--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I'm getting to it. I can't come at it…" description: "\"“But I'm getting to it. I can't come at it cold. I'm warming my hands over old stories.”\" — Bernie Mcgill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/bernie-mcgill-44005_old-stories_but-i-m-getting-to-it-i-can-t-come-at-it_122683.jpg" --- # But I'm getting to it. I can't come at it cold. I'm… ![“But I'm getting to it. I can't come at it cold. I'm warming my hands over old stories.” quote by Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/bernie-mcgill-44005_old-stories_but-i-m-getting-to-it-i-can-t-come-at-it_122683.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/bernie-mcgill-44005_old-stories_but-i-m-getting-to-it-i-can-t-come-at-it_122683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/bernie-mcgill-44005_old-stories_but-i-m-getting-to-it-i-can-t-come-at-it_122683.jpg) > ““But I'm getting to it. I can't come at it cold. I'm warming my hands over old stories.”” [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a gradual immersion into a subject, warming up by revisiting familiar stories before tackling new challenges. **In simple terms:** Warm up with old stories before new tasks. Key Takeaway Preparation eases entry into unfamiliar work. Themes learning process storytelling growth Mood thoughtful encouraging Type metaphorical process description When to use this quote - A writer reviewing classics before drafting - A programmer revisiting past projects before learning a new language - A chef tasting familiar dishes before experimenting Key Concepts cognitive warm‑up incremental learning Practical Applications - Use familiar references as a mental primer - Schedule a warm‑up phase before deep work Questions to Reflect On - What old stories best prime you for new challenges? - When does warm‑up become procrastination? A Different Perspective May delay immediate action for those who over‑rely on nostalgia. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Old stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-stories/) [Warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warming/) ## Related quotes > [I enjoy vanity . But I can't stick to any of that lifestyle for too long because, when its true colors come out, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rodriguez/i-enjoy-vanity-but-i-can-t-stick-to-any-of-that-lifestyle-for-too/) [Michelle Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rodriguez/) > [“It was cold outside." Alden said as he pulled the chair out for me. "I thought Race was going to cry like a baby."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lindsey/it-was-cold-outside-alden-said-as-he-pulled-the-chair-out-for-me-i/) [Mary Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lindsey/) > [“We have to live without sympathy, don’t we? That’s impossible, of course. We act it to one another, all this hardness; but we aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/we-have-to-live-without-sympathy-don-t-we-that-s-impossible-of-course-2/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [You can get what you want. Never sell out. Don't break. Don't weaken. Don't let the kindness of strangers be your salvation, for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/you-can-get-what-you-want-never-sell-out-don-t-break-don-t-weaken-don/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“We have to live without sympathy, don't we? That's impossible of course. We act it to one another, all this hardness; but we aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/we-have-to-live-without-sympathy-don-t-we-that-s-impossible-of-course/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“Dreams are like the old stories where wolves are seekers always running, and women carry fire in their bare hands and light the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-rendell/dreams-are-like-the-old-stories-where-wolves-are-seekers-always/) [Tamara Rendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-rendell/) > [Release old concepts and energies that keep you in self-punishment patterns. Release old stories and create from a place of love and self-validation. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/release-old-concepts-and-energies-that-keep-you-in-self-punishment/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Why do you think the old stories tell of men who set out on great journeys to impress the gods? Because trying to impress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/why-do-you-think-the-old-stories-tell-of-men-who-set-out-on-great/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Old stories are like old friends, she used to say. You have to visit them from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-stories-are-like-old-friends-she-used-to-say-you-have-to-visit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A loose generalization would have it that creation and destruction go hand in hand. But my destruction takes the form of trying to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kroetsch/a-loose-generalization-would-have-it-that-creation-and-destruction-go/) [Robert Kroetsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kroetsch/) > [“They say in old stories that you can't discover new lands without losing sight of the shore for a long time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-gough/they-say-in-old-stories-that-you-can-t-discover-new-lands-without/) Laurie Gough > [He tells you stories, but then, after a while, when you want more, he doesn't give you more. He insists on this old elaboration,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/he-tells-you-stories-but-then-after-a-while-when-you-want-more-he/) [Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/) > [There's no longevity in me telling old stories on the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-bonaduce/there-s-no-longevity-in-me-telling-old-stories-on-the-radio/) [Danny Bonaduce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-bonaduce/) > [“The tatters of old stories are tangled, weathered, muted by long-held silences that succeeded loud feuds, and sometimes no doubt re-dyed a more flattering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/the-tatters-of-old-stories-are-tangled-weathered-muted-by-long-held/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) ## More by Bernie Mcgill > [“You'll have to make do with the story instead, pieced together from the scraps of old lives. That is all I