Stephen Edwin King has written and published more than 60 novels, sold more than 350 million books, and is considered one of the most successful creators of horror, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction literature of all time.

Born in Portland, Maine, King has a special predilection for setting his novels in this quiet and beautiful part of the United States where he was born. However, perfection starts and ends with the setting, as, in his plots, everything usually goes haywire.

One of the most impressive and famous of his works is The Shining. However, there are many more of his books that have been adapted to movies, TV series, and even comics. For example,  It, The Dark Tower, Carrie, and Pet Sematary.

Stephen King’s words show his thinking and his vision of the world. It’s a perspective that’s closely associated with his life experience and one that’s left its mark on many of his works.

Stephen King on learning

“Learning is discovering what we already know. Teaching is reminding others that they know it as well as we do. We are all learners, doers, teachers ”.

In our first quote from Stephen King, he notes the difference between learning and teaching. He claims that while learning focuses on discovery, teaching involves prompting others to remember. For example, as happens with a teacher who teaches their subject well, thus making it easier for their students to successfully recall the information. 

Later, King adds that, in a way, we’re all teachers. After all, we all have various skills that we can pass on to others. Maybe we can leave our mark behind in the form of a book, song, or painting. However, we can also do it by teaching others.

Fight and don’t give up

“If there weren’t those who triumph against all odds, I think everyone would quit”.

These are intriguing words, from King with more than a hint of the autobiographical. As a matter of fact, fighting, even when all seems lost, is one of his maxims. Here, he applies it to the idea of chasing your dreams even when it might seem hopeless.

There are many examples of people who’ve succeeded by standing up and taking a gamble on themselves. However, there could be even more people who’ve given up and quit.

According to what Stephen King says, if it really were impossible to succeed, why fight? Indeed, if there were no real possibilities, everyone would turn their back on their dreams. Fortunately, this isn’t always the case.

Your childish self

“People think I’m a pretty strange person, but that’s wrong: I have the heart of a little child, it’s in a glass jar on my desk”.

According to transactional analysis, there are three states of being. First, there’s the parent ego state. These people copy their behaviors from parents and parent figures. Secondly, is the adult ego state. They behave according to experiences of the here and now. Thirdly, is the child ego state. They act and think as they did in their childhood, living everything with high emotional intensity.

Stephen King’s words could relate to this theory. Perhaps the writer has a strong presence of his child ego state, which he never abandons, and which he lets out more than the other two.

We know that Stephen King was a victim of bullying in his childhood. This fact has manifested itself in a number of his works. Indeed, children are often protagonists in his stories and have suffered traumatic experiences similar to those he lived through himself.

Therefore, it’s logical to assume that these experiences had a strong influence and impact on his adult life. In fact, we know that bullying in childhood usually has consequences that continue well into adulthood. It seems that, in Stephen King’s case, he found writing a successful way of processing and building an account of his own experiences.

These phrases by Stephen King give hope. We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did. Indeed, it’s always a good idea to learn a little more about people who’ve been able to transcend temporal reality in some way and produce such classic works.

How to Write Like Stephen King