--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I used to teach writing, what I…" description: "\"When I used to teach writing, what I would tell my playwriting students is that while you're writing your plays, you're also writing the playwright. Yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/tony-kushner-2204_developing_when-i-used-to-teach-writing-what-i-woul_1438386.jpg" --- # When I used to teach writing, what I would tell my… ![“When I used to teach writing, what I would tell my playwriting students is that while you're writing your plays, you're also writing the playwright. You're developing yourself as a persona, as a public persona. It's going to be partly exposed through the writing itself and partly created by all…” quote by Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/tony-kushner-2204_developing_when-i-used-to-teach-writing-what-i-woul_1438386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/tony-kushner-2204_developing_when-i-used-to-teach-writing-what-i-woul_1438386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/tony-kushner-2204_developing_when-i-used-to-teach-writing-what-i-woul_1438386.jpg) > “When I used to teach writing, what I would tell my playwriting students is that while you're writing your plays, you're also writing the playwright. You're developing yourself as a persona, as a public persona. It's going to be partly exposed through the writing itself and partly created by all the paraphernalia that attaches itself to writing. But you aren't simply an invisible being or your own private being at work. You're kind of a public figure, as well.” [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing plays also shapes the writer’s public identity, merging personal growth with artistic output. **In simple terms:** Writing builds your public self. Key Takeaway Embrace the persona you create through writing. Themes identity creativity self‑development public image Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - teaching workshops - writing retreats - personal branding - career development Key Concepts persona formation authorial voice self‑presentation Questions to Reflect On - How does your work reflect your true self? - Can you separate the writer from the persona? A Different Perspective The public persona may conflict with private authenticity, causing tension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Persona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persona/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Playwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwriting/) [Public figure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-figure/) [Public figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-figures/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things he liked about playwriting as to any other kind of writing is that a playwright is a w-r-i-g-h-t, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/one-of-the-things-he-liked-about-playwriting-as-to-any-other-kind-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I don't know if I ever would have developed into a good actor, but that got completely scotched when I lost my vocal cord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-don-t-know-if-i-ever-would-have-developed-into-a-good-actor-but/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [The thing I know how to do most is write a play. 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One can teach people how to tell a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ives/i-ve-taught-both-screenwriting-and-playwriting-and-playwriting-is/) [David Ives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ives/) > [Playwriting is all about empathy, getting inside the head of someone who is not you, to think like they think without judging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-margulies/playwriting-is-all-about-empathy-getting-inside-the-head-of-someone/) [Donald Margulies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-margulies/) > [“As a youth I enjoyed — indeed, like most of my contemporaries, revered — the agitprop plays of Brecht, and his indictments of Capitalism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/as-a-youth-i-enjoyed-indeed-like-most-of-my-contemporaries-revered/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) ## More by Tony Kushner > [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-big-influence-on-me-was-robert-altman-who-especially-in-nashville/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“Fabulous. 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I actually think that people are never stuck, there’s no such thing as writers block, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-never-really-feel-that-i-m-stuck-i-actually-think-that-people-are/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-act-of-thinking-and-interpreting-is-so-central-to-judaism-that-it/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The general consensus among historians, among the ones who can handle the fact that 'Lincoln' is, in fact, historical fiction, is that we demonstrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-general-consensus-among-historians-among-the-ones-who-can-handle/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. 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