12 Writing Quotes to Inspire You
I’ve always loved a good quote, a powerful mantra, and an encouraging nugget of truth. There is something about reading the inspirational words of another to spark motivation and action. I’ve stored words on post-its on my walls, stuck sentences to my computer screen and copied out stellar quotes by hand in hundreds of notebooks.
But what is it about inspiring quotes that make us feel something? Why does the static written word spark our motivation? How does reading a quote about writing help us get up and write?
The Power Of The Written Word
There is no doubt about it, words are powerful. And this is true for inspirational quotes. Whilst it can seem trite to surround ourselves with the comforting words of others, science helps to prove why the written word matters and why some words resonate more than others. Such as our aspirational human nature, the power of the words chosen and their meaning, combined with the use of language.
Motivational and inspirational quotes can also help to build up our self-efficacy. This is not only the belief in our ability to succeed but also our capacity to succeed, they can also put us in a writing mindset. Let’s delve a little deeper into our love for inspiring quotes.
Why Do We Like Inspirational Quotes?
Quotes can make us feel connected. Knowing that someone else felt exactly like we do now, as shown through their words. Or knowing someone else has been through the same experience as we have, helps us to feel less alone. Often searching for quotes about a particular topic can help us in the moment.
Quotes can confirm what we believe and think. They can help to clarify and contextualise our thoughts, too. Allowing us to see our beliefs and values reflected to us on the page helps to strengthen them.
Quotes can motivate us to change or to act. When we read the inspiring words of another person, it can be the push we need to create momentum. We can read some powerful words and feel motivated to start working on the project we’ve been procrastinating on.
Quotes can help to generate ideas. When you experience the world through fresh eyes, even if it’s through a single sentence written by someone else, you can gain a new perspective, and this can help you generate new ideas.
Most importantly, though, quotes can offer encouragement. When you feel like you can’t go on, reading a powerful quote can help spur us on and soothe our concerns. It can also help us to feel that someone believes in us and that we can achieve our goals.
How Can You Use Quotes About Writing To Help You Write More?
Have you ever had the urge to underline a sentence in a book because it felt like the author had used the exact words that captured your thoughts or feelings? Have you ever felt comforted or motivated after reading an inspirational quote? Have you ever been compelled to write after reading an inspirational quote?
12 Writing Quotes To Spark Inspiration
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison.
“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” ― Saul Bellow.
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” ― Ernest Hemingway.
“Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” ― Franz Kafka.
“A word after a word after a word is power.” ― Margaret Atwood.
“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.”― Beatrix Potter.
“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It's that easy, and that hard.” ― Neil Gaiman.
“If you wait for inspiration to write you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” — Dan Poynter.
“You fail only if you stop writing.” — Ray Bradbury.
“It is by sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer.” — Gerald Brenan.
Here at Derbyshire Writing School, we’d love to know what your favourite writing quote is. Please get in touch and share the words that set your typing fingers on fire. Which motivational quote do you have hanging on your wall?
Use the email box below and tell which prompt was your favourite.
