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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Book by Anne Lamott · 24 quotes · Writing, Ifs, People

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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Quotes

“Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong. It is no wonder if we sometimes tend to take ourselves perhaps a bit too seriously.”

IfsNeedsWritingSometimesGrowsBitsWonderOur LivesHeardWake UpMake SenseVisibleDesperateEndeavor
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“The best thing about being an artist, instead of a madman or someone who writes letters to the editor, is that you get to engage in satisfying work. Even if you never publish a word, you have something important to pour yourself into.”

IfsWritingImportantArtistLettersBest ThingsEditorsSatisfyingPublishMadmenBeing An ArtistSatisfying WorkLetters To The Editor
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“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.”

IfsGivingTryingShowsHopeWaitingDarkInspiringWatchesInspirational LifeGiving UpPersistenceDawnRight ThingStubbornDon't Give UpDoing The Right ThingHaving HopeStubbornnessHoping For The BestHope And FaithDoing RightGreat HopeFaith HopeNever Give Up HopeHope InspirationalHopes UpDo N't Give UpNot Giving Up HopeDon't Give Up HopeWaiting And HopingDon't Lose Hope
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“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”

PeopleIfsThinkingWritingFirstsEnoughWholeRunningDiesBeliefFunVoiceEnemyFeetTruth IsStonesObstaclesWhole LifeInsaneHittingTough TimesBetter Than YouPerfectionismObsessiveOppressorsStepping Stones
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“If you don't believe in God, it may help to remember this great line of Geneen Roth's: that awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then learn to be more compassionate company, as if you were somebody you are fond of and wish to encourage. I doubt that you would read a close friend's early efforts and, in his or her presence, roll your eyes and snicker. I doubt that you would pantomime sticking your finger down your throat. I think you might say something along the lines of, 'Good for you. We can work out some of the problems later, but for now, full steam ahead!”

IfsThinkingBelieveMayHelpingProblemMightEyeRememberWishLinesEffortCompanyDoubtAwarenessFingersDon't BelieveWork OutBelieve In GodThroatCompassionateSteamClose FriendsPantomimeSnickers
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“The problem is acceptance, which is something we're taught not to do. We're taught to improve uncomfortable situations, to change things, alleviate unpleasant feelings. But if you accept the reality that you have been given- that you are not in a productive creative period- you free yourself to begin filling up again.”

IfsHas BeensFeelingsProblemRealityGivenSituationAcceptingCreativeAcceptanceTaughtPeriodsUncomfortableProductiveFillingWriter's BlockAlleviateFree YourselfFilling UpUncomfortable Situations
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“We write to expose the unexposed. Most human beings are dedicated to keeping that one door shut. But the writer's job is to see what's behind it, to see the bleak unspeakable stuff, and to turn the unspeakable into words - not just into any words but if we can, into rhythm and blues. You can't do this without discovering your own true voice, and you can't find your true voice and peer behind the door and report honestly and clearly to us if your parents are reading over your shoulder.”

IfsWritingHumansJobsTurnsReadingStuffParentVoiceHuman BeingsBehindsDoorsHonestlyShouldersRhythmReportsDedicatedDiscoveringPeersBleakUnspeakableRhythm And Blues
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“Remember that you own what happened to you. If your childhood was less than ideal, you may have been raised thinking that if you told the truth about what really went on in your family, a long bony white finger would emerge from a cloud and point to you, while a chilling voice thundered, "We *told* you not to tell." But that was then. Just put down on paper everything you can remember now about your parents and siblings and relatives and neighbors, and we will deal with libel later on.”

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“Jealousy is such a direct attack on whatever measure of confidence you’ve been able to muster. But if you continue to write, you are probably going to have to deal with it, because some wonderful, dazzling successes are going to happen for some of the most awful, angry, undeserving writers you know-people who are, in other words, not you.”

PeopleIfsKnowsWritingHappensAbleDealsWonderfulDirectAngryAwfulDazzlingMusterUndeserving
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