---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He turned and looked at Henry. “Did you…"
description: "\"“He turned and looked at Henry. “Did you always know that you would write all these books?” “I know the next sentence,” Henry said, “and often the next..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/colm-toibin-3377_book_he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-al_1153025.png"
---

#  He turned and looked at Henry. “Did you always know that…

![“He turned and looked at Henry. “Did you always know that you would write all these books?” “I know the next sentence,” Henry said, “and often the next story and I take notes for novels.” quote by Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/colm-toibin-3377_book_he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-al_1153025.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/colm-toibin-3377_book_he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-al_1153025.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/colm-toibin-3377_book_he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-al_1153025.png)

> ““He turned and looked at Henry. “Did you always know that you would write all these books?” “I know the next sentence,” Henry said, “and often the next story and I take notes for novels.””

[Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

## About This Quote

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

A writer anticipates future narratives, trusting intuition and meticulous note‑taking to shape stories.

**In simple terms:** Writers rely on intuition and notes to craft future stories.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate habit of noting ideas promptly.

Themes

creativity writing intuition

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

advice process

When to use this quote

- author brainstorming
- novel planning
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

storytelling foreshadowing process

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you capture fleeting ideas?
- What systems help you develop them?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on intuition may ignore structural needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

## Related quotes

> [“Lady Sarah gazes at Henry’s shiny shoes, her face heartbroken. “Do you ever think . . . that perhaps you should be with—” “Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/lady-sarah-gazes-at-henry-s-shiny-shoes-her-face-heartbroken-do-you/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [Growing up I looked up to Henry. I just like goals, I liked the way he scored goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-wan-bissaka/growing-up-i-looked-up-to-henry-i-just-like-goals-i-liked-the-way-he/)

[Aaron Wan-Bissaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-wan-bissaka/)

> [“But people like Henry never did. People like Henry always came back, because people like Henry knew how to use trust. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-people-like-henry-never-did-people-like-henry-always-came-back/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Your name?" George asked him directly. He had probably seen the man a dozen times before yet did not know anything about him. King…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mette-ivie-harrison/your-name-george-asked-him-directly-he-had-probably-seen-the-man-a/)

[Mette Ivie Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mette-ivie-harrison/)

> [She looks up at me, still rocking. “Henry . . . why did me decide to do this again?” “Supposedly when it’s over they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/she-looks-up-at-me-still-rocking-henry-why-did-me-decide-to-do-this/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“The boy turned around and looked at me…with the same eyes that I'd been staring at all evening at the dance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-claflin/the-boy-turned-around-and-looked-at-me-with-the-same-eyes-that-i-d/)

[Stacy Claflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-claflin/)

> [Robin turned and looked straight into her. "What's life for?" "I don't know." "I don't either. But I don't think it's about winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/robin-turned-and-looked-straight-into-her-what-s-life-for-i-don-t/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

> [As one, the shapechangers turned and looked at me. I wondered what they'd do if I asked to borrow a cup of sugar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/as-one-the-shapechangers-turned-and-looked-at-me-i-wondered-what-they/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [“As he walked along, consciously enjoying the early coolness of the morning, he turned and looked behind him. People often do this and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percival-christopher-wren/as-he-walked-along-consciously-enjoying-the-early-coolness-of-the/)

Percival Christopher Wren

> [I asked her where she wanna be when she 25. She turned around and looked at me and said alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-asked-her-where-she-wanna-be-when-she-25-she-turned-around-and/)

[Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/)

> [“When I turned and looked at Emily she looked like a composite of all the women who would have nothing to do with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-john-x-veraja-2/when-i-turned-and-looked-at-emily-she-looked-like-a-composite-of-all/)

Carl-John X. Veraja

> [Give me liberty or give me death.' A human named Patrick Henry said that. I wonder if the Yeerks knew before they came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death-a-human-named-patrick-henry-said/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Henry," he said. "You are skilled. I exhort you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/henry-he-said-you-are-skilled-i-exhort-you/)

[Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/)

> [It's a good thing Kerry's dead, because that funeral would've sent him over the edge," Henry said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/it-s-a-good-thing-kerry-s-dead-because-that-funeral-would-ve-sent-him/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

> [“Go on to your sunny, bright future," Henry said in a quiet voice. "I won't be there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-davis/go-on-to-your-sunny-bright-future-henry-said-in-a-quiet-voice-i-won-t/)

[Heather Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-davis/)

## More by Colm Tóibín

> [I first went to Barcelona in 1975 after university, and I stayed for three years. I learnt Catalan because that's what everyone speaks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-first-went-to-barcelona-in-1975-after-university-and-i-stayed-for/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [“What is hard to understand is that our dreams matter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/what-is-hard-to-understand-is-that-our-dreams-matter/)

[Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [Suffering is too strong a word, but writing is serious work. I pull the stuff up from me - it's not as if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/suffering-is-too-strong-a-word-but-writing-is-serious-work-i-pull-the/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [Three of my novels and a good number of my short stories are told from the point of view of men. I was brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/three-of-my-novels-and-a-good-number-of-my-short-stories-are-told/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [It may be enough to study history in all its nuance and ambiguity for its own sake. But there is no country free of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-may-be-enough-to-study-history-in-all-its-nuance-and-ambiguity-for/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [The only routine I have is that I finish everything I start. I wake up early every day - about 6.30 A.M. - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-only-routine-i-have-is-that-i-finish-everything-i-start-i-wake-up/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [While historians may go on attempting grand, sweeping and defining narratives, they work in a time when readers know that another narrative always lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/while-historians-may-go-on-attempting-grand-sweeping-and-defining/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [John McGovern taught me that it's OK to write repeatedly about the same things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/john-mcgovern-taught-me-that-it-s-ok-to-write-repeatedly-about-the/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [Some of our loves and attachments are elemental and beyond our choosing, and for that very reason they come spiced with pain and regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/some-of-our-loves-and-attachments-are-elemental-and-beyond-our/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [Solitude is good in the evening. Dublin is a quiet city when you get to a certain age, when your friends settle down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/solitude-is-good-in-the-evening-dublin-is-a-quiet-city-when-you-get/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [“The details of what I told him were with me all the years in the same way as my hands or my arms were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-details-of-what-i-told-him-were-with-me-all-the-years-in-the-same/)

[Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-did-think-of-becoming-a-priest-quite-late-on-when-other-boys-were/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [“Here in this cemetery, which they began to stroll around once more, the state of not-knowing and not-feeling which belonged to the dead seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/here-in-this-cemetery-which-they-began-to-stroll-around-once-more-the/)

[Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [“I don’t go in for change. It is not one of my subjects. I have always taken the view that noticing change is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-don-t-go-in-for-change-it-is-not-one-of-my-subjects-i-have-always/)

[Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [“There will always be reservations, things one must leave out, events one can’t explain without handing over a full map of one’s life, unfolding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/there-will-always-be-reservations-things-one-must-leave-out-events/)

[Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

[Explore all 132 Colm Tóibín quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He turned and looked at Henry. “Did you always know that you would write all these books?” “I know the next sentence,” Henry said, “and often the next story and I take notes for novels.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Colm Tóibín"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-always-know-that-you-would/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-always-know-that-you-would/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/colm-toibin-3377_book_he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-al_1153025.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/colm-toibin-3377_book_he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-al_1153025.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/colm-toibin-3377_book_he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-al_1153025.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He turned and looked at Henry. “Did you always know that you would write all these books?” “I know the next…” — Colm Tóibín",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Colm Tóibín",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He turned and looked at Henry....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-always-know-that-you-would/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/he-turned-and-looked-at-henry-did-you-always-know-that-you-would/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
