--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea is to get the pencil moving…" description: "\"The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly.\" — Bernard Malamud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/bernard-malamud-3871_ideas_the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-qui_1460422.jpg" --- # The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly. ![“The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly.” quote by Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/bernard-malamud-3871_ideas_the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-qui_1460422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/bernard-malamud-3871_ideas_the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-qui_1460422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/bernard-malamud-3871_ideas_the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-qui_1460422.jpg) > “The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly.” [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prompt action is essential; starting a task quickly prevents stagnation. **In simple terms:** Start tasks promptly. Key Takeaway Begin without delay. Themes productivity motivation action Mood determined energetic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - writing - project work - creative endeavors Key Concepts initiative momentum Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take now? - How does momentum affect your work? A Different Perspective Procrastination can undermine progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Idea Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-pencil-5274676/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-quickly-940870/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Pencil Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil-moving-5274675/) [Pencils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencils/) [Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickly/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Type as quickly as you can and always carry a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/type-as-quickly-as-you-can-and-always-carry-a-pencil/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Life isn't moving quickly - time moves very quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/life-isn-t-moving-quickly-time-moves-very-quickly/) [Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/) > [One of the advantages of moving quickly is if you do something wrong you can change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/one-of-the-advantages-of-moving-quickly-is-if-you-do-something-wrong/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [I feel that I don't have to wait around for good scripts anymore, that I can get things moving more quickly. I can ring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-feel-that-i-don-t-have-to-wait-around-for-good-scripts-anymore-that/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [A formal manipulator in mathematics often experiences the discomforting feeling that his pencil surpasses him in intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-formal-manipulator-in-mathematics-often-experiences-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I belong to this notebook and this pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-belong-to-this-notebook-and-this-pencil/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Increasingly, editing means going to lunch. It means editing with a credit card, not with a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/increasingly-editing-means-going-to-lunch-it-means-editing-with-a/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [The computer is really like a pencil, you know. It used to be. The pencil can do anything you want to, but you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimo-vignelli/the-computer-is-really-like-a-pencil-you-know-it-used-to-be-the/) [Massimo Vignelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimo-vignelli/) > [Unfortunately when I start to talk or when someone watches over my shoulders my pencil either stops or I draw meaningless lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/unfortunately-when-i-start-to-talk-or-when-someone-watches-over-my/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [Said Hamlet to Ophelia, I'll draw a sketch of thee. What kind of pencil shall I use? 2B or not 2B?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/said-hamlet-to-ophelia-i-ll-draw-a-sketch-of-thee-what-kind-of-pencil/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [I put my pencil upon the paper, doubtfully, and drew little lines, considering my theme. But I would not long hesitate in this manner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/i-put-my-pencil-upon-the-paper-doubtfully-and-drew-little-lines/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [With pencil there is a tendency to be timid, either using very faint lines or erasing bad lines... Line sketching tends to emphasize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/with-pencil-there-is-a-tendency-to-be-timid-either-using-very-faint/) [Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/) > [But I had never drawn on a tablet before. I've been doing pencil and paper and film for almost 20 years. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-hertzfeldt/but-i-had-never-drawn-on-a-tablet-before-i-ve-been-doing-pencil-and/) [Don Hertzfeldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-hertzfeldt/) > [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More by Bernard Malamud > [Writers who can't invent stories often substitute style for narrative. They remind me of the painter who couldn't paint people, so he painted chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/writers-who-can-t-invent-stories-often-substitute-style-for-narrative/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [We have two lives... the life we learn with and the life we live after that. Suffering is what brings us towards happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/we-have-two-lives-the-life-we-learn-with-and-the-life-we-live-after/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“Leo hurried up to bed and hid under the covers. Under the covers he thought his life through. Although he soon fell asleep he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/leo-hurried-up-to-bed-and-hid-under-the-covers-under-the-covers-he/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [You can't eat language but it eases thirst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/you-can-t-eat-language-but-it-eases-thirst/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about. Revision is working with that knowledge to enlarge and enhance an idea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/first-drafts-are-for-learning-what-your-novel-or-story-is-about/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“I’m an American, I’m a Jew, and I write for all men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/i-m-an-american-i-m-a-jew-and-i-write-for-all-men/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“Her face deeply moved him. Why, he could at first not say. It gave him the impression of youth--spring flowers, yet age--a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/her-face-deeply-moved-him-why-he-could-at-first-not-say-it-gave-him/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [I am somewhat of a meliorist. That is to say, I act as an optimist because I find I cannot act at all, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/i-am-somewhat-of-a-meliorist-that-is-to-say-i-act-as-an-optimist/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [Teach yourself to work in uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/teach-yourself-to-work-in-uncertainty/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [One's fantasy goes for a walk and returns with a bride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/one-s-fantasy-goes-for-a-walk-and-returns-with-a-bride/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [The great thing about writing: Stay with it ... ultimately you teach yourself something very important about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/the-great-thing-about-writing-stay-with-it-ultimately-you-teach/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [We didn't starve, but we didn't eat chicken unless we were sick, or the chicken was](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/we-didn-t-starve-but-we-didn-t-eat-chicken-unless-we-were-sick-or-the/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [As long as a man stays alive he can't tell what chances will pop up next. But a dead man signs no checks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/as-long-as-a-man-stays-alive-he-can-t-tell-what-chances-will-pop-up/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“So sleep now, without fear for your life, and if you should ever manage to get out of prison, keep in mind that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/so-sleep-now-without-fear-for-your-life-and-if-you-should-ever-manage/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [Children were strangers you loved because you could love. If they gave back love when they were grown you were ahead of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/children-were-strangers-you-loved-because-you-could-love-if-they-gave/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) [Explore all 114 Bernard Malamud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) ## More Idea quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [I had an idea for a technologically advanced luxury watch. I got involved in digital art and neon painting and put on shows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/i-had-an-idea-for-a-technologically-advanced-luxury-watch-i-got/) [Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/) > [Everybody has a good idea, but nothing goes as planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/everybody-has-a-good-idea-but-nothing-goes-as-planned/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [The idea with a collection is sort of to begin with a kind of bang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/the-idea-with-a-collection-is-sort-of-to-begin-with-a-kind-of-bang/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [When there's a firestorm going on around you, you have very little idea of what's next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-quest/when-there-s-a-firestorm-going-on-around-you-you-have-very-little/) [Richard Quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-quest/) > [The idea is not to copy nature, but to give a feeling of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-oudolf/the-idea-is-not-to-copy-nature-but-to-give-a-feeling-of-nature/) [Piet Oudolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-oudolf/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [My mom had no idea she was having twins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-bella/my-mom-had-no-idea-she-was-having-twins/) [Brie Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-bella/) > [When I was 12 years old, I went to Natchitoches, La.; it was summer vacation with my family. We visited a plantation, Melrose. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/when-i-was-12-years-old-i-went-to-natchitoches-la-it-was-summer/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [I get worked up over an 'idea' or the ethos of an idea. I follow dreams, take notes on travels, and engage in research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/i-get-worked-up-over-an-idea-or-the-ethos-of-an-idea-i-follow-dreams/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) [Browse all 4,953 Idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernard Malamud" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-quickly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Idea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-quickly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/bernard-malamud-3871_ideas_the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-qui_1460422.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/bernard-malamud-3871_ideas_the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-qui_1460422.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/bernard-malamud-3871_ideas_the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-qui_1460422.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly.” — Bernard Malamud", "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": "Bernard Malamud", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The idea is to get the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-quickly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/the-idea-is-to-get-the-pencil-moving-quickly/#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 } } ] } ```