---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you start it, finish it. Don't leave…"
description: "\"If you start it, finish it. Don't leave loose ends & unfinished business. Be a woman or man of your word.\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/anonymous-1_business_if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-lo_2432259.jpg"
---

#  If you start it, finish it. Don't leave loose ends &amp;…

![“If you start it, finish it. Don't leave loose ends &amp; unfinished business. Be a woman or man of your word.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/anonymous-1_business_if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-lo_2432259.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/anonymous-1_business_if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-lo_2432259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/anonymous-1_business_if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-lo_2432259.jpg)

> “If you start it, finish it. Don't leave loose ends &amp; unfinished business. Be a woman or man of your word.”

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Starting and completing tasks builds integrity; avoid unfinished work and keep promises.

**In simple terms:** Finish what you start to stay trustworthy.

Key Takeaway

Commit to completing tasks.

Themes

integrity commitment productivity accountability leadership

Mood

motivational direct

Type

personal professional

When to use this quote

- project management
- team leadership
- personal development
- entrepreneurship

Key Concepts

goal setting time management follow‑through personal discipline

Questions to Reflect On

- What unfinished tasks linger?
- How can you ensure follow‑through?

A Different Perspective

Perfectionism can hinder progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Ends Unfinished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends-unfinished-296397/) [Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finish/) [Loose ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loose-ends/) [Start Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-finish/) [Unfinished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfinished/) [Unfinished business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfinished-business/)

## Related quotes

> [Liberty is always unfinished business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/liberty-is-always-unfinished-business/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You and I will always be unfinished business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-and-i-will-always-be-unfinished-business/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully. Stories about food show a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-understand-any-woman-you-must-first-ask-about-her-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Once you start something, finish it. Don't accumulate a backlog of unfinished projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-bliss/once-you-start-something-finish-it-don-t-accumulate-a-backlog-of/)

[Ed Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-bliss/)

> [I'm working on forgiving myself for some not-so-hot choices I've made in my life. I neglected two people I loved dearly. They are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/i-m-working-on-forgiving-myself-for-some-not-so-hot-choices-i-ve-made/)

[Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/)

> [Whether I am meant to or not, I challenge assumptions about women. I do make some people uncomfortable, which I'm well aware of, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/whether-i-am-meant-to-or-not-i-challenge-assumptions-about-women-i-do/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The one true freedom in life is to come to terms with death, and as early as possible, for death is an event that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/the-one-true-freedom-in-life-is-to-come-to-terms-with-death-and-as/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [My mother has often said that the issue of women is the unfinished business of the 21st century. That is certainly true. But so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/my-mother-has-often-said-that-the-issue-of-women-is-the-unfinished/)

[Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/)

> [My final fight was called 'Unfinished Business' - and I finished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/my-final-fight-was-called-unfinished-business-and-i-finished-it/)

[Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/)

> [The thing is not to leave unfinished business; make every day count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-amos/the-thing-is-not-to-leave-unfinished-business-make-every-day-count/)

[Wally Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-amos/)

> [“Much of what I have done is left unfinished- not because I left it too soon, not because I was lazy, but because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/much-of-what-i-have-done-is-left-unfinished-not-because-i-left-it-too/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Life should be an unfinished business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/life-should-be-an-unfinished-business/)

[Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/)

> [If you must begin then go all the way, because if you begin and quit, the unfinished business you have left behind begins to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/if-you-must-begin-then-go-all-the-way-because-if-you-begin-and-quit/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [He looked at my lips. I suddenly found myself wanting to lick his. 'Yes,' he replied, his eyes going molten. My breath caught in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-macalister/he-looked-at-my-lips-i-suddenly-found-myself-wanting-to-lick-his-yes/)

[Katie MacAlister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-macalister/)

> [From '86 until the summer of last year, wherever I went, people would say, You would have made a great James Bond! Weren't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/from-86-until-the-summer-of-last-year-wherever-i-went-people-would/)

[Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you start it, finish it. Don't leave loose ends & unfinished business. Be a woman or man of your word.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-loose-ends-unfinished-business/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-loose-ends-unfinished-business/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/anonymous-1_business_if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-lo_2432259.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/anonymous-1_business_if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-lo_2432259.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/anonymous-1_business_if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-lo_2432259.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you start it, finish it. Don't leave loose ends & unfinished business. Be a woman or man of your word.” — Anonymous",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you start it, finish it....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-loose-ends-unfinished-business/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-start-it-finish-it-don-t-leave-loose-ends-unfinished-business/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
