--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To me, writing is not a profession. You…" description: "\"To me, writing is not a profession. You might as well call living a profession. Or having children. Anything you can't help doing.\" — Vicki Baum" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/vicki-baum-19106_career_to-me-writing-is-not-a-profession-you-mi_367179.jpg" --- # To me, writing is not a profession. You might as well call… ![“To me, writing is not a profession. You might as well call living a profession. Or having children. Anything you can't help doing.” quote by Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/vicki-baum-19106_career_to-me-writing-is-not-a-profession-you-mi_367179.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/vicki-baum-19106_career_to-me-writing-is-not-a-profession-you-mi_367179.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/vicki-baum-19106_career_to-me-writing-is-not-a-profession-you-mi_367179.jpg) > “To me, writing is not a profession. You might as well call living a profession. Or having children. Anything you can't help doing.” [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is a way of living, as essential as parenting or any passion you cannot ignore. **In simple terms:** Writing is living. Key Takeaway Treat writing as a life practice. Themes creativity purpose identity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily journaling - novel writing - blogging Key Concepts artistic expression career life balance Questions to Reflect On - How does writing shape your daily life? - What passions complement your writing? A Different Perspective Writing may not pay bills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Having children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-children/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [For me, this profession is about having a career where you can go on working for 60 years, so I'm not particularly bothered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mccabe/for-me-this-profession-is-about-having-a-career-where-you-can-go-on/) [Richard McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mccabe/) > [Writing ... is a profession that can only be learned by writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/writing-is-a-profession-that-can-only-be-learned-by-writing/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Writers were never meant to be professionals. Writing is not a profession, it is an activity, an essentially amateur occupation. It is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/writers-were-never-meant-to-be-professionals-writing-is-not-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Writing is not a profession, occupation or job; it is not a way of life: it is a comprehensive response to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-mcdonald/writing-is-not-a-profession-occupation-or-job-it-is-not-a-way-of-life/) [Gregory Mcdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-mcdonald/) > [The mystique and the false glamour of the writing profession grow partly out of a mistaken belief that people who can express profound ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-burroway/the-mystique-and-the-false-glamour-of-the-writing-profession-grow/) [Janet Burroway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-burroway/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Writing- the profession in which you stare at a computer screen, stare out the window, type a few words, then curse repeatedly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goodman/writing-the-profession-in-which-you-stare-at-a-computer-screen-stare/) Drew Goodman > [“Writing is something you do alone. Its a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don't want to make eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/writing-is-something-you-do-alone-its-a-profession-for-introverts-who/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Writing is the only profession where nobody considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. Money is like an arm or a leg; use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/writing-is-the-only-profession-where-nobody-considers-you-ridiculous/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“I have never thought of writing as a profession. It is a solitary independent activity in which practice can never bestow seniority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/i-have-never-thought-of-writing-as-a-profession-it-is-a-solitary/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [“And though creative writing as an intellectual exercise may be pursued with profit by anyone, writing as a profession is not a job for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/and-though-creative-writing-as-an-intellectual-exercise-may-be/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“Writing is a profession that has no real career structure and your best advice when you hit a difficulty is probably going to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/writing-is-a-profession-that-has-no-real-career-structure-and-your/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Writing is my profession. Photography is my hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/writing-is-my-profession-photography-is-my-hobby/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [Writing seems to be the only profession people imagine you can do by thinking about doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/writing-seems-to-be-the-only-profession-people-imagine-you-can-do-by/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/writing-is-the-only-profession-where-no-one-considers-you-ridiculous/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) ## More by Vicki Baum > [Fame always brings loneliness. Success is as ice cold and lonely as the North Pole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/fame-always-brings-loneliness-success-is-as-ice-cold-and-lonely-as/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [I was growing tired of all the fussing and prevaricating, of the stolen hours and the secret rendez-vous; of the small indignities and broad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/i-was-growing-tired-of-all-the-fussing-and-prevaricating-of-the/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [in the big city nobody has time to make friends. The big city is a big solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/in-the-big-city-nobody-has-time-to-make-friends-the-big-city-is-a-big/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [A woman who is loved always has success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/a-woman-who-is-loved-always-has-success/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [serious difficulties don't vanish by themselves, they are standing around your bed when you open the eyes the next morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/serious-difficulties-don-t-vanish-by-themselves-they-are-standing/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [You don't get ulcers from what you eat. You get them from what's eating you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/you-don-t-get-ulcers-from-what-you-eat-you-get-them-from-what-s/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [There is a need for heroism in American life today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/there-is-a-need-for-heroism-in-american-life-today/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [“The experiences people have in a large hotel do not constitute entire human destinies, full and completed. They are fragments merely, scraps, pieces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/the-experiences-people-have-in-a-large-hotel-do-not-constitute-entire/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [To be a Jew is a destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/to-be-a-jew-is-a-destiny/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [People don't speak of hunger when they know what it is to be hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/people-don-t-speak-of-hunger-when-they-know-what-it-is-to-be-hungry/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [A man with money to pay for a meal can talk about hunger without demeaning himself. ... But for a man with no money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/a-man-with-money-to-pay-for-a-meal-can-talk-about-hunger-without/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [The most remarkable thing about Hollywood is that it does not exist. ... Hollywood, in a word, has no center, never had one, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/the-most-remarkable-thing-about-hollywood-is-that-it-does-not-exist/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [the seat of the greatest patriotic loyalties is in the stomach. Long after giving up all attachment to the land of his birth, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/the-seat-of-the-greatest-patriotic-loyalties-is-in-the-stomach-long/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [when we are young our parents run our life; when we get older, our children do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/when-we-are-young-our-parents-run-our-life-when-we-get-older-our/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [Courage comes and goes. Hold on for the next supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/courage-comes-and-goes-hold-on-for-the-next-supply/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) [Explore all 32 Vicki Baum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) ## More Career quotes > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [There are so many things you can do with your life, you can go to school and study toward your career, you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/there-are-so-many-things-you-can-do-with-your-life-you-can-go-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-am-a-very-big-fan-of-brian-eno-of-his-work-as-an-artist-and-making/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [If I can beat a proven champion like Canelo, that will take my career to a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/if-i-can-beat-a-proven-champion-like-canelo-that-will-take-my-career/) [Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“The vocation of a man lies in his vision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-vocation-of-a-man-lies-in-his-vision/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [You can have a career and kids who love you. But you have to nurture yourself and find a way to be fulfilled so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-reitman/you-can-have-a-career-and-kids-who-love-you-but-you-have-to-nurture/) [Catherine Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reitman/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Even though I'm already successful and have a career, it is always good to have your eggs in more than one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/even-though-i-m-already-successful-and-have-a-career-it-is-always/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) [Browse all 11,387 Career quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To me, writing is not a profession. You might as well call living a profession. Or having children. 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