe-i-see-that-you-write-well-enough-can-you-also-read/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“How had it come about that these particular designs were chosen as our letters? Who decreed what sound would accompany each shape? And how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/how-had-it-come-about-that-these-particular-designs-were-chosen-as/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“I squeeze his hand and give him fifteen words that mean everything. "It's okay to sleep now, Dad. I know that one day, we'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/i-squeeze-his-hand-and-give-him-fifteen-words-that-mean-everything-it/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [“The Maestro spoke again. "When we are not, at what point do we become?" I could not reply. For I had grasped no shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/the-maestro-spoke-again-when-we-are-not-at-what-point-do-we-become-i/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“He could quite quickly become detached from the nuances of common human emotion. Particularly if he was engaged in some aspect of a scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/he-could-quite-quickly-become-detached-from-the-nuances-of-common/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“She looked... She looked young, and- and--" I glanced down at Rossana gazing up at me, lips parted, eyes shining, her hair loose around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/she-looked-she-looked-young-and-and-i-glanced-down-at-rossana-gazing/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“I am not a doctor,' I replied, 'I only help those who come to me in desperation. When a man is brought to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/i-am-not-a-doctor-i-replied-i-only-help-those-who-come-to-me-in/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“They spoke politely and with deference to the adults, whereas it went against my nature not to speak plainly. To many people speaking plainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/they-spoke-politely-and-with-deference-to-the-adults-whereas-it-went/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“Being illegitimate is a technicality. It does not mean that there is anything wrong with you. Men use "bastard" as a curse. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/being-illegitimate-is-a-technicality-it-does-not-mean-that-there-is/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“This was not completely true. I had run so fast that I still had a stitch in my side, but I did not want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/this-was-not-completely-true-i-had-run-so-fast-that-i-still-had-a/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“I peered at his writing, but I could make nothing of it. Then I saw why, and my soul chilled like marble. His writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/i-peered-at-his-writing-but-i-could-make-nothing-of-it-then-i-saw-why/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [Difficulty is a severe instructor. It's like a strict teacher teaching in the class. You got to tolerate her and do well in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/difficulty-is-a-severe-instructor-it-s-like-a-strict-teacher-teaching/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is more strict than a teacher A teacher teaches a lesson and takes an exam. . . . . But life takes an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-more-strict-than-a-teacher-a-teacher-teaches-a-lesson-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If mankind conversed only of the things they understood, half the words might be struck out of the dictionaries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenimore-cooper/if-mankind-conversed-only-of-the-things-they-understood-half-the/) [James Fenimore Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenimore-cooper/) > [“How can you be so optimistic about the whole damn world but not about yourself?” “My magic, you mean.” “Your neck, Pen.” She drew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-connor/how-can-you-be-so-optimistic-about-the-whole-damn-world-but-not-about/) [Ellen Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-connor/) ## More by Theresa Breslin > [“The Maestro spoke again. "When we are not, at what point do we become?" I could not reply. For I had grasped no shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/the-maestro-spoke-again-when-we-are-not-at-what-point-do-we-become-i/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [In addition to being a writer, I'm a librarian - professionally trained and everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/in-addition-to-being-a-writer-i-m-a-librarian-professionally-trained/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“What makes a human being want to kill another who has done him no personal harm? Patriotism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/what-makes-a-human-being-want-to-kill-another-who-has-done-him-no/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“I peered at his writing, but I could make nothing of it. Then I saw why, and my soul chilled like marble. His writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/i-peered-at-his-writing-but-i-could-make-nothing-of-it-then-i-saw-why/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“I must tell you this, Maggie. Your letters are my lifeline. Your threat to stop them terrified me. Never stop writing to me, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/i-must-tell-you-this-maggie-your-letters-are-my-lifeline-your-threat/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“If you are not a Conchie, what are you man?' demanded the Major. After some moments' thought, Francis said, 'I am a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/if-you-are-not-a-conchie-what-are-you-man-demanded-the-major-after/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“This was not completely true. I had run so fast that I still had a stitch in my side, but I did not want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/this-was-not-completely-true-i-had-run-so-fast-that-i-still-had-a/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [“Being illegitimate is a technicality. It does not mean that there is anything wrong with you. Men use "bastard" as a curse. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/being-illegitimate-is-a-technicality-it-does-not-mean-that-there-is/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [One of the reasons I began to write was because I wanted stories for my children where the characters spoke as they did and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/one-of-the-reasons-i-began-to-write-was-because-i-wanted-stories-for/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [In order to deliver the emotional truth in the story, you have to include some of the literal truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/in-order-to-deliver-the-emotional-truth-in-the-story-you-have-to/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [My hope is for a literature that raises the language above the ordinary, makes words both functional and emotional, and to resonate at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/my-hope-is-for-a-literature-that-raises-the-language-above-the/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [When I was young, I read everything I could lay my hands on, but the Scots in my storybooks spent their time fighting glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/when-i-was-young-i-read-everything-i-could-lay-my-hands-on-but-the/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [What I try to do - and I think this is the former librarian in me - is to get primary source material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/what-i-try-to-do-and-i-think-this-is-the-former-librarian-in-me-is-to/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [In addition to exploring imaginative worlds, I believe that young people should have access to reading material that validates their life, that gives them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/in-addition-to-exploring-imaginative-worlds-i-believe-that-young/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) > [Lying eats into the soul. If it becomes a habit it frays the edge of your spirit. Truth telling, although sometimes harder to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-breslin/lying-eats-into-the-soul-if-it-becomes-a-habit-it-frays-the-edge-of/) [Theresa Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) [Explore all 26 Theresa Breslin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-breslin/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [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/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The scribe was a strict teacher and he did not accept anything less than perfect... 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