--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writers who think THEY are being…" description: "\"Writers who think THEY are being criticized when only that writing is being criticized are beyond a teacher's reach. Writing can only be learned when a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/william-zinsser-2796_bathroom_writers-who-think-they-are-being-critici_2273821.png" --- # Writers who think THEY are being criticized when only that… ![“Writers who think THEY are being criticized when only that writing is being criticized are beyond a teacher's reach. Writing can only be learned when a writer coldly separates himself from what he has written and looks at it with the objectivity of a plumber examining a newly piped bathroom to see…” quote by William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/william-zinsser-2796_bathroom_writers-who-think-they-are-being-critici_2273821.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/william-zinsser-2796_bathroom_writers-who-think-they-are-being-critici_2273821.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/william-zinsser-2796_bathroom_writers-who-think-they-are-being-critici_2273821.png) > “Writers who think THEY are being criticized when only that writing is being criticized are beyond a teacher's reach. Writing can only be learned when a writer coldly separates himself from what he has written and looks at it with the objectivity of a plumber examining a newly piped bathroom to see if he got all the joints tight.” [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective writing requires detachment and objective self‑critique, like a plumber checking his work. **In simple terms:** Detach to improve writing. Key Takeaway Step back and evaluate your work objectively. Themes writing self‑critique objectivity craftsmanship Mood analytical instructive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - manuscript revision - peer review - self‑editing Key Concepts editing self‑assessment professionalism Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance objectivity with authenticity? - When does critique become self‑censorship? A Different Perspective Over‑detachment can stifle emotional voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Objectivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectivity/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Getting your writing criticized can be a lot like getting skinned, and you respond to it just as enthusiastically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/getting-your-writing-criticized-can-be-a-lot-like-getting-skinned-and/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [I can think of a handful of auditions where the director has literally said, "That is the opposite of what I think." But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lloyd-hughes/i-can-think-of-a-handful-of-auditions-where-the-director-has/) [Henry Lloyd-Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lloyd-hughes/) > [Minor writers think style is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/minor-writers-think-style-is-all/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Teaching and writing, really, they support and nourish each other, and they foster good thinking. Because when you show up in the classroom, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/teaching-and-writing-really-they-support-and-nourish-each-other-and/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [Of course, the way writers think about those things is almost certain to be affected by their own cultural background, and it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/of-course-the-way-writers-think-about-those-things-is-almost-certain/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [I don't think that stuff is gone - I just don't want to dwell on it. There's a difference. As I said, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-don-t-think-that-stuff-is-gone-i-just-don-t-want-to-dwell-on-it/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I don't want actors to be writers. I think it's too much responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/i-don-t-want-actors-to-be-writers-i-think-it-s-too-much-responsibility/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [A lot of writers do think of their characters as living beings. I know that's the way people think. That's why I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-cooper/a-lot-of-writers-do-think-of-their-characters-as-living-beings-i-know/) [Dennis Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-cooper/) > [Only bad writers think they're good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/only-bad-writers-think-they-re-good/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [But I think writing should be a bit of a struggle. We're not writing things that are going to change the world in big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evie-wyld/but-i-think-writing-should-be-a-bit-of-a-struggle-we-re-not-writing/) [Evie Wyld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evie-wyld/) > [I'm a critic. That means you are a writer. So, yes, you have to make yourself an authority on whatever subject it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-giddins/i-m-a-critic-that-means-you-are-a-writer-so-yes-you-have-to-make/) [Gary Giddins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-giddins/) > [I have learned to respect ideas, wherever they come from. Often they come from clients. Account executives often have big creative ideas, regardless of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-have-learned-to-respect-ideas-wherever-they-come-from-often-they/) [Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/) > [“This is our goal as writers, I think; to help others have this sense of--please forgive me--wonder, of seeing things anew, things that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/this-is-our-goal-as-writers-i-think-to-help-others-have-this-sense-of/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Well, the world has a million writers. One would think, then, that good thought would be as familiar as air and water, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/well-the-world-has-a-million-writers-one-would-think-then-that-good/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [All writers, I think, are to one extent or another, damaged people. Writing is our way of repairing ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-writers-i-think-are-to-one-extent-or-another-damaged-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by