have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/you-ll-have-to-make-do-with-the-story-instead-pieced-together-from/) [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) > [“Life is fluid. We are the ghosts of all the people we might become, peering forward to catch a glimpse of what could be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/life-is-fluid-we-are-the-ghosts-of-all-the-people-we-might-become/) [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) > [“It's hard to do, to tell one story, when there are so many stories to tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/it-s-hard-to-do-to-tell-one-story-when-there-are-so-many-stories-to/) [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) > [“Children see more than adults. As grown men and women we are too engrossed in what we say to one another, in what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/children-see-more-than-adults-as-grown-men-and-women-we-are-too/) [Bernie mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) > [“That's what we do: tell made-up stories to fend off the night, to put off telling the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/that-s-what-we-do-tell-made-up-stories-to-fend-off-the-night-to-put/) [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) > [“This is not my prison. I carry it with me. We devise cages of our own choosing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/this-is-not-my-prison-i-carry-it-with-me-we-devise-cages-of-our-own/) [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) > [Some ghosts are so quiet you would hardly know they were there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/some-ghosts-are-so-quiet-you-would-hardly-know-they-were-there/) [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) > [“You see only what is before your eyes and not what is behind the eyes of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mcgill/you-see-only-what-is-before-your-eyes-and-not-what-is-behind-the-eyes/) [Bernie Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) [Explore all 9 Bernie Mcgill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mcgill/) ## More Old stories quotes > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [He tells you stories, but then, after a while, when you want more, he doesn't give you more. He insists on this old elaboration,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/he-tells-you-stories-but-then-after-a-while-when-you-want-more-he/) [Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/) > [“The tatters of old stories are tangled, weathered, muted by long-held silences that succeeded loud feuds, and sometimes no doubt re-dyed a more flattering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/the-tatters-of-old-stories-are-tangled-weathered-muted-by-long-held/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [“Dreams are like the old stories where wolves are seekers always running, and women carry fire in their bare hands and light the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-rendell/dreams-are-like-the-old-stories-where-wolves-are-seekers-always/) [Tamara Rendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-rendell/) > [There's no longevity in me telling old stories on the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-bonaduce/there-s-no-longevity-in-me-telling-old-stories-on-the-radio/) [Danny Bonaduce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-bonaduce/) > [“They say in old stories that you can't discover new lands without losing sight of the shore for a long time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-gough/they-say-in-old-stories-that-you-can-t-discover-new-lands-without/) Laurie Gough > [“A loose generalization would have it that creation and destruction go hand in hand. But my destruction takes the form of trying to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kroetsch/a-loose-generalization-would-have-it-that-creation-and-destruction-go/) [Robert Kroetsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kroetsch/) > [Old stories are like old friends, she used to say. You have to visit them from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-stories-are-like-old-friends-she-used-to-say-you-have-to-visit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why do you think the old stories tell of men who set out on great journeys to impress the gods? Because trying to impress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/why-do-you-think-the-old-stories-tell-of-men-who-set-out-on-great/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Release old concepts and energies that keep you in self-punishment patterns. Release old stories and create from a place of love and self-validation. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/release-old-concepts-and-energies-that-keep-you-in-self-punishment/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“the old stories were right, she thought, and man had been first made from a handful of dust, here was Adam himself: all mud,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-perry/the-old-stories-were-right-she-thought-and-man-had-been-first-made/) [Sarah Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-perry/) > [What does it matter, if we tell the same old stories? ...Stories tell us who we are. What we’re capable of. When we go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/what-does-it-matter-if-we-tell-the-same-old-stories-stories-tell-us/) [Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/) > [Old stories are like old friends. You have to visit from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hottiedevil/old-stories-are-like-old-friends-you-have-to-visit-from-time-to-time/) HOttieDeviL > [A person’s never too old for stories. Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them. - Roland Deschain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/a-person-s-never-too-old-for-stories-man-and-boy-girl-and-woman-we/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [We make the oldest stories new when we succeed, and we are trapped by the old stories when we fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/we-make-the-oldest-stories-new-when-we-succeed-and-we-are-trapped-by/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Browse all 51 Old stories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-stories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I'm getting to it. I can't come at it cold. 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