--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can improve an incoherent mess, but…" description: "\"“You can improve an incoherent mess, but you can't improve nothing”\" — David Mitchell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/david-mitchell-264_improve_you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-y_2937399.jpg" --- # You can improve an incoherent mess, but you can't improve… ![“You can improve an incoherent mess, but you can't improve nothing” quote by David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/david-mitchell-264_improve_you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-y_2937399.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/david-mitchell-264_improve_you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-y_2937399.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/david-mitchell-264_improve_you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-y_2937399.jpg) > ““You can improve an incoherent mess, but you can't improve nothing”” [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Improving a chaotic situation is possible, but attempting to improve nothing yields no result. **In simple terms:** You can fix messes, but nothing cannot be fixed. Key Takeaway Focus on tangible problems rather than abstract emptiness. Themes self‑improvement problem solving Mood contemplative motivational Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - project management - personal growth - creative writing - strategic planning Key Concepts effort nothingness limitations Questions to Reflect On - What “nothing” do you feel stuck trying to improve? - How can you identify concrete areas for improvement? A Different Perspective Attempting to improve nothing wastes resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Improve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improve/) [Improve Incoherent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improve-incoherent-4362087/) [Incoherent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incoherent/) [Incoherent Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incoherent-mess-4362089/) [Mess Improve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess-improve-4362088/) ## Related quotes > [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/) [Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/) > [“With television, we vault ourselves into a continuous, incoherent present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/with-television-we-vault-ourselves-into-a-continuous-incoherent/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Could you possibly be a little more incoherent?" asked Olivenko. "There are bits of this I'm almost understanding, and I'm sure that's not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/could-you-possibly-be-a-little-more-incoherent-asked-olivenko-there/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [You're a genius! And the proof is that both common people and intellectuals find your work completely incoherent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/you-re-a-genius-and-the-proof-is-that-both-common-people-and/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Economic policies command bipartisan support only when they're incoherent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-landsburg/economic-policies-command-bipartisan-support-only-when-they-re/) [Steven Landsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-landsburg/) > [“Through living in a space that we do not understand, everything may become meaningless, incoherent, and forcefully scary. If fear rules our lives, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/through-living-in-a-space-that-we-do-not-understand-everything-may/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Dreams are nothing but incoherent ideas, occasioned by partial or imperfect sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/dreams-are-nothing-but-incoherent-ideas-occasioned-by-partial-or/) [Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/) > [“Whoever will take the trouble of reading the book ascribed to Isaiah, will find it one of the most wild and disorderly compositions ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/whoever-will-take-the-trouble-of-reading-the-book-ascribed-to-isaiah/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [An artist's job is to articulate what might otherwise be incoherent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-spero/an-artist-s-job-is-to-articulate-what-might-otherwise-be-incoherent/) [Nancy Spero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-spero/) > [We are, all of us, incoherent text, and just knowing that - knowing that no matter how much you say, 'I am this' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/we-are-all-of-us-incoherent-text-and-just-knowing-that-knowing-that/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [Theism is so confused and the sentences in which "God" appears so incoherent and so incapable of verifiability or falsifiability that to speak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-ayer/theism-is-so-confused-and-the-sentences-in-which-god-appears-so/) [A.J. Ayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-ayer/) > [“This is incoherent drivel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-incoherent-drivel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The very idea of supernatural magic - including miracles - is incoherent, devoid of sensible meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-very-idea-of-supernatural-magic-including-miracles-is-incoherent/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“He was in that familiar state - not that the occasion mattered to seriously to him -- of incoherent ideas spreading outward without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/he-was-in-that-familiar-state-not-that-the-occasion-mattered-to/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [Between incomprehensible and incoherent sits the madhouse. I am not in the madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/between-incomprehensible-and-incoherent-sits-the-madhouse-i-am-not-in/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More by David Mitchell > [“In the next room a freckly girl Julia's age sat in a wheelchair. One of her legs wasn't there. She'd probably love to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/in-the-next-room-a-freckly-girl-julia-s-age-sat-in-a-wheelchair-one/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“I envied my uncritical, unthinking sisters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-envied-my-uncritical-unthinking-sisters/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“... Ethical cyberexplorers are responsible, yeah? We are friendly ghosts in the machine, not poltergeists or hooligans. We are a growing breed. Over sixty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/ethical-cyberexplorers-are-responsible-yeah-we-are-friendly-ghosts-in/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“I succumbed. Late-fifteenth-century verb, Old French succomber or Latin succumbere, but a basic necessity of the human condition, especially mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-succumbed-late-fifteenth-century-verb-old-french-succomber-or-latin/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [Your environment affects you wherever you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/your-environment-affects-you-wherever-you-are/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“The second tunnel’s