---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have entered the New Yorker's Cartoon…"
description: "\"“I have entered the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest almost weekly virtually since it began and have never even been a finalist. I have done more w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/bob-mankoff-139367_five-years_i-have-entered-the-new-yorker-s-cartoon_20123.jpg"
---

#  I have entered the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest…

![“I have entered the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest almost weekly virtually since it began and have never even been a finalist. I have done more writing for free for the New Yorker in the last five years than for anybody in the previous 40 years. It's not that I think my cartoon captions are…” quote by Bob Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/bob-mankoff-139367_five-years_i-have-entered-the-new-yorker-s-cartoon_20123.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/bob-mankoff-139367_five-years_i-have-entered-the-new-yorker-s-cartoon_20123.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/bob-mankoff-139367_five-years_i-have-entered-the-new-yorker-s-cartoon_20123.jpg)

> ““I have entered the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest almost weekly virtually since it began and have never even been a finalist. I have done more writing for free for the New Yorker in the last five years than for anybody in the previous 40 years. It's not that I think my cartoon captions are better than anyone else's, although some weeks, understandably, I do. It's that just once I want to see one of my damn captions in the magazine that publishes the best cartoons in the world." - Roger Ebert (By the way, in 2011 Ebert finally won, after 107 tries.)””

Bob Mankoff

## About This Quote

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

Persistent effort without recognition can still be valuable for skill development and personal satisfaction.

**In simple terms:** Keep trying even without winning.

Key Takeaway

Value the process over the prize.

Themes

persistence creativity writing humor competition

Mood

determined humorous reflective

Type

Comic:0 Five years:0 Roger Ebert:0 Yorker Cartoon:0 Caption Contest:0 Captions Magazine:0 Cartoon Captions:0 Captions Better:0

When to use this quote

- career development
- creative writing
- contest participation
- personal fulfillment

Key Concepts

caption writing skill building resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- What motivates you to continue without external validation?
- How does repeated practice shape your creative voice?

A Different Perspective

Winning may not reflect improvement.

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[Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/)

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