--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [T]he young man or woman writing today…" description: "\"“[T]he young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/william-faulkner-306_compassion_t-he-young-man-or-woman-writing-today-ha_1217428.jpg" --- # \[T\]he young man or woman writing today has forgotten the… ![“[T]he young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat. He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is…” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/william-faulkner-306_compassion_t-he-young-man-or-woman-writing-today-ha_1217428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/william-faulkner-306_compassion_t-he-young-man-or-woman-writing-today-ha_1217428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/william-faulkner-306_compassion_t-he-young-man-or-woman-writing-today-ha_1217428.jpg) > ““\[T\]he young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat. He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed - love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. Until he does so, he labors under a curse. He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion. His griefs grieve on no universal bones, leaving no scars. He writes not of the heart but of the glands.”” [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. The passage stresses that authentic writing must stem from deep personal conflict and universal human emotions, warning against superficial themes. **In simple terms:** Good writing comes from inner struggle and timeless human feelings. Key Takeaway Write from genuine emotional conflict. Themes writing authenticity human nature literature creativity Mood reflective inspirational critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - creative workshops - personal reflection - teaching literature Key Concepts existentialism psychology artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - What personal conflicts inspire your writing? - Can stories be powerful without deep personal pain? A Different Perspective The view may idealize suffering as necessary for art, ignoring diverse creative processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Love and honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-honor/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Without hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-hope/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Ladies and gentlemen, I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work - a life's work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/ladies-and-gentlemen-i-feel-that-this-award-was-not-made-to-me-as-a/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/our-tragedy-today-is-a-general-and-universal-physical-fear-so-long-2/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-problems-of-the-human-heart-in-conflict-with-itself-which-alone/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-only-thing-worth-writing-about-is-the-human-heart-in-conflict/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“My father was a stand–up man who, unfortunately, did not have anything to stand up for. 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We've done all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-sayer/everybody-writes-about-love-and-cheating-and-heartbreak-we-ve-done/) [Leo Sayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-sayer/) > [“When I wrote this song I felt pretty unoriginal because everybody writes love songs, and everybody feels like their love is the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/when-i-wrote-this-song-i-felt-pretty-unoriginal-because-everybody/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Happy is he who looks only into his work to know if it will succeed, never into the times or the public opinion; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/happy-is-he-who-looks-only-into-his-work-to-know-if-it-will-succeed/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [ “\[A writer\] must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/a-writer-must-teach-himself-that-the-basest-of-all-things-is-to-be/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [ He \[the writer\] must, teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-the-writer-must-teach-himself-that-the-basest-of-all-things-is-to/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Call it old fashioned but I still think its cute when a guy writes you a love letter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/call-it-old-fashioned-but-i-still-think-its-cute-when-a-guy-writes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nas is an artist who writes from his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stoute/nas-is-an-artist-who-writes-from-his-heart/) [Steve Stoute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stoute/) > [No one can write a best seller by trying to. He must write with complete sincerity; the clichés that make you laugh, the hackneyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/no-one-can-write-a-best-seller-by-trying-to-he-must-write-with/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## 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. 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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. Maybe yesterday, while I was still a child, but not now. I knew too much, had seen too much, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-too-late-maybe-yesterday-while-i-was-still-a-child-but-not-now/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) [Explore all 673 William Faulkner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) Segun Magbagbeola > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. 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