The need to express oneself in writing springs from a mal-adjustment to life, or from an inner conflict which the adolescent (or the grown man) cannot resolve in action. Those to whom action comes as easily as breathing rarely feel the need to break loose from the real, to rise above, and describe it... I do not mean that it is enough to be maladjusted to become a great writer, but writing is, for some, a method of resolving a conflict, provided they have the necessary talent.

Summary

This quote suggests that the desire to write often emerges from a sense of not fitting in or struggling to find resolution in one's own life. It argues that those who find it effortless to engage in direct action rarely feel compelled to transcend reality and depict it through writing. While being maladjusted alone is not sufficient to become a great writer, it implies that writing can serve as a means of resolving internal conflicts for those who possess the innate talent to do so.

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