a Ministry of Defence tunnel...dug for a nuclear bomb shelter. The entrance is in the garden center at Woolworth’s in Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-second-tunnel-s-a-ministry-of-defence-tunnel-dug-for-a-nuclear/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Loyalty looks simple... but it ain't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/loyalty-looks-simple-but-it-ain-t/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Only the trombonist played on. That's trombonists for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/only-the-trombonist-played-on-that-s-trombonists-for-you/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [War's an auction where whoever can pay the most in damage and still be standing wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/war-s-an-auction-where-whoever-can-pay-the-most-in-damage-and-still/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [The human world is made of stories, not people. The people the stories use to tell themselves are not to be blamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-human-world-is-made-of-stories-not-people-the-people-the-stories/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [So little is actually worthy of belief or disbelief. Better to strive to coexist than seek to disapprove . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/so-little-is-actually-worthy-of-belief-or-disbelief-better-to-strive/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [I elbowed my way into the grubby café, bought a pie that tasted of shoe polish and a pot of tea with cork crumbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-elbowed-my-way-into-the-grubby-caf-bought-a-pie-that-tasted-of-shoe/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“A classical LP was playing... ... Jealous and sweet, this music was, sobbing and gorgeous, muddy and crystal. But if the right words existed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/a-classical-lp-was-playing-jealous-and-sweet-this-music-was-sobbing/) [david mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [How lazily "xperts" dismiss what they fail to understand!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/how-lazily-xperts-dismiss-what-they-fail-to-understand/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Writing poetry's,' I looked around the solarium, but Madame Crommelynck's got a tractor beam, 'sort of . . . gay.' '"Gay"? A merry activity?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/writing-poetry-s-i-looked-around-the-solarium-but-madame-crommelynck/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) [Explore all 748 David Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) ## More Improve quotes > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [You have to improve; that's how you develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gustafsson/you-have-to-improve-that-s-how-you-develop/) [Alexander Gustafsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gustafsson/) > [I always like to put myself under pressure to improve more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-salah/i-always-like-to-put-myself-under-pressure-to-improve-more/) [Mohamed Salah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-salah/) > [“The fact is that it’s not easy to be excellent. However, you can be as good as you care to be, simply by continuing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fact-is-that-it-s-not-easy-to-be-excellent-however-you-can-be-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to improve for myself, not for other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-matip/i-want-to-improve-for-myself-not-for-other-people/) [Joel Matip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-matip/) > [One needs to constantly read up, practice and work, irrespective of your profession. If I feel as an actor that I know everything, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-kapoor/one-needs-to-constantly-read-up-practice-and-work-irrespective-of/) [Sonam Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-kapoor/) > [The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-secret-is-here-in-the-present-if-you-pay-attention-to-the-present/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I need to improve my finishing. I need more goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-ji-sung/i-need-to-improve-my-finishing-i-need-more-goals/) [Park Ji-sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-ji-sung/) > [The only way to improve tomorrow is to know what you did wrong today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-to-improve-tomorrow-is-to-know-what-you-did-wrong-today/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are a lot of things wrong with the country, and that doesn't mean America sucks. It means we should improve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/there-are-a-lot-of-things-wrong-with-the-country-and-that-doesn-t/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [I like the competition. You don't improve without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lindelof/i-like-the-competition-you-don-t-improve-without-it/) [Victor Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lindelof/) > [Know yourself to improve yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-comte/know-yourself-to-improve-yourself/) [Auguste Comte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-comte/) > [I try to improve myself every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-cancelo/i-try-to-improve-myself-every-year/) [Joao Cancelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-cancelo/) > [We do not have to improve ourselves; we just have to let go of what blocks our heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/we-do-not-have-to-improve-ourselves-we-just-have-to-let-go-of-what/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“Improve the quality of your life by improving the quality of your awareness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-flynn/improve-the-quality-of-your-life-by-improving-the-quality-of-your/) [Maria Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-flynn/) [Browse all 1,463 Improve quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improve/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You can improve an incoherent mess, but you can't improve nothing”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-you-can-t-improve-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Improve" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-you-can-t-improve-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/david-mitchell-264_improve_you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-y_2937399.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/david-mitchell-264_improve_you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-y_2937399.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/david-mitchell-264_improve_you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-y_2937399.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can improve an incoherent mess, but you can't improve nothing” — David Mitchell", "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": "David Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You can improve an incoherent mess,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-you-can-t-improve-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/you-can-improve-an-incoherent-mess-but-you-can-t-improve-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```