Ashtray Quote by Tom Stoppard
“I smoke too much whether it's going well or badly. After all these years, I definitely associate having a pen in my hand with having an ashtray just out of eye line.”
About This Quote
Source Play: The Real Thing, 1982
The writer associates smoking with writing, linking the act of holding a pen to having an ashtray nearby, indicating a habitual, perhaps compulsive, creative ritual.
In simple terms: Smoking is tied to the writer’s habit of holding a pen.
Key Takeaway
Break the habit linking you write.
Themes
creativity
habit
addiction
Mood
reflective
determined
Type
advice
motivational
When to use this quote
- writing sessions
- stress relief
- health management
Key Concepts
ritual
compulsion
environment
Questions to Reflect On
- Can you write without smoking?
- What alternative ritual could replace it?
A Different Perspective
Habit may hinder creative freedom.
![“Writing a play is like smashing that [glass] ashtray, filming it in slow motion, and then running the film in reverse, so that the fragments of rubble appear to fly together. You start - or at least I start - with the rubble.” quote by Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/271/tom-stoppard-437_ashtrays_writing-a-play-is-like-smashing-that-gla_733373.jpg)
