--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Other people get into occupations by…" description: "\"Other people get into occupations by accident or design; but writers are born. I could work at selling motels, or slopping hogs, for fifty years, but i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/w-p-kinsella-12923_accidents_other-people-get-into-occupations-by-acc_1203486.jpg" --- # Other people get into occupations by accident or design… ![“Other people get into occupations by accident or design; but writers are born. I could work at selling motels, or slopping hogs, for fifty years, but if someone asked my occupation, I'd say writer, even if I'd never sold a word. Writers write. Other people talk.” quote by W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/w-p-kinsella-12923_accidents_other-people-get-into-occupations-by-acc_1203486.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/w-p-kinsella-12923_accidents_other-people-get-into-occupations-by-acc_1203486.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/w-p-kinsella-12923_accidents_other-people-get-into-occupations-by-acc_1203486.jpg) > “Other people get into occupations by accident or design; but writers are born. I could work at selling motels, or slopping hogs, for fifty years, but if someone asked my occupation, I'd say writer, even if I'd never sold a word. Writers write. Other people talk.” [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that writing is an innate vocation, distinct from other jobs, emphasizing a deep, inherent calling to create words. **In simple terms:** Writing feels innate, not chosen. Key Takeaway Recognize your true calling. Themes vocation creativity identity purpose Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical career reflection When to use this quote - career counseling - creative workshops - writing retreats - discussions on vocation Key Concepts Innate talent self‑realization career choice Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel a natural pull toward a specific craft? - How can one discover an innate vocation? A Different Perspective Not everyone can be a writer; talent may be overestimated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Fifty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifty/) [Hog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hog/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Motels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motels/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-talk/) [Say Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-writer/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) [Word Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-writers-1738379/) [Write People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-write/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“You say you're a writer but you're depressed. Not an excuse; write from there. Write some depressing sh\*t. Believe me. You will have plenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-christopher/you-say-you-re-a-writer-but-you-re-depressed-not-an-excuse-write-from/) [Stanley Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-christopher/) > [“Research" is a wonderful word for writers. It serves as excuse for EVERYTHING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayne-hall/research-is-a-wonderful-word-for-writers-it-serves-as-excuse-for/) [Rayne Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rayne-hall/) > [Writers are a loosely knit community - community is an overstated word. Writers don't see each other very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/writers-are-a-loosely-knit-community-community-is-an-overstated-word/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [In a sense my whole life as a writer is trying to find structural ways, or formal ways, to permit that outflowing so it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-a-sense-my-whole-life-as-a-writer-is-trying-to-find-structural/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Personally, I like the social novel. I like writing that gets in and under the hood and looks about - at what's going on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/personally-i-like-the-social-novel-i-like-writing-that-gets-in-and/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“They say a writer is not a single person, it is a bunch of characters. What I learned from life is that everyone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-chhabra/they-say-a-writer-is-not-a-single-person-it-is-a-bunch-of-characters/) [Himanshu Chhabra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-chhabra/) > [When somebody asks what I do, I guess I say 'writer' first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-glazer/when-somebody-asks-what-i-do-i-guess-i-say-writer-first/) [Ilana Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-glazer/) > [“On Twitter at last, and can't think of a thing to say. Some writer I turned out to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/on-twitter-at-last-and-can-t-think-of-a-thing-to-say-some-writer-i/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When people say, Did you always want to be a writer?, I have to say no! I always WAS a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/when-people-say-did-you-always-want-to-be-a-writer-i-have-to-say-no-i/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I am smiling a big adopted-orphan smile as I write this ... I still love scribbling the word - WRITER - any time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-am-smiling-a-big-adopted-orphan-smile-as-i-write-this-i-still-love/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“‎Never say you can't be a writer or a script writer, remember how well, characters in your dreams said their dialogues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipesh-nepal/never-say-you-can-t-be-a-writer-or-a-script-writer-remember-how-well/) [Dipesh Nepal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipesh-nepal/) > [All a writer has to do to get a woman is to say he's a writer. It's an aphrodisiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/all-a-writer-has-to-do-to-get-a-woman-is-to-say-he-s-a-writer-it-s-an/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I will say only that all a writer has to work with is the material he has gathered as the result of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-will-say-only-that-all-a-writer-has-to-work-with-is-the-material-he/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [Men