--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How many times have people used a pen or…" description: "\"How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn’t pull the trigger?\" — Virginia Woolf" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/virginia-woolf-49_life_how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or_1930792.jpg" --- # How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush… ![“How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn’t pull the trigger?” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/virginia-woolf-49_life_how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or_1930792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/virginia-woolf-49_life_how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or_1930792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/virginia-woolf-49_life_how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or_1930792.jpg) > “How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn’t pull the trigger?” [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. Creative expression is often blocked by fear of commitment, leading people to choose safe tools over decisive action. **In simple terms:** Fear stops us from acting boldly. Key Takeaway Confront fear, choose decisive action. Themes creativity fear commitment Mood anxious reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - writing - painting - public speaking - career decisions Key Concepts psychology self‑sabotage Questions to Reflect On - What safe tool are you using to avoid risk? - How can you build confidence to act? A Different Perspective Fear can also stem from lack of skill, not just hesitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Paintbrush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintbrush/) [Paintbrush Couldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintbrush-couldn-3020800/) [Pen Paintbrush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pen-paintbrush-3020801/) [Pens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pens/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pull Trigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pull-trigger/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Triggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triggers/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Used Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-pen-3020802/) ## Related quotes > [I made a List of Special People in my Life with Pencil. But when I Reached Ur Name, I used a pen… Bcoz I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-made-a-list-of-special-people-in-my-life-with-pencil-but-when-i-2/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“Have you always used a pen?” “No,” I said, “only when I want to write something worth reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/have-you-always-used-a-pen-no-i-said-only-when-i-want-to-write/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Think about the physical act of pulling a trigger. The amount of pressure it takes to pull a trigger or the speed it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-ventimiglia/think-about-the-physical-act-of-pulling-a-trigger-the-amount-of/) [Milo Ventimiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-ventimiglia/) > [Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/finance-is-a-gun-politics-is-knowing-when-to-pull-the-trigger/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) > [If you're going to kill someone there isn't much reason to get all worked up about it and angry - you just pull the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-allchin/if-you-re-going-to-kill-someone-there-isn-t-much-reason-to-get-all/) [Jim Allchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-allchin/) > [Guns require a finger to pull the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/guns-require-a-finger-to-pull-the-trigger/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [And Kingsley being Kingsley, he smiled as he pretended to pull the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/and-kingsley-being-kingsley-he-smiled-as-he-pretended-to-pull-the/) [Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/) > [Next in importance to having a good aim is to recognize when to pull the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/next-in-importance-to-having-a-good-aim-is-to-recognize-when-to-pull/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [Sure, the killer was my son, but I didn't teach him to pull the trigger of the gun. It's the killer on this TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-johnson/sure-the-killer-was-my-son-but-i-didn-t-teach-him-to-pull-the-trigger/) [Jack Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-johnson/) > [Gun control? It's the best thing you can do for crooks and gangsters. I want you to have nothing. I'm a bad guy; I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-gravano/gun-control-it-s-the-best-thing-you-can-do-for-crooks-and-gangsters-i/) [Sammy Gravano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-gravano/) > [When it gets to this point, it's just hard to pull the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-yzerman/when-it-gets-to-this-point-it-s-just-hard-to-pull-the-trigger/) [Steve Yzerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-yzerman/) > [You never pull the trigger until you know you can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/you-never-pull-the-trigger-until-you-know-you-can-win/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [If you're not gonna pull the trigger, don't point the gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baker/if-you-re-not-gonna-pull-the-trigger-don-t-point-the-gun/) [James Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baker/) > [If somebody I don't like gets in the crosshairs, I pull the trigger. But I don't hunt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-boone-pickens/if-somebody-i-don-t-like-gets-in-the-crosshairs-i-pull-the-trigger/) [T. Boone Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-boone-pickens/) > [I suddenly dreamt that I picked up the revolver and aimed it straight at my heart my heart, and not my head; and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-suddenly-dreamt-that-i-picked-up-the-revolver-and-aimed-it-straight/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) ## 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 & 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 Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn’t pull the trigger?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Virginia Woolf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or-paintbrush-because-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or-paintbrush-because-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/virginia-woolf-49_life_how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or_1930792.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/virginia-woolf-49_life_how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or_1930792.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/virginia-woolf-49_life_how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or_1930792.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn’t pull the trigger?” — 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": "How many times have people used...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or-paintbrush-because-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/how-many-times-have-people-used-a-pen-or-paintbrush-because-they/#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 } } ] } ```