--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always think, OK, this is good, but…" description: "\"I always think, OK, this is good, but I'll do it better next time. \"And so we beat on, boats against the current. . .\" It may not be the recipe for a l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/debra-dean-17204_beats_i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll_2642640.jpg" --- # I always think, OK, this is good, but I'll do it better… ![“I always think, OK, this is good, but I'll do it better next time. "And so we beat on, boats against the current. . ." It may not be the recipe for a life of contentment, but that imperfectability is what makes writing such an engaging endeavor, something you can do for the rest of your life and…” quote by Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/debra-dean-17204_beats_i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll_2642640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/debra-dean-17204_beats_i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll_2642640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/debra-dean-17204_beats_i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll_2642640.jpg) > “I always think, OK, this is good, but I'll do it better next time. "And so we beat on, boats against the current. . ." It may not be the recipe for a life of contentment, but that imperfectability is what makes writing such an engaging endeavor, something you can do for the rest of your life and not get bored.” [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author acknowledges perpetual self‑improvement and the imperfect nature of writing, finding continual engagement despite lack of contentment. **In simple terms:** Writing is an endless, imperfect pursuit that stays engaging. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection and keep writing. Themes creativity self‑improvement imperfection writing engagement Mood reflective inspirational Type literary self‑help When to use this quote - writing practice - career development - lifelong learning Key Concepts habit formation personal growth artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How does imperfection fuel creativity? - What keeps you motivated despite setbacks? A Different Perspective May lead to burnout if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Next Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-next-time/) [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Contentment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contentment/) [Endeavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endeavor/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) [Rest of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-of-your-life/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I embrace the pain I feel, not to feel better but to know better next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-embrace-the-pain-i-feel-not-to-feel-better-but-to-know-better-next/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was no waste of time. 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But growing up and being an adult didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-harper/it-was-tempting-to-throw-a-tantrum-stomp-your-foot-and-demand-that/) [Callie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-harper/) > [“Doing better next time. That’s what life is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/doing-better-next-time-that-s-what-life-is/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“They stood in the courtyard of Swangard Palace, too cold to be comfortable despite the sun, and they looked fully on one another, knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-stewart/they-stood-in-the-courtyard-of-swangard-palace-too-cold-to-be/) [Sean Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-stewart/) > [Stop holding grudges. Don't live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-holding-grudges-don-t-live-your-life-with-hate-in-your-heart-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I should have forgiven him.” “Maybe. Maybe there’s more we all could have done,” he says, “but we just have to let the guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-should-have-forgiven-him-maybe-maybe-there-s-more-we-all-could-have/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [In Korea, if a player makes a mistake, the other players don't like to point it out. Rather, they try to embrace it; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-ji-sung/in-korea-if-a-player-makes-a-mistake-the-other-players-don-t-like-to/) [Park Ji-sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-ji-sung/) > [“He found his voice first, though it was a ragged whisper, “Thank you.” If I’d had enough breath I’d have laughed. My throat was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/he-found-his-voice-first-though-it-was-a-ragged-whisper-thank-you-if/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Don't get discouraged because you made a mistake. From that mistake you will learn a lesson and from that lesson you should be encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-saicha/don-t-get-discouraged-because-you-made-a-mistake-from-that-mistake/) [Anwar Saicha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-saicha/) ## More by Debra Dean > [“Whatever we know as children, this is the world, eaten whole and without question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-we-know-as-children-this-is-the-world-eaten-whole-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/what-is-heartbreaking-is-that-there-is-still-beauty-in-the-world/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-kept-writing-short-stories-and-sending-out-my-manuscript-and-it/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [That requires quite an imaginative leap because it's hard for me to imagine that my biography would be of much interest to anyone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/that-requires-quite-an-imaginative-leap-because-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Whatever is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Whatever one may say about the perils of workshops, they help writers internalize an awareness of audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-one-may-say-about-the-perils-of-workshops-they-help-writers/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Peculiar as I was, and remain, I was trained to be practical. I'm still amazed at the radical temerity of my friends, you included,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/peculiar-as-i-was-and-remain-i-was-trained-to-be-practical-i-m-still/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Unless you're Stephen King or Joyce Carol Oates, no one's going to recognize you on the street, and you're promoting your book, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/unless-you-re-stephen-king-or-joyce-carol-oates-no-one-s-going-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I tell my students, if you're interested in marine biology or llama farming, follow that string. Yes, it will probably take you a longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-tell-my-students-if-you-re-interested-in-marine-biology-or-llama/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Along the way, I've worked as a waitress, I've done phone surveys, and worked as a receptionist, and for the last twenty years I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/along-the-way-i-ve-worked-as-a-waitress-i-ve-done-phone-surveys-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“He nods solemnly and repeats the stock response of the Housing Committee whenever they address the perpetual shortage of apartments in Leningrad. “Privacy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/he-nods-solemnly-and-repeats-the-stock-response-of-the-housing/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Each day, the world is made fresh again, holy, and she takes it in, in all its raw intensity, like a young child. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/each-day-the-world-is-made-fresh-again-holy-and-she-takes-it-in-in/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Practicality continues to be a challenge for me - it's at odds with being an artist. I actually had a career on stage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/practicality-continues-to-be-a-challenge-for-me-it-s-at-odds-with/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments. Her distant past is preserved, better than preserved. Moments that occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the-unripe/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) [Explore all 37 Debra Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## More Beats quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. 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Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I usually write from the rhythm section...If a drummer got a funky beat on some things - like a half-shuffle or a shuffle or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-usually-write-from-the-rhythm-section-if-a-drummer-got-a-funky-beat/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [If you don't like club beats take a HIT OF E and you will love the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/if-you-don-t-like-club-beats-take-a-hit-of-e-and-you-will-love-the/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Every pitcher can beat you, it doesn't matter how good you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/every-pitcher-can-beat-you-it-doesn-t-matter-how-good-you-are/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. 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They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-small-birds-they-hop-around-so-merrily-outside-my-window/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 3,311 Beats quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always think, OK, this is good, but I'll do it better next time. \"And so we beat on, boats against the current. . .\" It may not be the recipe for a life of contentment, but that imperfectability is what makes writing such an engaging endeavor, something you can do for the rest of your life and not get bored.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debra Dean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll-do-it-better-next-time-and-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll-do-it-better-next-time-and-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/debra-dean-17204_beats_i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll_2642640.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/debra-dean-17204_beats_i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll_2642640.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/debra-dean-17204_beats_i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll_2642640.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always think, OK, this is good, but I'll do it better next time. \"And so we beat on, boats against the…” — Debra Dean", "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": "Debra Dean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always think, OK, this is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll-do-it-better-next-time-and-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-always-think-ok-this-is-good-but-i-ll-do-it-better-next-time-and-so/#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 } } ] } ```