Study the past if you would define the future. --CONFUCIUS
Ninety-five percent of all writers who write do not get published, but 100 percent of all writers write because they have a voice in their head. The vast majority of writers simply write because they have to.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writers are driven by an inner compulsion to express themselves, regardless of the likelihood of getting published.
This quote by Steve Berry highlights the intrinsic motivation of writers who engage in their craft not for external validation or success, but because they possess an inherent need to express their thoughts and ideas. The statistic about publication rates serves to emphasize that the act of writing itself is more significant to the writer than the outcome of their work, suggesting that creativity often flourishes in the absence of expectation and that true passion for writing transcends mere achievement.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I shared a quote by Steve Berry to inspire participants about the importance of writing for the sake of creativity rather than publication.
More from Steve Berry
All quotes →Similar quotes
I am not a has-been. I am a will be.
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Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner.
Whether we athletes liked it or not, the 4-minute mile had become rather like an Everest: a challenge to the human spirit, it was a barrier that seemed to defy all attempts to break it, an irksome reminder that men's striving might be in vain.
The great secret is a controlled imagination and a well-sustained attention, firmly and repeatedly focused on the object to be accomplished.
'Whiplash' scared me. I feel you should only do projects that scare you to some degree. I get motivated by those sorts of feelings.