---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let us remember that the central reality…"
description: "\"Let us remember that the central reality must be sought in the writer's work: it is what the writer chose to write, or was compelled to write, that fin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/yukio-mishima-1418_compelled_let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality_2816175.jpg"
---

#  Let us remember that the central reality must be sought in…

![“Let us remember that the central reality must be sought in the writer's work: it is what the writer chose to write, or was compelled to write, that finally matters. And certainly Mishima's carefully premeditated death is part of his work.” quote by Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/yukio-mishima-1418_compelled_let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality_2816175.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/yukio-mishima-1418_compelled_let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality_2816175.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/yukio-mishima-1418_compelled_let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality_2816175.jpg)

> “Let us remember that the central reality must be sought in the writer's work: it is what the writer chose to write, or was compelled to write, that finally matters. And certainly Mishima's carefully premeditated death is part of his work.”

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

## About This Quote

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

The writer’s work reflects their chosen reality; Mishima’s death is an extension of his artistic expression.

**In simple terms:** A writer’s reality is shown in their work, even death.

Key Takeaway

Recognize art and life as intertwined.

Themes

art existentialism authorial intent

Mood

philosophical serious

Type

critical literary

When to use this quote

- literary analysis
- creative workshops
- biographical studies

Key Concepts

mortality self‑creation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you separate artistic intent from personal tragedy?
- What responsibilities do artists have regarding their influence?

A Different Perspective

Romanticizing death can be harmful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Certainly Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainly-mishima-3555360/) [Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelled/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Mishima Carefully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mishima-carefully-3555359/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Sought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-sought-3555361/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Sought Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sought-writer-3555358/) [Working it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-it/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Chose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-chose-3555357/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Dreams can only become reality when they are sought after with the spirit of boldness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/dreams-can-only-become-reality-when-they-are-sought-after-with-the/)

[Ellen J. Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-barrier/)

> [When "reality" is sought for at large, it is without intellectual import; at most the term carries the connotation of an agreeableemotional state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/when-reality-is-sought-for-at-large-it-is-without-intellectual-import/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [Operas elucidate, in a way sometimes absent in other theatrical productions, the very human fact that in every hero, there is a thread of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/operas-elucidate-in-a-way-sometimes-absent-in-other-theatrical/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [It's a mission for me to make sure that philanthropy doesn't feel like a vintage hand-me-down from mom or dad. I want people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usher/it-s-a-mission-for-me-to-make-sure-that-philanthropy-doesn-t-feel/)

[Usher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usher/)

> [The most deeply compelled action is also the freest action. By that I mean, no part of you is outside the action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-most-deeply-compelled-action-is-also-the-freest-action-by-that-i/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [I love different sorts of people, their stories, all the different facets, that make them, them. This is entwined with how I am compelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-cairney/i-love-different-sorts-of-people-their-stories-all-the-different/)

[Gemma Cairney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-cairney/)

> [“The more helpless she was, the more he would feel compelled to protect her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-helpless-she-was-the-more-he-would-feel-compelled-to-protect/)

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

> [See with what force yon river's crystal stream Resists the weight of many a massy beam. To sink the wood the more we vainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/see-with-what-force-yon-river-s-crystal-stream-resists-the-weight-of/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [ I've written a lot of other books and this book \[Tears we cannot stop\] was different. I couldn't just say what I wanted to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-ve-written-a-lot-of-other-books-and-this-book-tears-we-cannot-stop/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I found myself compelled - like this weird, shameful compulsion - to draw cute animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-found-myself-compelled-like-this-weird-shameful-compulsion-to-draw/)

[Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/)

> [He who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exemplify the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-i/he-who-is-required-by-the-necessity-of-his-position-to-speak-the/)

[Pope Gregory I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-i/)

> [Untethered technology gives us the freedom to do nearly anything, anytime, anywhere. It can also enslave us - we feel compelled to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-stone/untethered-technology-gives-us-the-freedom-to-do-nearly-anything/)

[Linda Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-stone/)

> [Ordinary citizens are obliged and, if need be, compelled by force to meet their commitments. But let higher obligations of an international order be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-albert-gobat/ordinary-citizens-are-obliged-and-if-need-be-compelled-by-force-to/)

[Charles Albert Gobat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-albert-gobat/)

> [When I think of God's Kingdom, I am compelled to be silent because of its immensity, because God's Kingdom is none other than God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/when-i-think-of-god-s-kingdom-i-am-compelled-to-be-silent-because-of/)

[Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/)

