--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a hard time revising sentences…" description: "\"I have a hard time revising sentences, because I spend an inordinate amount of time on each sentence, and the sentence before it, and the sentence afte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/chang-rae-lee-3318_after_i-have-a-hard-time-revising-sentences-be_1336922.png" --- # I have a hard time revising sentences, because I spend an… ![“I have a hard time revising sentences, because I spend an inordinate amount of time on each sentence, and the sentence before it, and the sentence after it.” quote by Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/chang-rae-lee-3318_after_i-have-a-hard-time-revising-sentences-be_1336922.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/chang-rae-lee-3318_after_i-have-a-hard-time-revising-sentences-be_1336922.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/chang-rae-lee-3318_after_i-have-a-hard-time-revising-sentences-be_1336922.png) > “I have a hard time revising sentences, because I spend an inordinate amount of time on each sentence, and the sentence before it, and the sentence after it.” [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Over‑editing stems from perfectionism, causing endless loops of revision that stall progress. **In simple terms:** Too much editing stops writing. Key Takeaway Set a time limit for each edit. Themes perfectionism writing productivity self‑criticism Mood frustrated determined Type motivational practical When to use this quote - drafting - academic papers - creative writing - editing sessions Key Concepts cognitive bias workflow focus Questions to Reflect On - What is the worst‑case outcome of a single edit? - How can you accept “good enough”? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can hinder completion and increase anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I probably spend 90% of my time revising what I've written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-probably-spend-90-of-my-time-revising-what-i-ve-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I spend a lot of time revising. I'm not somebody who can move slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-revising-i-m-not-somebody-who-can-move-slowly/) [Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/) > [“Panic strikes me when I think about a sentence that isn’t given the chance to live because I don’t have a pen in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adi-alsaid/panic-strikes-me-when-i-think-about-a-sentence-that-isn-t-given-the/) [Adi Alsaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adi-alsaid/) > [“What is a sentence. A sentence is left to be alright and therefor (sic) they are barely here. A day is additional with there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/what-is-a-sentence-a-sentence-is-left-to-be-alright-and-therefor-sic/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Being in the dark from sentence to sentence is what convinces me to go on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/being-in-the-dark-from-sentence-to-sentence-is-what-convinces-me-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I have not written a perfect sentence, in the literary sense. 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Silvia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-silvia/) ## More by Chang-Rae Lee > [The truth, finally, is who can tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-truth-finally-is-who-can-tell-it/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-think-my-parents-recognised-that-i-d-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Some writers are writing one great, big book and just taking all these different avenues towards it. They might seem on the outside to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/some-writers-are-writing-one-great-big-book-and-just-taking-all-these/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-try-to-be-aware-of-what-i-m-concerned-about-aware-of-how-i-feel/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“Behold a fire from the opposite shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/behold-a-fire-from-the-opposite-shore/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“I would give most anything to hear my father's talk again, the crash and bang and stop of his language, always hurtling by. 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It's surprising sometimes to get particular perspectives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/not-to-any-really-influential-effect-but-certainly-there-have-been/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [My family immigrated when I was 3, and our predecessors inhabited the Korean Peninsula for as long as can be recalled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/my-family-immigrated-when-i-was-3-and-our-predecessors-inhabited-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [After college, I was living in New York and wrote furiously, a huge novel that I knew was a failure. I hoped that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/after-college-i-was-living-in-new-york-and-wrote-furiously-a-huge/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Usually, when you're talking about work with other writers it's because something seriously bad is going on with your work and you've absolutely thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/usually-when-you-re-talking-about-work-with-other-writers-it-s/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [ I had a visceral connection to the period \[of Korean War\]. By visceral I suppose I mean emotional. But every fiction requires so much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-had-a-visceral-connection-to-the-period-of-korean-war-by-visceral-i/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) [Explore all 133 Chang-Rae Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## More After quotes > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. 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