"I don't want to write every week, it's too much trouble, and I shall only write when I want something. If you think I'm sick when I don't write, you can send for me to come and tell you"

This quote by Robert Gould Shaw recommends that he is not thinking about composing routinely, and only wishes to write when he needs something. He indicates that he is not willing to put in the effort to compose every week, and that if his good friends believe he is unhealthy when he does not write, they can send for him to come and tell them. This quote shows Shaw's independent nature and his desire to do things on his own terms. It also suggests that he values his pals and wants to head out of his method to assure them if they are worried about him. Shaw's quote is a reminder that we need to all take the time to do things that we take pleasure in which make us pleased, and that we need to not feel obligated to do things that we do not want to do.