> [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

## More by Yukio Mishima

> [When a captive lion steps out of his cage, he comes into a wider world than the lion who has known only the wilds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/when-a-captive-lion-steps-out-of-his-cage-he-comes-into-a-wider-world/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [Suddenly the full long wail of a ship's horn surged through the open window and flooded the dim room - a cry of boundless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/suddenly-the-full-long-wail-of-a-ship-s-horn-surged-through-the-open/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [The purest evil that human efforts could attain, in other words, was probably achieved by those men who made their wills the same and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/the-purest-evil-that-human-efforts-could-attain-in-other-words-was/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Because in the pupils of his eyes there lingered the mysterious and eternal horizon that the sea leaves as a keepsake deep in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/because-in-the-pupils-of-his-eyes-there-lingered-the-mysterious-and/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [As usual, it occurred to me that words were the only thing that could possibly save me from this situation. This was a characteristic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/as-usual-it-occurred-to-me-that-words-were-the-only-thing-that-could/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [Mine was the unbearable jealousy a cultured pearl must feel toward a genuine one. Or can there be such a thing in this world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/mine-was-the-unbearable-jealousy-a-cultured-pearl-must-feel-toward-a/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Svoju patnju, koju prihvatam, moram da prihvatim kao dragocenost. Ne postoji nijedan ispirač zlata koji iskopava samo zlato. Ispirač vadi pesak sa korita reke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/svoju-patnju-koju-prihvatam-moram-da-prihvatim-kao-dragocenost-ne/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [I am one who has always been interested only in the edges of the body and the spirit, the outlying regions of the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/i-am-one-who-has-always-been-interested-only-in-the-edges-of-the-body/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [Just let matters slide. How much better to accept each sweet drop of the honey that was Time, than to stoop to the vulgarity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/just-let-matters-slide-how-much-better-to-accept-each-sweet-drop-of/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Great cloud masses boiled up, immense in their quiet majesty. They seemed to drink up all the noise below, even the sound of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/great-cloud-masses-boiled-up-immense-in-their-quiet-majesty-they/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [The special quality of hell is to see everything clearly down to the last detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/the-special-quality-of-hell-is-to-see-everything-clearly-down-to-the/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [It is a rather risky matter to discuss a happiness that has no need of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/it-is-a-rather-risky-matter-to-discuss-a-happiness-that-has-no-need/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Again, Saburo Tominaga once went to the Shirakawa Prefectural Office to cash his brother Morikuni’s bonus bond and, unwilling to touch paper currency defiled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/again-saburo-tominaga-once-went-to-the-shirakawa-prefectural-office/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“To be strong and true had been the most important task he had set himself since early childhood. Once, as a boy, he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/to-be-strong-and-true-had-been-the-most-important-task-he-had-set/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [What transforms this world is — knowledge. Do you see what I mean? Nothing else can change anything in this world. Knowledge alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/what-transforms-this-world-is-knowledge-do-you-see-what-i-mean/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

[Explore all 206 Yukio Mishima quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

## More Compelled quotes

> [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [When I think of God's Kingdom, I am compelled to be silent because of its immensity, because God's Kingdom is none other than God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/when-i-think-of-god-s-kingdom-i-am-compelled-to-be-silent-because-of/)

[Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/)

> [Ordinary citizens are obliged and, if need be, compelled by force to meet their commitments. But let higher obligations of an international order be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-albert-gobat/ordinary-citizens-are-obliged-and-if-need-be-compelled-by-force-to/)

[Charles Albert Gobat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-albert-gobat/)

> [Untethered technology gives us the freedom to do nearly anything, anytime, anywhere. It can also enslave us - we feel compelled to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-stone/untethered-technology-gives-us-the-freedom-to-do-nearly-anything/)

[Linda Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-stone/)

> [He who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exemplify the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-i/he-who-is-required-by-the-necessity-of-his-position-to-speak-the/)

[Pope Gregory I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-i/)

> [I found myself compelled - like this weird, shameful compulsion - to draw cute animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-found-myself-compelled-like-this-weird-shameful-compulsion-to-draw/)

[Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/)

> [ I've written a lot of other books and this book \[Tears we cannot stop\] was different. I couldn't just say what I wanted to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-ve-written-a-lot-of-other-books-and-this-book-tears-we-cannot-stop/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [See with what force yon river's crystal stream Resists the weight of many a massy beam. To sink the wood the more we vainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/see-with-what-force-yon-river-s-crystal-stream-resists-the-weight-of/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [“The more helpless she was, the more he would feel compelled to protect her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-helpless-she-was-the-more-he-would-feel-compelled-to-protect/)

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

> [I love different sorts of people, their stories, all the different facets, that make them, them. This is entwined with how I am compelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-cairney/i-love-different-sorts-of-people-their-stories-all-the-different/)

[Gemma Cairney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-cairney/)

> [The most deeply compelled action is also the freest action. By that I mean, no part of you is outside the action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-most-deeply-compelled-action-is-also-the-freest-action-by-that-i/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [It's a mission for me to make sure that philanthropy doesn't feel like a vintage hand-me-down from mom or dad. I want people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usher/it-s-a-mission-for-me-to-make-sure-that-philanthropy-doesn-t-feel/)

[Usher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usher/)

> [Operas elucidate, in a way sometimes absent in other theatrical productions, the very human fact that in every hero, there is a thread of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/operas-elucidate-in-a-way-sometimes-absent-in-other-theatrical/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [The first thing, when I read the script, is that I need to care about what happens and feel compelled by the story and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/the-first-thing-when-i-read-the-script-is-that-i-need-to-care-about/)

[Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/)

> [God has not made this world to be a nest for us, and if we try to make it such for ourselves, he plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/god-has-not-made-this-world-to-be-a-nest-for-us-and-if-we-try-to-make/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

[Browse all 515 Compelled quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelled/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Let us remember that the central reality must be sought in the writer's work: it is what the writer chose to write, or was compelled to write, that finally matters. And certainly Mishima's carefully premeditated death is part of his work.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yukio Mishima"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality-must-be-sought-in-the-writer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Compelled"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality-must-be-sought-in-the-writer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/yukio-mishima-1418_compelled_let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality_2816175.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/yukio-mishima-1418_compelled_let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality_2816175.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/yukio-mishima-1418_compelled_let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality_2816175.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Let us remember that the central reality must be sought in the writer's work: it is what the writer chose to…” — Yukio Mishima",
                "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": "Yukio Mishima",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Let us remember that the central...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality-must-be-sought-in-the-writer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/let-us-remember-that-the-central-reality-must-be-sought-in-the-writer/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```