William Zinsser > [“But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every words that serves no function, every long word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/but-the-secret-of-good-writing-is-to-strip-every-sentence-to-its/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [No one has something original or important to say will willing we run the risk of being misunderstood; people who write obscurely are either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/no-one-has-something-original-or-important-to-say-will-willing-we-run/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Scholarship hath no fury like that of a language purist faced with sludge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/scholarship-hath-no-fury-like-that-of-a-language-purist-faced-with/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Clutter is the official language used by corporations to hide their mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/clutter-is-the-official-language-used-by-corporations-to-hide-their/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Keep your paragraphs short. Writing is visual - it catches the eye before it has a chance to catch the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/keep-your-paragraphs-short-writing-is-visual-it-catches-the-eye/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Never hesitate to imitate another writer - every person learning a craft or an art needs models. Eventually you'll find your own voice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/never-hesitate-to-imitate-another-writer-every-person-learning-a/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Clutter is the disease of American writing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/clutter-is-the-disease-of-american-writing/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill rode to glory on the back of the strong declarative sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/abraham-lincoln-and-winston-churchill-rode-to-glory-on-the-back-of/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Writing organizes and clarifies our thoughts. Writing is how we think our way into a subject and make it our own. Writing enables us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/writing-organizes-and-clarifies-our-thoughts-writing-is-how-we-think/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Rewriting is the essence of writing well - where the game is won or lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/rewriting-is-the-essence-of-writing-well-where-the-game-is-won-or-lost/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/clear-thinking-becomes-clear-writing-one-can-t-exist-without-the-other/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/i-almost-always-urge-people-to-write-in-the-first-person-writing-is/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/don-t-be-kind-of-bold-be-bold/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Journalism is writing that first appears in any periodic journal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/journalism-is-writing-that-first-appears-in-any-periodic-journal/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) [Explore all 150 William Zinsser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) ## More Bathroom quotes > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/ill-fitting-grammar-are-like-ill-fitting-shoes-you-can-get-used-to-it/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-i-m-the-only-one-in-this-family-who-has-no-problems-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“bathroom—if you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/bathroom-if-you/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-a-wrong-turn-on-the-way-to-the-bathroom-and-found-myself-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [My pet peeve is hearing a knock on the bathroom door followed by the familiar words, 'What are you doing in there?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-scalf-linamen/my-pet-peeve-is-hearing-a-knock-on-the-bathroom-door-followed-by-the/) [Karen Scalf Linamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-scalf-linamen/) > [Using a public bathroom is an incredibly embarrassing experience. I enter the stall but can't reach the lock on the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-burke/using-a-public-bathroom-is-an-incredibly-embarrassing-experience-i/) [Sinead Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-burke/) > [I get really nervous if pigeons are flying around before shows. I can't stand them after one once flew in through my bathroom window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-horan/i-get-really-nervous-if-pigeons-are-flying-around-before-shows-i-can/) [Niall Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-horan/) > [“I'll meet you outside," I said. No way was I actually doing to shout 'I have to pee' at the top of my lungs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-lennon/i-ll-meet-you-outside-i-said-no-way-was-i-actually-doing-to-shout-i/) Stella Lennon > [I grew up with six brothers. That's how I learned to dance - waiting for the bathroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/i-grew-up-with-six-brothers-that-s-how-i-learned-to-dance-waiting-for/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [How are we doing, Simon?" she whispered into the small microphone in her collar. "Just about..." Simon started slowly. And then he stopped. "Wow."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/how-are-we-doing-simon-she-whispered-into-the-small-microphone-in-her/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability. His specialty is rhythm songs which he renders in an undistinguished whine; his phrasing, if it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gould/mr-presley-has-no-discernible-singing-ability-his-specialty-is-rhythm/) [Jack Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gould/) > [To take one example, I mean, the whole issue of bathrooms and gender - in this particular election, when the stakes were so high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/to-take-one-example-i-mean-the-whole-issue-of-bathrooms-and-gender-in/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) Browse all 726 Bathroom quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writers who think THEY are being criticized when only that writing is being criticized are beyond a teacher's reach. 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