---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that I've always written about…"
description: "\"I think that I've always written about things that are very personal, but initially, I coded everything. I buried everything under layers and layers an..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/william-gibson-642_behinds_i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-t_1534585.jpg"
---

#  I think that I've always written about things that are…

![“I think that I've always written about things that are very personal, but initially, I coded everything. I buried everything under layers and layers and layers of code, but the signifiers of my emotionality were there for me. I knew where the magnets were, behind the gyprock, and the magnets were…” quote by William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/william-gibson-642_behinds_i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-t_1534585.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/william-gibson-642_behinds_i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-t_1534585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/william-gibson-642_behinds_i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-t_1534585.jpg)

> “I think that I've always written about things that are very personal, but initially, I coded everything. I buried everything under layers and layers and layers of code, but the signifiers of my emotionality were there for me. I knew where the magnets were, behind the gyprock, and the magnets were very powerful. I think they had to be powerful for me, otherwise the reader wouldn't have a reciprocal experience.”

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

## About This Quote

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

The author describes how personal emotions are hidden beneath complex code, yet their underlying forces shape the reader’s experience.

**In simple terms:** Emotions are hidden in layers of code but drive connection.

Key Takeaway

Reveal underlying emotions for deeper impact.

Themes

creativity self‑expression technology

Mood

introspective thoughtful

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- writing process
- software development
- editing
- reader engagement

Key Concepts

psychology symbolism narrative structure

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance technical detail with emotional honesty?
- What symbols reveal your hidden feelings?

A Different Perspective

Complex code can obscure meaning if not carefully unpacked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried/) [Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/code/) [Emotionality Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotionality-knew-5701811/) [Knew Magnets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-magnets-3833879/) [Layers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layers/) [Magnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnet/) [Personal Initially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-initially-5701812/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reciprocal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reciprocal/) [Things Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-personal-419797/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Very powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-powerful/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Written Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-things-339007/)

## Related quotes

> [I think that I've always written about things that are very personal, but initially, I coded everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-things-that-are-very-personal-2/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [I knew where the magnets were, behind the gyprock, and the magnets were very powerful. I think they had to be powerful for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-knew-where-the-magnets-were-behind-the-gyprock-and-the-magnets-were/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [In that part of the book of my memory before the which is little that can be read, there is a rubric, saying, Incipit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/in-that-part-of-the-book-of-my-memory-before-the-which-is-little-that/)

[Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/)

> [Mutability is written upon all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-rivarol/mutability-is-written-upon-all-things/)

[Antoine Rivarol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-rivarol/)

> [I think half of our life is written out for us and things happen the way their supposed to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-think-half-of-our-life-is-written-out-for-us-and-things-happen-the/)

[Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/)

> [My songs emerge unbidden and unplanned and completely on a schedule of their own...We have, all of us, over the years, written things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/my-songs-emerge-unbidden-and-unplanned-and-completely-on-a-schedule/)

[David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/)

> [The thing is, I've always written things not knowing if it was ever going to get put on stage, and it would be always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-song/the-thing-is-i-ve-always-written-things-not-knowing-if-it-was-ever/)

[Celine Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-song/)

> [Mostly things that have happened to me, feelings that I've had, but on a couple of occasions I've written about things that have happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-walsh/mostly-things-that-have-happened-to-me-feelings-that-i-ve-had-but-on/)

[James Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-walsh/)

> [I had written many things as a journalist, but I had no idea if I could write something scary or romantic or touching that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/i-had-written-many-things-as-a-journalist-but-i-had-no-idea-if-i/)

[Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/)

> [In writing ... remember that the biggest stories are not written about wars, or about politics, or even murders. The biggest stories are written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/in-writing-remember-that-the-biggest-stories-are-not-written-about/)

[Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/)

> [“No, never regret destroying something written. Some things are best left hidden, especially if they can seriously hurt someone if they are found.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-king/no-never-regret-destroying-something-written-some-things-are-best/)

