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Discipline Quotes

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Discipline Quotes

“If you dedicate your attention to discipline in your life you become smarter while you are writing than while you are hanging out with your pals or in any other line of work.”

Ifs Writing Lines Attention Discipline Hanging Out Smarter Pals

Author:Russell Banks

“To say that I have an undisciplined mind would not be incorrect overall, but it's a little off the mark because I have great discipline when I write - but only for about ten minutes.”

Writing Mind Littles Minutes Discipline Ten Mark Undisciplined

Book:Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm

Source: Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm

“The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty.”

Writing Literature Written Stupid Discipline Stupidity Dishonesty Written Word

Book:A Life in Letters

Source: A Life in Letters

“I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.”

Writing Believe Important I Believe Inspiring Creativity Courage Discipline Bravery Dare Daring

Author:Maya Angelou

“Sometimes I write drunk and revise sober, and sometimes I write sober and revise drunk. But you have to have both elements in creation — the Apollonian and the Dionysian, or spontaneity and restraint, emotion and discipline.”

Writing Sometimes Emotion Creation Discipline Elements Drunk Restraint Sober Spontaneity

Book:Reuben, Reuben: A Novel

Source: Reuben, Reuben: A Novel

“Finish. The difference between being a writer and being a person of talent is the discipline it takes to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and finish. Don't talk about doing it. Do it. Finish.”

Writing Persons Differences Talent Discipline Seats Chairs Pants

Author:E. L. Konigsburg

“You need three things to become a successful novelist: talent, luck and discipline. Discipline is the one element of those three things that you can control, and so that is the one that you have to focus on controlling, and you just have to hope and trust in the other two.”

Needs Writing Two Three Successful Focus Talent Discipline Elements Luck Novelists Three Things

Author:Michael Chabon

“As for discipline—it's important, but sort of overrated. The more important virtue for a writer, I believe, is self-forgiveness. Because your writing will always disappoint you. Your laziness will always disappoint you.”

Writing Believe Important Self I Believe Virtue Discipline Laziness Disappoint Overrated Self Forgiveness

Author:Elizabeth Gilbert

“I believe you have to write every day–make the time. It’s about having an organized mind instead of a chaotic and untidy one. There is a myth that writers are bohemian and do what they like in their own way. Real writers are the most organized people on the planet. You have to be. You’re doing the work and running your own business as well. It’s an incredibly organized state. [Also reading]…one of the things reading does do is discipline your mind. There are no writers who are not readers.”

People Way Writing Mind Believe Wells Doe Real States Running Reading I Believe Planets Reader Discipline Myth Organized Be You Chaotic Own Business Bohemian Organized Mind

Author:Jeanette Winterson

“The discipline required for athletics carried through to writing. You call it obsession. I call it discipline. By the way, I see nothing wrong with that.”

Way Writing Discipline Obsession Athletics

Author:Jeffrey Archer

“Writing for me is a form of spiritual discipline and creative vision, a means of being in the world and giving one's love to it without compromise or dilution.”

World Love Giving Writing Mean Spiritual Form Vision Creative Discipline Compromise Creative Writing Spiritual Disciplines Creative Vision

Author:Aberjhani

“Reading is the most rewarding form of exile and the most necessary discipline for novelists who burn with the ambition to get better.”

Writing Form Reading Discipline Ambition Novelists Get Better Exile

Author:Pat Conroy

“The only difference between a writer and someone who wants to be a writer is discipline.”

Want Writing Differences Discipline

Author:Ayelet Waldman

“I just tried to come up with some honest songs. What I was writing about was real plain stuff that I wasn't sure was going to be interesting to other people. But I guess it was...I've never had any discipline whatsoever. I just wait on a song like I was waiting for lightning to strike. And eventually-usually sometime around 3 in the morning-I'll have a good idea. By the time the sun comes up, hopefully, I'll have a decent song.”

People Writing Ideas Real Song Stuff Waiting Interesting Morning Sun Honest Discipline Come Up Strikes Hopefully Decent Songwriting Good Ideas Lightning Songwriters Writing Songs

Author:John Prine

“Fearlessness, absolutely. Discipline. You also need open-minded creativeness that lets everything in. You never want to lose a word or a phrase, yet every one should count. Always the best language possible. And, finally, knowing when to leave it alone. Stop when it's done.”

Want Needs Should Writing Done Language Loses Knowing Discipline Phrases Songwriting Open Minded Fearlessness Creativeness

Author:Ben Harper

“As I started writing about loss and grief, I was taking what felt unmanageable and using my songwriting, my sense of poetry and discipline, to try and make it manageable.”

Writing Trying Felt Loss Grief Discipline Songwriting Grief And Loss Manageable

Author:Rosanne Cash

“Songwriting is best. It's the hardest ... finest ... tightest. It also requires the most discipline.”

Writing Discipline Hardest Songwriting Finest

Author:Pete Townshend

“Write because you love the art and the discipline, not because you're looking to sell something.”

Writing Art Discipline Sells

Author:Ann Patchett

“Writing is a private discipline, in a field of companions.”

Writing Fields Discipline Companion

Author:Jonathan Lethem