---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every song that I start to write, I…"
description: "\"Every song that I start to write, I wonder if I'll be able to write it.\" — Emmylou Harris"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/emmylou-harris-7038_able_every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonde_844374.png"
---

#  Every song that I start to write, I wonder if I'll be able…

![“Every song that I start to write, I wonder if I'll be able to write it.” quote by Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/emmylou-harris-7038_able_every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonde_844374.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/emmylou-harris-7038_able_every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonde_844374.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/emmylou-harris-7038_able_every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonde_844374.png)

> “Every song that I start to write, I wonder if I'll be able to write it.”

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

## About This Quote

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

Creative doubt arises when starting a song, questioning one's ability to complete it.

**In simple terms:** Doubt appears at the start of creation.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty as part of the creative process.

Themes

creativity self-doubt artistry process

Mood

encouraging introspective

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- songwriting
- art projects
- performance preparation
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

psychology music composition

Questions to Reflect On

- What strategies help you move past creative doubt?
- How do you know when a song is ready?

A Different Perspective

Self-doubt may stall progress if not managed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Liberty On my notebooks from school On my desk and the trees On the sand, on the snow I write your name On every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/liberty-on-my-notebooks-from-school-on-my-desk-and-the-trees-on-the/)

[Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/)

> [I marvel at the many ways we, as black people, bend but do not break in order to survive. This astonishes me, and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hunter/i-marvel-at-the-many-ways-we-as-black-people-bend-but-do-not-break-in/)

[Kristin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hunter/)

> [I've been a fan of 'Wonder Woman' as long as I remember knowing who Wonder Woman was. And being able to draw or write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/i-ve-been-a-fan-of-wonder-woman-as-long-as-i-remember-knowing-who/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [We don't write what we know. We write what we wonder about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-peck/we-don-t-write-what-we-know-we-write-what-we-wonder-about/)

[Richard Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-peck/)

> [And I'll know my song well before I start singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/and-i-ll-know-my-song-well-before-i-start-singing/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [The song could start with a riff that I base the song around. Or a chord progression or a melody I have, I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/the-song-could-start-with-a-riff-that-i-base-the-song-around-or-a/)

[Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/)

> [It's funny when you write a song - it's easy for me now - but there's almost a second stage where you take control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/it-s-funny-when-you-write-a-song-it-s-easy-for-me-now-but-there-s/)

[Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/)

> [Anything is food for starting a song. A song can start with a lyric idea or a melody or just a sound that inspires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-goldfrapp/anything-is-food-for-starting-a-song-a-song-can-start-with-a-lyric/)

[Alison Goldfrapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-goldfrapp/)

> [When I write a song, I always start on acoustic guitar, because that's a good test of a song, when it's really open and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/when-i-write-a-song-i-always-start-on-acoustic-guitar-because-that-s/)

[Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/)

> [Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/life-is-one-grand-sweet-song-so-start-the-music/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [It usually takes me 20 to 90 minutes to write a song because once I start, I don't stop. I like when it's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halsey/it-usually-takes-me-20-to-90-minutes-to-write-a-song-because-once-i/)

[Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halsey/)

> [When somebody brings me a record to mix, usually they feel like they can only get it so far with who they were working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-congleton/when-somebody-brings-me-a-record-to-mix-usually-they-feel-like-they/)

[John Congleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-congleton/)

> [Time crawls on when you're waiting for the song to start so dance along to the beat of your heart - The Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-crawls-on-when-you-re-waiting-for-the-song-to-start-so-dance/)

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

> [You need to know that going in, and you also need to be able to write all the time. So when somebody looks at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ben-garant/you-need-to-know-that-going-in-and-you-also-need-to-be-able-to-write/)

[Robert Ben Garant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ben-garant/)

> [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

## More by Emmylou Harris

> [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [I'm just too busy living every day to really spend a lot of time thinking 'am I old?' I'm this age. I am in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-m-just-too-busy-living-every-day-to-really-spend-a-lot-of-time/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [You get to a certain point in your life where you get closer to the end of your life than the beginning, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/you-get-to-a-certain-point-in-your-life-where-you-get-closer-to-the/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [Yes, I always say that we're a National League band. What I mean is, if you play an instrument, you have to sing. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/yes-i-always-say-that-we-re-a-national-league-band-what-i-mean-is-if/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [She knew someone but now he's gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/she-knew-someone-but-now-he-s-gone/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [I have just enough people paying attention that I have the freedom to be in charge. And I have a great record company -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-just-enough-people-paying-attention-that-i-have-the-freedom-to/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [I'm not a trained musician. When folks talk about 'Well, you go to this or that' - the tenor, or the third part -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-m-not-a-trained-musician-when-folks-talk-about-well-you-go-to-this/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [You really do learn every day with every dog; they are all so unique and different. But if you're patient and you understand where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/you-really-do-learn-every-day-with-every-dog-they-are-all-so-unique/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [As citizens we have to be more thoughtful and more educated and more informed. I turn on the TV and I see these grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/as-citizens-we-have-to-be-more-thoughtful-and-more-educated-and-more/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [I'm nowhere with country music. I don't hear much of it, so I shouldn't venture an opinion, but when it finds me, it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-m-nowhere-with-country-music-i-don-t-hear-much-of-it-so-i-shouldn-t/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [When there are dogs and music, people have a good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/when-there-are-dogs-and-music-people-have-a-good-time/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [There's a certain grace in accepting what your life is and embracing all the good things that have been - but there's still an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/there-s-a-certain-grace-in-accepting-what-your-life-is-and-embracing/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [She takes her time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/she-takes-her-time/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [Pretty much all I say politically is I encourage people to register to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/pretty-much-all-i-say-politically-is-i-encourage-people-to-register/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [Most Novembers I break down and cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/most-novembers-i-break-down-and-cry/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

[Explore all 95 Emmylou Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every song that I start to write, I wonder if I'll be able to write it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emmylou Harris"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonder-if-i-ll-be-able-to-write-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonder-if-i-ll-be-able-to-write-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/emmylou-harris-7038_able_every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonde_844374.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/emmylou-harris-7038_able_every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonde_844374.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/emmylou-harris-7038_able_every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonde_844374.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every song that I start to write, I wonder if I'll be able to write it.” — Emmylou Harris",
                "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": "Emmylou Harris",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every song that I start to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonder-if-i-ll-be-able-to-write-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/every-song-that-i-start-to-write-i-wonder-if-i-ll-be-able-to-write-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
