Quotes about writing to inspire students

A couple of years ago I started beginning my lessons with a quote or a saying, letting students read, reflect, and sometimes discuss its meaning or relevance to them. I thought it was a thought-provoking, yet quick way to begin a lesson; however, until a student told me that she really appreciated them I hadn't realised this tiny part of the lesson had been having any impact. She said she looked forward to the quotes and often found them inspiring. Mainly I use quotes to begin writing lessons because I feel that students need extra encouragement to tackle the difficult task of writing. The quotes act like little pep talks and sometimes a pep talk is needed more than instruction.

I've collected here some of my favourite quotes about writing. Some of them are grouped in themes while others are not easily categorised, but you can probably determine which are going to be useful for your students.

The joy and power of writing:

Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted. -Jules Renard

With writing you can make anything. -C.S. Lewis

If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write. -Martin Luther

Writing is thinking on paper. -William Zinsser

Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go. -E.L. Doctorow

Getting started writing: 

The scariest moment is always just before you start. -Stephen King

Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. -Anne Lamott

If you wait for inspiration to write, you're not a writer, you're a waiter. -Dan Poynter

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on. -Louis LÁmour

Revising and editing: 

The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. -Robert Cormier

Argumentative writing:

Don't raise your voice, improve your argument. -Desmond Tutu

More excellent quotes to inspire and encourage student writers:

Every writer I know has trouble writing. -Joseph Heller

I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering. -Robert Frost

Reading widely is the best preparation for writing. -Kathryn Lasky

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. -Ernest Hemingway (This one is good when doing personal narratives)

Don't forget--no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell. -Charles de Lint

Writing is the painting of the voice. -Voltaire

The only writer to whom you should compare yourself is the writer you were yesterday. -David Schlosser

How to use quotes in the classroom:

The simplest way is to just display the quote and let students think about it or let it spark a conversation which could act as a warm-up or lead-in to the lesson. There are other possibilities/extensions as well...

• A quote could act as a writing prompt. Students could respond with their own opinion or just freewrite for 5 minutes and then share what they wrote with a partner.
• You could give students a bit of background information about the person the quote is attributed to. For example, Stephen King's quote, "The scariest part is always just before you start" is a little more interesting when you know that Stephen King writes horror stories.
• Alternatively, you could also let the quotes be the basis of a small research activity where students need to look up the person who said the quote and write a biography or perhaps give some context to the quote.

Do you use quotes in the classroom?

What's your favourite quote to share with students?