---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A thousand things to be written had I…"
description: "\"A thousand things to be written had I time: had I power. A very little writing uses up my capacity for writing.\" — Virginia Woolf"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/virginia-woolf-49_capacity_a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-ti_822067.jpg"
---

#  A thousand things to be written had I time: had I power. A…

![“A thousand things to be written had I time: had I power. A very little writing uses up my capacity for writing.” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/virginia-woolf-49_capacity_a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-ti_822067.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/virginia-woolf-49_capacity_a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-ti_822067.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/virginia-woolf-49_capacity_a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-ti_822067.jpg)

> “A thousand things to be written had I time: had I power. A very little writing uses up my capacity for writing.”

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing capacity is limited; choosing what to write matters more than having time or power.

**In simple terms:** Writing limits us; choose wisely.

Key Takeaway

Focus on meaningful writing.

Themes

creativity choice limits

Mood

contemplative determined

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- journaling
- academic work

Key Concepts

literature self‑discipline

Questions to Reflect On

- What will you write today?
- How to prioritize writing projects?

A Different Perspective

Time alone doesn’t guarantee output.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [When you look at you texts an only see what you've written, then it is time to start deleting contacts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adar-burks/when-you-look-at-you-texts-an-only-see-what-you-ve-written-then-it-is/)

[Adar Burks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adar-burks/)

> [“There are no endings, and there are no fairy tales. But the pages keep being written. Time soldiers on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-no-endings-and-there-are-no-fairy-tales-but-the-pages-keep/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If I'm writing a novel, I'll probably get up in the morning, do email, perhaps blog, deal with emergencies, and then be off novel-writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/if-i-m-writing-a-novel-i-ll-probably-get-up-in-the-morning-do-email/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [On an average day, I spend 12 hours listening to music. Very little writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/on-an-average-day-i-spend-12-hours-listening-to-music-very-little/)

[Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/)

> [We do very little re-writing in the office. We often take on people who show great promise and who we hope will develop into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-laughlin/we-do-very-little-re-writing-in-the-office-we-often-take-on-people/)

[James Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-laughlin/)

> [I'll do what little I can in writing. Only it will be very little. I'm not capable of it; and if I were, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/i-ll-do-what-little-i-can-in-writing-only-it-will-be-very-little-i-m/)

[James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/)

> [I remember very little about writing the first series of 'Hitchhiker's.' It's almost as if someone else wrote it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-remember-very-little-about-writing-the-first-series-of-hitchhiker-s/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [A great deal of living must go to a very little writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-ridley-havergal/a-great-deal-of-living-must-go-to-a-very-little-writing/)

[Frances Ridley Havergal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-ridley-havergal/)

> [It's hard sometimes to not want to know what people are saying behind your back and to ignore certain things that are being written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sienna-miller/it-s-hard-sometimes-to-not-want-to-know-what-people-are-saying-behind/)

[Sienna Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sienna-miller/)

> [It is very annoying - things have been written by people who didn't know me at all or Princess Diana. They were written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasnat-khan/it-is-very-annoying-things-have-been-written-by-people-who-didn-t/)

[Hasnat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasnat-khan/)

> [Nobody has had more awful things written about them than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-nielsen/nobody-has-had-more-awful-things-written-about-them-than-me/)

[Brigitte Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-nielsen/)

> [Some things get written more quickly than others, but I can't really measure degrees of difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/some-things-get-written-more-quickly-than-others-but-i-can-t-really/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I had a naiveté that I would remember the things that I had written already, but I was getting lost in the forest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chee/i-had-a-naivet-that-i-would-remember-the-things-that-i-had-written/)

[Alexander Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chee/)

> [“There are things written concerning you in the book of life; that you need to keep opening, till you discover them and keep opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/there-are-things-written-concerning-you-in-the-book-of-life-that-you/)

[ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/)

> [I seem to be drawn to these smaller forms, and I seem to be drawn to things that can be written and also read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/i-seem-to-be-drawn-to-these-smaller-forms-and-i-seem-to-be-drawn-to/)

[Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/)

## More by Virginia Woolf

> [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. On one side all is correct, definite, orderly; the paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/across-the-broad-continent-of-a-woman-s-life-falls-the-shadow-of-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Love ought to stop on both sides, don’t you think, simultaneously?’ He spoke without any stress on the words, so as not to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/love-ought-to-stop-on-both-sides-don-t-you-think-simultaneously-he/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“It is so vast an alleviation to be able to point for another to look at. And then not to talk. To follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-is-so-vast-an-alleviation-to-be-able-to-point-for-another-to-look/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here &amp; read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

[Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## More Capacity quotes

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/)

[Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [I was only operating at about 80% of my capacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lomu/i-was-only-operating-at-about-80-of-my-capacity/)

[Jonah Lomu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lomu/)

> [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/)

[Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/)

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/)

[Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/)

> [For years mental health professionals taught people that they could be psychologically healthy without social support, that “unless you love yourself, no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-d-perry/for-years-mental-health-professionals-taught-people-that-they-could/)

[Bruce D. Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-d-perry/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [“Teach honesty by all means - you do know what it is, don't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/teach-honesty-by-all-means-you-do-know-what-it-is-don-t-you/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

> [he cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/he-cult-of-productivity-has-its-place-but-worshipping-at-its-altar/)

[Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/)

> [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bravery-is-the-capacity-to-perform-properly-even-when-scared-half-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 3,320 Capacity quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A thousand things to be written had I time: had I power. A very little writing uses up my capacity for writing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Virginia Woolf"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-time-had-i-power-a-very-little/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Capacity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-time-had-i-power-a-very-little/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/virginia-woolf-49_capacity_a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-ti_822067.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/virginia-woolf-49_capacity_a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-ti_822067.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/virginia-woolf-49_capacity_a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-ti_822067.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A thousand things to be written had I time: had I power. A very little writing uses up my capacity for…” — Virginia Woolf",
                "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": "Virginia Woolf",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A thousand things to be written...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-time-had-i-power-a-very-little/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-thousand-things-to-be-written-had-i-time-had-i-power-a-very-little/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
