--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You must know everything well before you…" description: "\"You must know everything well before you can know what to discard. You must cover pages with material you will not finally put into the book. That does..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/dorothy-bryant-46707_authority_you-must-know-everything-well-before-you_1657180.jpg" --- # You must know everything well before you can know what to… ![“You must know everything well before you can know what to discard. You must cover pages with material you will not finally put into the book. That doesn’t mean you don’t use it. It is still there, must be there, an invisible foundation which gives authority to the story. The planning done on…” quote by Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/dorothy-bryant-46707_authority_you-must-know-everything-well-before-you_1657180.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/dorothy-bryant-46707_authority_you-must-know-everything-well-before-you_1657180.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/dorothy-bryant-46707_authority_you-must-know-everything-well-before-you_1657180.jpg) > “You must know everything well before you can know what to discard. You must cover pages with material you will not finally put into the book. That doesn’t mean you don’t use it. It is still there, must be there, an invisible foundation which gives authority to the story. The planning done on setting is never wasted. Nothing is ever wasted. If it has been thought through and written, it is still there, in every word which does not mention it.” [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Thorough preparation creates unseen support that strengthens the final work, even material discarded elements remain valuable. **In simple terms:** Preparation builds hidden support for the final product. Key Takeaway Embrace thorough planning, even if parts are later omitted. Themes writing planning creativity efficiency Mood reflective determined inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - drafting a novel - researching a paper - building a presentation - designing a product - strategic brainstorming Key Concepts foundational knowledge implicit structure authorial authority Questions to Reflect On - What hidden foundations do you overlook in your projects? - How can you balance thoroughness with efficiency? A Different Perspective Excessive planning can lead to analysis paralysis and wasted time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Just remember, you must know everything well before you can know what to discard. You must cover pages with material you will not finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/just-remember-you-must-know-everything-well-before-you-can-know-what/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) > [If you are good at playing cards then you know how and when to discard your opponent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-are-good-at-playing-cards-then-you-know-how-and-when-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [To know how to produce a work of art is to know how to discard the extraneous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/to-know-how-to-produce-a-work-of-art-is-to-know-how-to-discard-the/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. And if you no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/to-truly-cherish-the-things-that-are-important-to-you-you-must-first/) [Marie Kondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [“Return Gifts: Those cheap things kids almost lynch you for, and then discard on their way out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachna-singh/return-gifts-those-cheap-things-kids-almost-lynch-you-for-and-then/) [Rachna Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachna-singh/) > [You can never discard too many bad ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/you-can-never-discard-too-many-bad-ideas/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [“If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our (scheming for) gain, there would be no thieves nor robbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-we-could-renounce-our-artful-contrivances-and-discard-our-scheming/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Sorting papers Rule of thumb—discard everything Once”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/sorting-papers-rule-of-thumb-discard-everything-once/) [Marie Kondō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [Goethe said there would be little left of him if he were to discard what he owed to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-saunders-cushman/goethe-said-there-would-be-little-left-of-him-if-he-were-to-discard/) [Charlotte Saunders Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-saunders-cushman/) > [Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/keep-only-those-things-that-speak-to-your-heart-then-take-the-plunge/) [Marie Kondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [The challenge to Asia is to discard the dry, meatless bone of mysticism and fatalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-marcos/the-challenge-to-asia-is-to-discard-the-dry-meatless-bone-of/) [Ferdinand Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-marcos/) > [“Study whatever you were told very carefully. Make the best choices for the best brands and discard the rest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/study-whatever-you-were-told-very-carefully-make-the-best-choices-for/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The notion that you could discard the old world and now make a new one. This is what was so bad about Modernism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/the-notion-that-you-could-discard-the-old-world-and-now-make-a-new/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [“What people discard could make a nation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-people-discard-could-make-a-nation/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [In science, each new result, sometimes quite surprising, heralds a step forward and allows one to discard some hypotheses, even though one or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-b-prusiner/in-science-each-new-result-sometimes-quite-surprising-heralds-a-step/) [Stanley B. Prusiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-b-prusiner/) ## More by Dorothy Bryant > [Like an old gold-panning prospector, you must resign yourself to digging up a lot of sand from which you will later patiently wash out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/like-an-old-gold-panning-prospector-you-must-resign-yourself-to/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) > [“the dance ritual never ended, The small children just sat down one by one as they got tired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/the-dance-ritual-never-ended-the-small-children-just-sat-down-one-by/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) > [“You have only to want it,to believe it, and tonight when you close your eyes, you can begin your journey”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/you-have-only-to-want-it-to-believe-it-and-tonight-when-you-close/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) > [“Change happens very slow and very sudden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/change-happens-very-slow-and-very-sudden/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) > [“A novel is more a symphony, opera, oratorio. It exists in time, it goes by you a sound dying out as you write on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/a-novel-is-more-a-symphony-opera-oratorio-it-exists-in-time-it-goes/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) > [Just remember, you must know everything well before you can know what to discard. You must cover pages with material you will not finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/just-remember-you-must-know-everything-well-before-you-can-know-what/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) > [I love to read, but I didn't know how I could keep up with my eyes, ... But I remembered that the library had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bryant/i-love-to-read-but-i-didn-t-know-how-i-could-keep-up-with-my-eyes-but/) [Dorothy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) [Explore all 8 Dorothy Bryant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bryant/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You must know everything well before you can know what to discard. You must cover pages with material you will not finally put into the book. That doesn’t mean you don’t use it. It is still there, must be there, an invisible foundation which gives authority to the story. The planning done on setting is never wasted. Nothing is ever wasted. 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