--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did actually sit down with a blank…" description: "\"I did actually sit down with a blank sheet of paper once. I think the phone rang and that was the end of my literary career.\" — Bill Nighy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/bill-nighy-4521_blank_i-did-actually-sit-down-with-a-blank-she_1624113.jpg" --- # I did actually sit down with a blank sheet of paper once… ![“I did actually sit down with a blank sheet of paper once. I think the phone rang and that was the end of my literary career.” quote by Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/bill-nighy-4521_blank_i-did-actually-sit-down-with-a-blank-she_1624113.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/bill-nighy-4521_blank_i-did-actually-sit-down-with-a-blank-she_1624113.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/bill-nighy-4521_blank_i-did-actually-sit-down-with-a-blank-she_1624113.jpg) > “I did actually sit down with a blank sheet of paper once. I think the phone rang and that was the end of my literary career.” [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer attempted to start a project but was interrupted, ending his literary pursuits **In simple terms:** An interruption halted his writing career Key Takeaway Accept interruptions and adapt plans Themes creativity career uncertainty Mood reflective melancholic Type personal creative When to use this quote - Starting a novel - dealing with distractions - career pivots - creative blocks Key Concepts Writing process career setbacks Questions to Reflect On - What would you do differently after a disruption? - How can you protect creative time? A Different Perspective Unexpected events can derail long‑term goals ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank/) [Blank Sheet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-sheet-241086/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [End Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-literary-312002/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Paper Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-think-312004/) [Phone Rang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-rang/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheets/) [Sit Blank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-blank-312005/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Having the great opportunity on a daily basis to sit in front of a blank page is terrifying, and at the same time really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/having-the-great-opportunity-on-a-daily-basis-to-sit-in-front-of-a/) [Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/) > [ When I put my pen to a blank sheet, black isn’t added but rather the white sheet is deprived of light. \[\] Thus I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/when-i-put-my-pen-to-a-blank-sheet-black-isn-t-added-but-rather-the/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [God is a blank sheet upon which nothing is found but what you yourself have written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/god-is-a-blank-sheet-upon-which-nothing-is-found-but-what-you/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of a job: it's always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/being-a-writer-is-a-very-peculiar-sort-of-a-job-it-s-always-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Kevin Keegan said if he had a blank sheet of paper, five names would be on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-martin/kevin-keegan-said-if-he-had-a-blank-sheet-of-paper-five-names-would/) [Alvin Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-martin/) > [Anything is possible when tackling a blank sheet with ink. It's less distracting because I'm away from my computer and all of its convenient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-pinkerton/anything-is-possible-when-tackling-a-blank-sheet-with-ink-it-s-less/) [Brian Pinkerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-pinkerton/) > [No matter how many awards you've won or how many sales you've got, come the next book it's still a blank sheet of paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/no-matter-how-many-awards-you-ve-won-or-how-many-sales-you-ve-got/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [I have sat here at my desk, day after day, night after night, a blank sheet of paper before me, unable to lift my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/i-have-sat-here-at-my-desk-day-after-day-night-after-night-a-blank/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [The most terrifying thing in my life is a blank sheet of paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ayer/the-most-terrifying-thing-in-my-life-is-a-blank-sheet-of-paper/) [David Ayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ayer/) > [I feel much safer faced with a blank sheet of paper than I do with a real person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selima-hill/i-feel-much-safer-faced-with-a-blank-sheet-of-paper-than-i-do-with-a/) [Selima Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selima-hill/) > [I couldn't imagine having to write a paper and have to think about what song I am going to sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naima-adedapo/i-couldn-t-imagine-having-to-write-a-paper-and-have-to-think-about/) [Naima Adedapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naima-adedapo/) > [I think, you're not blagging me on this ridiculous journey, with this bit of paper. I think if you want to change things, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/i-think-you-re-not-blagging-me-on-this-ridiculous-journey-with-this/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [“I bleed on paper, they think it's poetry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-bleed-on-paper-they-think-it-s-poetry/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Sure, why not?" she said. "You know, you read about a crime in the paper and you think how terrible for the victims, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/sure-why-not-she-said-you-know-you-read-about-a-crime-in-the-paper/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [When people see me struggling on paper, I think it invites an almost collaborative relationship with the outside world, and that includes readers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/when-people-see-me-struggling-on-paper-i-think-it-invites-an-almost/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) ## More by Bill Nighy > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I speed up past mirrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-speed-up-past-mirrors/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When I do a play, it's like agreeing to be ill for a couple of months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/when-i-do-a-play-it-s-like-agreeing-to-be-ill-for-a-couple-of-months/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm always happy when actors get rich, because the odds on it are so long!