--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only write when I feel the inspiration…" description: "\"I only write when I feel the inspiration. Fortunately, inspiration strikes at 10:00 o'clock every day.\" — William Faulkner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/william-faulkner-306_clock_i-only-write-when-i-feel-the-inspiration_1041197.png" --- # I only write when I feel the inspiration. Fortunately… ![“I only write when I feel the inspiration. Fortunately, inspiration strikes at 10:00 o'clock every day.” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/william-faulkner-306_clock_i-only-write-when-i-feel-the-inspiration_1041197.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/william-faulkner-306_clock_i-only-write-when-i-feel-the-inspiration_1041197.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/william-faulkner-306_clock_i-only-write-when-i-feel-the-inspiration_1041197.png) > “I only write when I feel the inspiration. Fortunately, inspiration strikes at 10:00 o'clock every day.” [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity often follows a personal rhythm, and the writer waits for that moment of inspiration before producing work. **In simple terms:** Writing waits for inspiration. Key Takeaway Wait for your creative spark. Themes creativity discipline inspiration Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing - artistic projects - daily routines - deadline management Key Concepts psychology of flow creative cycles Questions to Reflect On - How do you cultivate inspiration? - Can routine replace spontaneous spark? A Different Perspective Inspiration can be unreliable; waiting may stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Feel Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-inspiration-1864473/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Inspiration Fortunately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration-fortunately-2435226/) [Inspiration Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration-strikes-734340/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-feel-235071/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [But inspiration? - That's when you come home from abroad and are asked: Well, have you found inspiration? - and fortunately you haven't. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-jacobsen/but-inspiration-that-s-when-you-come-home-from-abroad-and-are-asked/) [Arne Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-jacobsen/) > [Oh, Spring! I want to go out and feel you and get inspiration. My old things seem dead. I want fresh contacts, more vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/oh-spring-i-want-to-go-out-and-feel-you-and-get-inspiration-my-old/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [Offers come all the time, but I'm pretty particular. I really have to be wowed by a character I encounter in a script, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/offers-come-all-the-time-but-i-m-pretty-particular-i-really-have-to/) [Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/) > [All you can ever achieve is a sense of your soul. You gain little glimpses of its light, colors, and contours. You feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/all-you-can-ever-achieve-is-a-sense-of-your-soul-you-gain-little/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Motion Before Motivation: It means you get started FIRST, then FEEL the Inspiration to keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d/motion-before-motivation-it-means-you-get-started-first-then-feel-the/) [Mike D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d/) > [“Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/someone-once-asked-somerset-maugham-if-he-wrote-on-a-schedule-or-only/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Somerset Maugham wrote: “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/somerset-maugham-wrote-i-write-only-when-inspiration-strikes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Inspiration strikes at very funny times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/inspiration-strikes-at-very-funny-times/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. "I write only when inspiration strikes," he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/someone-once-asked-somerset-maughham-if-he-wrote-on-a-schedule-or/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Usually, when inspiration strikes late, the light of day reveals that I haven't gotten an idea for a book so much as a psychiatric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/usually-when-inspiration-strikes-late-the-light-of-day-reveals-that-i/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“Sometimes inspiration strikes; other times you have to hunt it down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/sometimes-inspiration-strikes-other-times-you-have-to-hunt-it-down/) [Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/) > [I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-write-only-when-inspiration-strikes-fortunately-it-strikes-every/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“One of the greatest dangers for us creators is that we are impatiently waiting for inspiration to strike before we begin our work. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-erzfeld/one-of-the-greatest-dangers-for-us-creators-is-that-we-are/) [Chris Erzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-erzfeld/) > [“Inspiration strikes at any time-be ready”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-strikes-at-any-time-be-ready/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you work regularly, inspiration strikes regularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/when-you-work-regularly-inspiration-strikes-regularly/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## More by William Faulkner > [“The river itself is not a hundred yards across, and pa and Vernon and Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the only things in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-river-itself-is-not-a-hundred-yards-across-and-pa-and-vernon-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The quality an artist must have is objectivity in judging his work, plus the honesty and courage not to kid himself about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-quality-an-artist-must-have-is-objectivity-in-judging-his-work/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Luster returned, wearing a stiff new straw hat with a colored band and carrying a cloth cap. The hat seemed to isolate Luster's skull,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/luster-returned-wearing-a-stiff-new-straw-hat-with-a-colored-band-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-is-easy-enough-to-say-that-man-is-immortal-simply-because-he-will/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [And sure enough, even waiting will end...if you can just wait long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/and-sure-enough-even-waiting-will-end-if-you-can-just-wait-long-enough/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-believe-that-man-will-not-merely-endure-he-will-prevail-he-is/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/never-be-afraid-to-raise-your-voice-for-honesty-and-truth-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/to-understand-the-world-you-must-first-understand-a-place-like/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What modren ideas?” pap said. “I didn’t know there was but one idea about work—until it is done, it ain’t done, and when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-modren-ideas-pap-said-i-didn-t-know-there-was-but-one-idea-about/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was only as he put his hand on the door that he became aware of complete silence beyond it, a silence which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-only-as-he-put-his-hand-on-the-door-that-he-became-aware-of/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“She has no mother because fatherblood hates with love and pride, but motherblood with hate loves and cohabits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/she-has-no-mother-because-fatherblood-hates-with-love-and-pride-but/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Byron listened quietly, thinking to himself how people everywhere are about the same, but that it did seem that in a small town, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/byron-listened-quietly-thinking-to-himself-how-people-everywhere-are/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was too late. 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We either think we have all the time in the world or time moves too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-reay/time-was-never-neutral-and-often-felt-dangerous-we-either-think-we/) [Katherine Reay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-reay/) > [Before a clock was in the tower, Or e'er a watch was worn; I knew of night the passing hour, And prophesied the morn;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/before-a-clock-was-in-the-tower-or-e-er-a-watch-was-worn-i-knew-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [“Time is, to put it in its most impressive and some might say poncy-sounding form, my domain. I can see things that once happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rayner/time-is-to-put-it-in-its-most-impressive-and-some-might-say-poncy/) [Jacqueline Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-rayner/) > [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [Time.The greatest creator, and the worst destroyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-keely/time-the-greatest-creator-and-the-worst-destroyer/) [Levi Keely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-keely/) > [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/no-life-goes-past-so-swiftly-as-an-eventless-one-no-clock-spins-like/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Those who stop marketing to save money are like those who stop a clock to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/those-who-stop-marketing-to-save-money-are-like-those-who-stop-a/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. 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A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Browse all 2,738 Clock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I only write when I feel the inspiration. 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