I’ve written about writer’s block before, where I’ve suggested practical tips to get writing again. Sometimes, however, you may just need that quick burst of motivation to keep you going. That inspiration that reminds you why you are a writer to begin with.

Here are ten of my favourite quotes from authors I admire — they always do the trick :)

1. "Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Some days you don’t want to run and you resist every step of the three miles, but you do it anyway. You practice whether you want to or not. You don’t wait around for inspiration or a deep desire to run. It’ll never happen, especially if you are out of shape and have been avoiding it. But if you run regularly, you train your mind to cut through or ignore your resistance. You just do it. And in the middle of the run, you love it. When you come to the end, you never want to stop. And you stop, hungry for the next time.
   That’s how writing is too."
   Natalie Goldberg, ‘Writing Down The Bones’
   

2. "You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures. You can battle your demons (through therapy, recovery, prayer, or humility) instead of battling your gifts — in part by realising that your demons were never the ones doing the work, anyhow."
   Elizabeth Gilbert, ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’
   

3. "I was set free because my greatest fear had been realised, and I still had a daughter who I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
   J.K. Rowling, 2008 Harvard Commencement Speech
   

4. "You do not need anyone’s permission to live a creative life."
   Elizabeth Gilbert, ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’
   

5. "You end up exhausted and spent, but later, in retrospect, you realise what it all was for. The parts fall into place, and you can see the whole picture and finally understand the role each individual part plays. The dawn comes, the sky grows light, and the colours and shapes of the roofs of houses, which you could only glimpse vaguely before, come into focus."
   Haruki Murakami, ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’
   

6. "We learn writing by doing it. That simple. We don’t learn by going outside ourselves to authorities we think know about it. I had a lovely fat friend once who decided he wanted to start exercising. He went to a bookstore to find a book so he could read about it! You don’t read about exercise to lose weight. You exercise to lose those pounds."
   Natalie Goldberg, ‘Writing Down The Bones’

7. "In the world to come, let us be brave — let us walk into the dark without fear, and step into the unknown with smiles on our faces, even if we’re faking them. And whatever happens to us, whatever we make, whatever we learn, let us take joy in it. We can find joy in the world if it’s joy we’re looking for, we can take joy in the act of creation."
   Neil Gaiman, 'My New Year's Wish', journal.neilgaiman.com
   

8. "It is perfectly okay to write garbage — as long as you edit brilliantly."
   C. J. Cherryh (alas, not actually sure where/when she said this!)"
   

9. "It’s good to know when our writing is alive, awake, but it’s where our writing is burning through to brilliance that it finally becomes a poem or prose piece. And anyone can hear the difference. Something that comes from the source, from first thoughts, wakes and energises everyone."
   Natalie Goldberg, ‘Writing Down The Bones’
   

10. " ‘Thou shalt not’ is soon forgotten, but ‘Once upon a time’ lasts forever. "
    Philip Pullman (I don't know when this was said either! If anyone knows please comment).