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-always-happy-when-actors-get-rich-because-the-odds-on-it-are-so/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm not famous for my back story investigations; I'm lucky that I work with good writers and it's usually in the script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-not-famous-for-my-back-story-investigations-i-m-lucky-that-i-work/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I have never owned a computer. 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But Skylight is one of the great plays in the English language.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/it-s-more-than-usually-possible-that-i-won-t-do-a-play-again-but/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When you are in something that you're proud of and it's funny and it's a good night out and all of those things, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/when-you-are-in-something-that-you-re-proud-of-and-it-s-funny-and-it/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm one of those weird people who doesn't even own a computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-one-of-those-weird-people-who-doesn-t-even-own-a-computer/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I have a perfectly average skewed perception of myself. We often don't know what we're like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-have-a-perfectly-average-skewed-perception-of-myself-we-often-don-t/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [The degree of notoriety I have is fine and easy. There's nothing hysterical about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/the-degree-of-notoriety-i-have-is-fine-and-easy-there-s-nothing/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [You get older and you see yourself and say, 'God, he's old, who's that?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/you-get-older-and-you-see-yourself-and-say-god-he-s-old-who-s-that/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) [Explore all 110 Bill Nighy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) ## More Blank quotes > [I have often wondered how they manage to get return envelopes which miss, by one-quarter of an inch, fitting the blank you are supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/i-have-often-wondered-how-they-manage-to-get-return-envelopes-which/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [But that quickly faded, and he frowned. "You're bleeding," he said. "What happened?" Claire sighed and held up her wrist to show him the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/but-that-quickly-faded-and-he-frowned-you-re-bleeding-he-said-what/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“When I came back, they gave me blank looks. Some said, 'I don't think I've seen you for days.' Some not even that. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/me-a-selimovi/when-i-came-back-they-gave-me-blank-looks-some-said-i-don-t-think-i/) [Meša Selimović](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/me-a-selimovi/) > [Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. 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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/) > [“As I stare at the blank page, I am at once awash inwords but unable to find the ones I want to use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/as-i-stare-at-the-blank-page-i-am-at-once-awash-inwords-but-unable-to/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [Staring at the blank page before you, Open up the dirty window, Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/staring-at-the-blank-page-before-you-open-up-the-dirty-window-let-the/) [Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/) > [Bullies enjoy dark happiness; these are the blank parts that eventually fill their minds with nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-shanks/bullies-enjoy-dark-happiness-these-are-the-blank-parts-that/) [Emily Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-shanks/) > [History is full of blank spaces, but good stories, invariably, are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/history-is-full-of-blank-spaces-but-good-stories-invariably-are-not/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [If men's minds were like dominoes, surely his would be the double blank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/if-men-s-minds-were-like-dominoes-surely-his-would-be-the-double-blank/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [“There isn’t any way to be. I will meet you where you’ve gone. The cards are blank; the cards are empty there. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-notley/there-isn-t-any-way-to-be-i-will-meet-you-where-you-ve-gone-the-cards/) [Alice Notley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-notley/) > [I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say 'figment.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-always-thought-i-d-like-my-own-tombstone-to-be-blank-no-epitaph-and/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) [Browse all 832 Blank quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did actually sit down with a blank sheet of paper once. 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