--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't possibly predict what will last…" description: "\"You can't possibly predict what will last or not. But once you attempt to write for the ages, you're doomed.\" — Carlisle Floyd" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/carlisle-floyd-19699_age_you-can-t-possibly-predict-what-will-las_880998.jpg" --- # You can't possibly predict what will last or not. But once… ![“You can't possibly predict what will last or not. But once you attempt to write for the ages, you're doomed.” quote by Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/carlisle-floyd-19699_age_you-can-t-possibly-predict-what-will-las_880998.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/carlisle-floyd-19699_age_you-can-t-possibly-predict-what-will-las_880998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/carlisle-floyd-19699_age_you-can-t-possibly-predict-what-will-las_880998.jpg) > “You can't possibly predict what will last or not. But once you attempt to write for the ages, you're doomed.” [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to create timeless work is futile because the future is unpredictable; the act of writing for eternity is doomed. **In simple terms:** Writing for the ages is impossible. Key Takeaway Accept impermanence of art. Themes impermanence creative ambition humility Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - literary criticism - personal essays - creative planning Key Concepts legacy uncertainty artistic purpose Questions to Reflect On - How can writers find value without seeking permanence? - What does this say about artistic purpose? A Different Perspective Focusing on legacy can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Ages Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ages-doomed-1051879/) [Attempt Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempt-write-632068/) [Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doomed/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Possibly Predict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibly-predict-1051881/) [Write Ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-ages-1051880/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [In general, I write for ages 12 and up - although I've received emails from readers between the ages of seven and seventy. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/in-general-i-write-for-ages-12-and-up-although-i-ve-received-emails/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [To attempt to write seriously is always, I feel, to fail - the disjunction between my beautifully sonorous, accurate and painfully affecting mental content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/to-attempt-to-write-seriously-is-always-i-feel-to-fail-the/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [At the evident risk of seeming ridiculous, I want to begin by saying that I have tried for much of my life to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/at-the-evident-risk-of-seeming-ridiculous-i-want-to-begin-by-saying/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“N.B. – Do not on any account attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-sellar-2/n-b-do-not-on-any-account-attempt-to-write-on-both-sides-of-the-paper/) [W.C. Sellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-sellar-2/) > [Do not on any account attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-sellar/do-not-on-any-account-attempt-to-write-on-both-sides-of-the-paper-at/) [W. C. Sellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-sellar/) > [Law is error, you see. It's an attempt to write down a lot of things everyone ought to know anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/law-is-error-you-see-it-s-an-attempt-to-write-down-a-lot-of-things/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [Everything you need to know about life can be learned from a genuine and ongoing attempt to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-you-need-to-know-about-life-can-be-learned-from-a-genuine/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I'm doomed! And all 'cause Miss Man decides to take her little drag show on the road. -Mushu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulan/i-m-doomed-and-all-cause-miss-man-decides-to-take-her-little-drag/) [Mulan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulan/) > [“Why are we doomed to crave most that which we cannot have?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-are-we-doomed-to-crave-most-that-which-we-cannot-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Monotheism is in its turn doomed to subtract one more God and become atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/monotheism-is-in-its-turn-doomed-to-subtract-one-more-god-and-become/) [Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/) > [“Despite which, Charlie seems doomed to stumble around in the dark, clutching pieces of a puzzle he still can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/despite-which-charlie-seems-doomed-to-stumble-around-in-the-dark/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [I didn't have any role models. I really thought I was doomed to this loveless, lonely life. I didn't know any gay people until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-batt/i-didn-t-have-any-role-models-i-really-thought-i-was-doomed-to-this/) [Bryan Batt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-batt/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) ## More by Carlisle Floyd > [We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/we-think-the-puritans-always-dressed-in-black-and-white-which-they/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [Like any other composer of opera, I choose a subject not for polemical reasons, but because it contains vivid characters in highly charged dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/like-any-other-composer-of-opera-i-choose-a-subject-not-for-polemical/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [It's necessary to track characters all the way through an opera. If you're dealing with more than one or two characters, it's very easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/it-s-necessary-to-track-characters-all-the-way-through-an-opera-if/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [I was encouraged by my mother and, to a lesser extent, by my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/i-was-encouraged-by-my-mother-and-to-a-lesser-extent-by-my-father/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [The artist is something of an outsider in America. I have always felt that America does not value its artists, certainly not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/the-artist-is-something-of-an-outsider-in-america-i-have-always-felt/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [I think anything that is expressed directly and as honestly as possible will last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/i-think-anything-that-is-expressed-directly-and-as-honestly-as/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [If I felt that one of my operas did not come off I would certainly say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/if-i-felt-that-one-of-my-operas-did-not-come-off-i-would-certainly/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [Socially I never was an outsider. I have never thought of the conflict element before frankly, but perhaps it was wanting to belong, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/socially-i-never-was-an-outsider-i-have-never-thought-of-the-conflict/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [It's amazing how fast generations lose sight of other generations. One of the first things the young composers who come to work with me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/it-s-amazing-how-fast-generations-lose-sight-of-other-generations-one/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [I had all the normal interests - I played basketball and I headed the school paper. But I also developed very early a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/i-had-all-the-normal-interests-i-played-basketball-and-i-headed-the/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [I've never set out consciously to write American music. I don't know what that would be unless the obvious Appalachian folk references.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/i-ve-never-set-out-consciously-to-write-american-music-i-don-t-know/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [When I've seen my operas in Europe, they have always struck me as more American than when I hear them here. I can't tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/when-i-ve-seen-my-operas-in-europe-they-have-always-struck-me-as-more/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [Anyone who creates something new or does something different artistically is going to be singled out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/anyone-who-creates-something-new-or-does-something-different/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [The performances of my works in the last 10 years are probably equal to all the previous years put together. There are so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/the-performances-of-my-works-in-the-last-10-years-are-probably-equal/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [What is American music? The most satisfying answer I've come across is that it was a kind of natural comfort with the vernacular which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/what-is-american-music-the-most-satisfying-answer-i-ve-come-across-is/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) [Explore all 32 Carlisle Floyd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. 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