--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When writers stop believing in their own…" description: "\"When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers tend to sense it.\" — Tracy Kidder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85b/tracy-kidder-8859_believe_when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own_2564154.jpg" --- # When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers… ![“When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers tend to sense it.” quote by Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85b/tracy-kidder-8859_believe_when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own_2564154.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85b/tracy-kidder-8859_believe_when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own_2564154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85b/tracy-kidder-8859_believe_when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own_2564154.jpg) > “When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers tend to sense it.” [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When writers lose belief in their stories, readers sense inauthenticity, weakening connection. **In simple terms:** Writers' doubt shows in their work. Key Takeaway Maintain confidence in your narrative. Themes authenticity confidence storytelling Mood inspirational thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - author talks - editing sessions Key Concepts self‑doubt creative process reader perception Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your belief in your story? - How can you rebuild confidence after doubt? A Different Perspective Self‑doubt can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When we stop believing in the gods we can start believing in their stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/when-we-stop-believing-in-the-gods-we-can-start-believing-in-their/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [When we stop believing in gods we can start believing in their stories, I retort. There are of course no such things as miracles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/when-we-stop-believing-in-gods-we-can-start-believing-in-their/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I like to end stories where the readers have a little room to run. They can resolve things as they like in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-like-to-end-stories-where-the-readers-have-a-little-room-to-run/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I am not retiring. Writers don't retire. Writers never stop writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-am-not-retiring-writers-don-t-retire-writers-never-stop-writing/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [To be truthful, some writers stop you dead in your tracks by making you see your own work in the most unflattering light. Each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/to-be-truthful-some-writers-stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks-by-making/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Readers tend to tolerate such "accidents"... when they get the characters into trouble but they're less accepting when the author uses them to rescue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mccormack/readers-tend-to-tolerate-such-accidents-when-they-get-the-characters/) Thomas McCormack > [Leave out the parts that readers tend to skip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/leave-out-the-parts-that-readers-tend-to-skip/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Readers tend to devour short stories on a newssheet, but would be disinclined to read them in collections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-p-hartley/readers-tend-to-devour-short-stories-on-a-newssheet-but-would-be/) [L.P. Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-p-hartley/) > [Life is complicated; however that does not stop me from believing in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-complicated-however-that-does-not-stop-me-from-believing-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It didn’t stop me from believing we might have had a chance though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/it-didn-t-stop-me-from-believing-we-might-have-had-a-chance-though/) [S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/) > [Please stop worrying about how much you can do! STOP judging yourself and others on physical abilities and prowess, stop believing MORE is better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/please-stop-worrying-about-how-much-you-can-do-stop-judging-yourself/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [Life Ends When You Stop Dreaming, Hope Ends When You Stop Believing And Love Ends When You Stop Caring. So Dream Hope And Love..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abiodun-oladipupo/life-ends-when-you-stop-dreaming-hope-ends-when-you-stop-believing/) [Abiodun Oladipupo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abiodun-oladipupo/) > [If I find out that you stopped caring for no reason.. I am going to stop believing you ever existed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-find-out-that-you-stopped-caring-for-no-reason-i-am-going-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Stop believing you can't make a positive difference. The people around you require godly influence, revelation, grace, and hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-suulola/stop-believing-you-can-t-make-a-positive-difference-the-people-around/) [Benjamin Suulola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-suulola/) > [“She says that on the day you stop believing in love you may as will lie down and die. I think she may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-benton-frank/she-says-that-on-the-day-you-stop-believing-in-love-you-may-as-will/) [Dorothea Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-benton-frank/) ## More by Tracy Kidder > [“He sniffed, and said as others had before him and others no doubt would again, "I have learned never to say, 'Never again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/he-sniffed-and-said-as-others-had-before-him-and-others-no-doubt/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Don't worry about being worried. You're heading out on an adventure and you can always change your mind along the way and try something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/don-t-worry-about-being-worried-you-re-heading-out-on-an-adventure/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-that-enduring-geological-features-are-important-though-i/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“In the process Paul laid out a comprehensive theory of poverty, of a world designed by the elites of all nations to serve their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/in-the-process-paul-laid-out-a-comprehensive-theory-of-poverty-of-a/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Farmer liked to tell his Harvard students that to be a good clinician you must never let a patient know that you have problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/farmer-liked-to-tell-his-harvard-students-that-to-be-a-good-clinician/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“One shouldn't expect anyone to be complete at any given moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/one-shouldn-t-expect-anyone-to-be-complete-at-any-given-moment/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-want-my-prose-to-be-as-clear-as-a-pane-of-glass/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [What I like about non-fiction is that it covers such a huge territory. The best non-fiction is also creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/what-i-like-about-non-fiction-is-that-it-covers-such-a-huge-territory/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Things were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/things-were-here-before-you-and-will-be-here-after-you-re-gone-the/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe in God. I think God has given so much power to people, and intelligence, and said, 'Well, you are on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-in-god-i-think-god-has-given-so-much-power-to-people-and/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [The goofiness of radicals thinking they have to dress in Guatemalan peasant clothes. The poor don't want you to look like them. They want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/the-goofiness-of-radicals-thinking-they-have-to-dress-in-guatemalan/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [That's when I feel most alive, he told me once on an airplane, when I'm helping people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/that-s-when-i-feel-most-alive-he-told-me-once-on-an-airplane-when-i-m/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/attempts-at-imitation-would-put-the-emphasis-where-it-didn-t-belong/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Nothing every happens unless you push it. Ed Rasala. 111”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/nothing-every-happens-unless-you-push-it-ed-rasala-111/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Curing yourself of obsessive compulsive disorder by going to a strip club is pretty strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/curing-yourself-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-by-going-to-a-strip/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) [Explore all 77 Tracy Kidder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [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/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers tend to sense it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tracy Kidder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own-stories-readers-tend-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own-stories-readers-tend-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85b/tracy-kidder-8859_believe_when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own_2564154.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85b/tracy-kidder-8859_believe_when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own_2564154.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85b/tracy-kidder-8859_believe_when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own_2564154.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers tend to sense it.” — Tracy Kidder", "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": "Tracy Kidder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When writers stop believing in their...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own-stories-readers-tend-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/when-writers-stop-believing-in-their-own-stories-readers-tend-to/#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 } } ] } ```