50+ Inspiring Quotes About Writing and Writers

The best way to become a better writer is to write and then to publish your writing, whether you publish it on a blog, in a book, or with a close friend. It's only by practicing writing, and getting feedback on it, that you can improve.

That being said, it never hurts to learn from those who have gone before you, and over the years, we've compiled a lot of excellent advice from the best writers on how to become a better writer.

Favorite Quotes from Writers in Our Community

I asked authors in our community for their favorite quotes on writing or being a writer, and here's what they sent me.

1. How You Write a Book, According to Neil Gaiman

From Carole Wolfe, author of My Best Mistake, and M MacKinnon, author of The Comyn's Curse:

2. Why We Write, According to Walt Whitman

From Melanie Lambert, author of Wonder Woman in Disguise:

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. So medicine, law, business, engineering… these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for.”

― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

3. What You Must Write, According to Toni Morrison

From Michelle Dalton, author of Epona, and Joslyn Chase, author of Steadman's Blind:

4. How to Write the Right Word, According to Mark Twain

From Ichabod Ebenezer, author of A Shadow Stained in Blood:

5. What Writing Is, According to Isaac Asimov

From Jeff Elkins, author of Grab:

6. On the Path to Writing Success, According to Octavia E. Butler

From S.J. Henderson, author of Daniel the Drawer:

“You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” —Octavia E. Butler

7. Why We Doubt Our Own Writing, According to Ira Glass

From Ross Boone, author of The Absent Landlord: 

“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. . . . For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. . . . But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.” —Ira Glass

8. Why Writing Requires Empathy, According to John Barth (and Sarah Gribble)

From Sarah Gribble, author of The Hike:

“Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story.” John Barth

In other words:

More Favorite Writing Quotes

Need more writing quotes? Read on for more of our favorites:

9. Why You Became a Writer, According to Gloria Steinem

10. Why You Became a Writer, According to George Orwell

“[You write out of the] desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, etc., etc., etc. It is humbug to pretend this is not a motive and a strong one.” —George Orwell

11. Why You Became a Writer, According to Anaïs Nin

12. That Doesn't Mean Writing Is Easy

“Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of job: It's always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.” —Neil Gaiman

13. Start Writing Now

14. And Write Quickly

15. What To Write About

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” —Natalie Goldberg

16. Be Willing to Write Badly

17. Don't Doubt Yourself

18. All Great Writers Are a Little Crazy

“The good writing of any age has always been the product of someone's neurosis.” —William Styron

19. The Only Way to Fail As a Writer…

20. Just Write One True Sentence

21. Just Write Something Simple

22. Your Big Ideas are Worthless

23. Really Worthless

(I don't consider myself the equal of George R.R. Martin, Ernest Hemingway, or Sylvia Plath… yet… but this quote seemed important to include.)

24. Don't Let Anything Interfere With Your Writing

“Find your best time of the day for writing and write. Don't let anything else interfere. Afterwards it won't matter to you that the kitchen is a mess.” —Esther Freud

25. Keep At It

“I believe myself that a good writer doesn't really need to be told anything except to keep at it.” —Chinua Achebe

26. Write Even When the World is Chaotic

27. The Mark of a Master Writer

“The mark of a master is to select only a few moments but to give us a lifetime.” —Robert McKee

28. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.

29. Stay Drunk on Writing

30. Writing is like kissing

31. Don't Make a Chore for Your Readers

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads.” —Dr. Seuss

32. Show, Don't Tell

33. How to Develop Your Own Style

34. Writing is More Difficult for Us

35. No One Knows the Rules

36. The best way to become a writer

37. Always Listen to Ben Franklin

38. Your Words Have Power

39. Chase Your Dream

40. Writing in the Dark

41. Turn the Monsters Loose

42. Stories Are All Around You

43. Write Now

44. The Secret Professional Writers Know

45. Follow Your Hero

46. Exercise Your Writing Muscle

47. But Actually, Exercise Your Writing Muscle

“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” —Jane Yolen

48. Your Writing Is Your Strength

49. The Real Challenge: Avoiding Distraction

50. Just Tell a Story

“I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.” —Edgar Rice Burroughs

51. Perseverance Is Key

52. Your Villains Think They've Got it Right

53. Write First, Edit Later

54. Your Hero's Job

55. Plan, Then Adjust

56. Read, Read, Then Read Some More

57. How to Keep Your Readers Hooked

Which quote is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.