--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A phrase Max had used bothered me. I was…" description: "\"“A phrase Max had used bothered me. I was not to be surprised if my work underwent a change. I might find it becoming more creative. What the hell had ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/dorothy-macardle-45928_books_a-phrase-max-had-used-bothered-me-i-was_1717754.jpg" --- # A phrase Max had used bothered me. I was not to be… ![“A phrase Max had used bothered me. I was not to be surprised if my work underwent a change. I might find it becoming more creative. What the hell had Max meant by that? What was wrong with my work as it was? Fiddling journalism; nothing sustained about it; conventional, facile, all on the sound…” quote by Dorothy Macardle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/dorothy-macardle-45928_books_a-phrase-max-had-used-bothered-me-i-was_1717754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/dorothy-macardle-45928_books_a-phrase-max-had-used-bothered-me-i-was_1717754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/490/dorothy-macardle-45928_books_a-phrase-max-had-used-bothered-me-i-was_1717754.jpg) > ““A phrase Max had used bothered me. I was not to be surprised if my work underwent a change. I might find it becoming more creative. What the hell had Max meant by that? What was wrong with my work as it was? Fiddling journalism; nothing sustained about it; conventional, facile, all on the sound old traditional lines? No doubt that was how he saw it: did he suppose I had not seen that too? Why else had I undertaken the book? And what was the book, anyway, but a compilation, a re-hash of old newspaper articles better forgotten – no more ‘creative’ than Pamela’s scrap-books. And even that I hadn’t the capacity to finish. It would never be finished. I saw that now. It would not be finished because I had nothing to say. What I had mistaken for talent had been no more than the afflatus which makes every second swelled-headed adolescent suppose he has a vocation to write. It was a folly which had made me turn my back on the chance of a solid profession, got me as far as a sub-editor’s desk on a London weekly, and led me to walk out from that into the blue. I had imagined that I had something to say, and behold, without the drive of a play to report on, a book to review, or a controversy to join in, I was empty: I dredged into my own mind and found nothing there. My youthful energy was already exhausted. I was finished: finished at thirty. And Max had seen that. I”” [Dorothy Macardle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-macardle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator confronts a creative crisis, realizing his work lacks originality and purpose, leading to existential despair. **In simple terms:** He feels his writing is empty and unoriginal. Key Takeaway Recognize when work lacks genuine purpose. Themes creativity selfdoubt career existential crisis Mood despair reflective melancholic Type literary confessional philosophical When to use this quote - career crossroads - writing block - midlife reflection - creative burnout Key Concepts authorship artistic integrity identity crisis Questions to Reflect On - What defines genuine creativity? - How can one rediscover purpose after burnout? A Different Perspective The narrative may overstate personal failure, ignoring external factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Newspaper Article](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspaper-article/) [Old news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-news/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not the kind of guy who likes to rush things through. I like to take my time and finish when I'm finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lidell/i-m-not-the-kind-of-guy-who-likes-to-rush-things-through-i-like-to/) [Jamie Lidell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lidell/) > [By seeing life's experiences through to the end, on our small scale, we can finally say, as Jesus did on the cross, "It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/by-seeing-life-s-experiences-through-to-the-end-on-our-small-scale-we/) [Neal A. 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I cleaned the shoes of people for less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kolo-toure/when-i-was-a-young-boy-i-sold-newspapers-by-the-side-of-the-road-i/) [Kolo Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kolo-toure/) > [By the time something reaches the cover of Time magazine, it's old news anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/by-the-time-something-reaches-the-cover-of-time-magazine-it-s-old/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## More by Dorothy Macardle > [“I think that school of yours sounds stuffy. Weren’t you glad to leave it?’ ‘I was! Especially at first.’ ‘Then you began to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-macardle/i-think-that-school-of-yours-sounds-stuffy-weren-t-you-glad-to-leave/) [Dorothy Macardle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-macardle/) > [“We are all poor sinful creatures, and the wiser we grow, the harder it is for us to avoid falling into sin. 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Why else had I undertaken the book? And what was the book, anyway, but a compilation, a re-hash of old newspaper articles better forgotten – no more ‘creative’ than Pamela’s scrap-books. And even that I hadn’t the capacity to finish. It would never be finished. I saw that now. It would not be finished because I had nothing to say. What I had mistaken for talent had been no more than the afflatus which makes every second swelled-headed adolescent suppose he has a vocation to write. It was a folly which had made me turn my back on the chance of a solid profession, got me as far as a sub-editor’s desk on a London weekly, and led me to walk out from that into the blue. I had imagined that I had something to say, and behold, without the drive of a play to report on, a book to review, or a controversy to join in, I was empty: I dredged into my own mind and found nothing there. My youthful energy was already exhausted. I was finished: finished at thirty. And Max had seen that. 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