like women who write. Even though they don't say so. A writer is a foreign country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/men-like-women-who-write-even-though-they-don-t-say-so-a-writer-is-a/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [I always say that I'm a writer who writes more from place than race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katori-hall/i-always-say-that-i-m-a-writer-who-writes-more-from-place-than-race/) [Katori Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katori-hall/) ## More by W. P. Kinsella > [ I think it is worse \[in 2015\] for a mid-list author such as myself. You either have to sell like Stephen King or go… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/i-think-it-is-worse-in-2015-for-a-mid-list-author-such-as-myself-you/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [ My dad talked a good game. \[I'm as a\] child got only the World Series on the radio. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/my-dad-talked-a-good-game-i-m-as-a-child-got-only-the-world-series-on/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Discovered W. Somerset Maugham in about 5th grade. Didn't understand the plots, but loved the descriptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/discovered-w-somerset-maugham-in-about-5th-grade-didn-t-understand/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Read, read, read, read and then read some more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/read-read-read-read-and-then-read-some-more/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Find something that thrills you, and when you finish reading it for enjoyment, read it again line by line, paragraph by paragraph to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/find-something-that-thrills-you-and-when-you-finish-reading-it-for/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Someone once described the pitching of a no-hit game as like catching lighting in a bottle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/someone-once-described-the-pitching-of-a-no-hit-game-as-like-catching/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Praise the name of baseball. The word will set captives free. The word will open the eyes of the blind. The word will raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/praise-the-name-of-baseball-the-word-will-set-captives-free-the-word/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Heroes don't need to talk about what they did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/heroes-don-t-need-to-talk-about-what-they-did/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [My intuition told me that it was the grass that was important.Now it glows parrot-green, cool as mint, soft as moss, lying there like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/my-intuition-told-me-that-it-was-the-grass-that-was-important-now-it/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [ \[Mid-list writers are now\] less greed on the part of both publishers and chain booksellers. It is easier for them to publish and sell… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/mid-list-writers-are-now-less-greed-on-the-part-of-both-publishers/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [At one time I'd been to every park except Baltimore and Houston, but can't even keep track of who plays where these days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/at-one-time-i-d-been-to-every-park-except-baltimore-and-houston-but/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Have never been a minor league fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/have-never-been-a-minor-league-fan/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [If you build it, he will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/if-you-build-it-he-will-come/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [Until Color TV came along, BW TV was too muddy to be enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/until-color-tv-came-along-bw-tv-was-too-muddy-to-be-enjoyable/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [He bats like a lightning rod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/he-bats-like-a-lightning-rod/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) [Explore all 52 W. P. Kinsella quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) ## More Accidents quotes > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/no-i-think-most-astronauts-recognize-that-the-space-shuttle-program/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/by-education-i-am-an-englishman-by-views-an-internationalist-by/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [I made out with a homeless guy by accident. I had no idea -- he was really tan, he had no shoes on. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-made-out-with-a-homeless-guy-by-accident-i-had-no-idea-he-was/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [Naturally I feel no shame in writing these things because of the time which separates the moment when they are written--when only I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ernaux/naturally-i-feel-no-shame-in-writing-these-things-because-of-the-time/) [Annie Ernaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ernaux/) > [In a city where you walk around, it's impossible to plan your day and your life as accidents will happen, you'll overhear things, bump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schwartzman/in-a-city-where-you-walk-around-it-s-impossible-to-plan-your-day-and/) [Jason Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schwartzman/) > [I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-don-t-think-it-s-by-accident-that-i-was-first-attracted-to/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. (As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/despite-my-mentors-advice-that-i-would-never-go-to-heaven-fishing/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [Dont stand outside in a lightning shower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padraig/dont-stand-outside-in-a-lightning-shower/) [Padraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padraig/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) [Browse all 1,971 Accidents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Other people get into occupations by accident or design; but writers are born. 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