Checks Quote by Anne Lamott
“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something-anything-down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft-you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft-you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it's loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy.”
About This Quote
Writing improves through iterative drafts, each refining the previous version toward clarity and polish.
In simple terms: Good writing starts messy; keep revising to improve.
Key Takeaway
Embrace drafts, then edit for precision.
Themes
writing
creativity
process
improvement
discipline
Mood
motivational
pragmatic
Type
instructional
inspirational
When to use this quote
- authoring a novel
- blog posts
- academic papers
- personal journals
Key Concepts
drafting
revision
self‑critique
iteration
Questions to Reflect On
- What is your next small writing step?
- How do you handle self‑criticism during revisions?
A Different Perspective
Perfectionism can stall progress if drafts are over‑polished early.
![“When the fountains of government [borrowing] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the state was forced to check the extension of bureaucracy and to put a stop to public works, then and then only did the Italians realize what it…” quote by John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/908/john-t-flynn-18493_abundance_when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowi_2663.jpg)