[Lynne King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-king/)

> [Letters are largely written to get things out of your system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/letters-are-largely-written-to-get-things-out-of-your-system/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [“I have to get them out. It’s the only way I know how to do it. Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-f-gifune/i-have-to-get-them-out-it-s-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-do-it-ever/)

[Greg F. Gifune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-f-gifune/)

> [Written things are not for speech; their form is literary; they are stiff, inflexible, and will not lend themselves to happy and effective delivery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/written-things-are-not-for-speech-their-form-is-literary-they-are/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I've always found that the best things I've ever written, or the things I like the most that I've written, are things where it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-magary/i-ve-always-found-that-the-best-things-i-ve-ever-written-or-the/)

[Drew Magary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-magary/)

## More by William Gibson

> [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“No," said Blackwell, "she won't, because that would be a violation of the very personal terms I will have established in our conversation. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/no-said-blackwell-she-won-t-because-that-would-be-a-violation-of-the/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“Music was strange that way though; there were people into any damned thing, it seemed like, and if you got enough of them together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/music-was-strange-that-way-though-there-were-people-into-any-damned/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [Hollis thought he looked like William Burroughs, minus the bohemian substrate (or perhaps the methadone). Like someone who'd be invited quail shooting with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/hollis-thought-he-looked-like-william-burroughs-minus-the-bohemian/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [Fiction is an illusion wrought with many small, conventionally symbolic marks, triggering visions in the minds of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/fiction-is-an-illusion-wrought-with-many-small-conventionally/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [The experience of celebrity is gradually being democratized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/the-experience-of-celebrity-is-gradually-being-democratized/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [I don't generate a storyline and then fill it out in the course of writing. The story actually generates in the course of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-don-t-generate-a-storyline-and-then-fill-it-out-in-the-course-of/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“What happened to your arm?" she asked me one night in the Gentleman Loser, the three of us drinking at a small table in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/what-happened-to-your-arm-she-asked-me-one-night-in-the-gentleman/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“In Heathrow a vast chunk of memory detached itself from a blank bowl of airport sky and fell on him. He vomited into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/in-heathrow-a-vast-chunk-of-memory-detached-itself-from-a-blank-bowl/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/and-for-an-instant-she-stared-directly-into-those-soft-blue-eyes-and/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [ \[When\] Johnny Mnemonic was coming out and I realized that all the kids that worked in 7-11 knew more - or thought they knew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-johnny-mnemonic-was-coming-out-and-i-realized-that-all-the-kids/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“Andrea maintained that men like Alain lied so constantly, so passionately, that some basic distinction had been lost. They were artists in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/andrea-maintained-that-men-like-alain-lied-so-constantly-so/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“Because he had a good agent, he had a good contract. Because he had a good contract, he was in Singapore an hour after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/because-he-had-a-good-agent-he-had-a-good-contract-because-he-had-a/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

[Explore all 430 William Gibson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

## More Behinds quotes

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/)

[Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

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

> [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/)

[Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/)

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

> [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/)

[Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/)

> [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

[Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think that I've always written about things that are very personal, but initially, I coded everything. I buried everything under layers and layers and layers of code, but the signifiers of my emotionality were there for me. I knew where the magnets were, behind the gyprock, and the magnets were very powerful. I think they had to be powerful for me, otherwise the reader wouldn't have a reciprocal experience.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Gibson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-things-that-are-very-personal/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Behinds"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-things-that-are-very-personal/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/william-gibson-642_behinds_i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-t_1534585.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/william-gibson-642_behinds_i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-t_1534585.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/william-gibson-642_behinds_i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-t_1534585.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think that I've always written about things that are very personal, but initially, I coded everything. I…” — William Gibson",
                "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": "William Gibson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think that I've always written...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-things-that-are-very-personal/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-think-that-i-ve-always-written-about-things-that-are-very-personal/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
