What George Saunders thinks about motivation

@george-saunders · 10 positions · On ppll ↗

American short-story writer and novelist, author of Tenth of December and Lincoln in the Bardo, and a teacher of fiction at Syracuse for thirty years. He runs Story Club, a Substack about how stories actually work.

George Saunders did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

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Only George Saunders on motivation. See everyone on motivation

1 dated position, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what George Saunders has said — not written or endorsed by them.

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1. 6 Aug 2026

   Our readingMaking art is a job you turn up to whether or not you feel inspired, and the work only arrives for people who are already at the desk.

   Their wordsWrite something, in any old mood – feeling great about it or terrible, doesn’t matter.

   ↗On the Perils of Self-Assessing...georgesaunders.substack.com 6th of 6 in this piece