--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Always quit for the day when you know…" description: "\"Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.\" — Ernest Hemingway" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/ernest-hemingway-83_finishing_always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-wh_51690.jpg" --- # Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do… ![“Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/ernest-hemingway-83_finishing_always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-wh_51690.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/ernest-hemingway-83_finishing_always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-wh_51690.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/ernest-hemingway-83_finishing_always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-wh_51690.jpg) > “Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pause work when you have a clear next step, preserving momentum and preventing burnout. **In simple terms:** Stop before fatigue sets in. Key Takeaway Strategic breaks boost productivity. Themes productivity focus self‑management mindset efficiency Mood determined calm purposeful Type advice motivational When to use this quote - creative writing - software development - research planning - project management - learning a new skill Key Concepts goal clarity energy management task sequencing Practical Applications - task prioritization - workflow design Questions to Reflect On - What next signals a need for a break? - How does clarity of the next action affect motivation? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [Don't quit your day jobs, boys, but always keep your sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/don-t-quit-your-day-jobs-boys-but-always-keep-your-sense-of-humor/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Quit your day job, and do what makes you happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/quit-your-day-job-and-do-what-makes-you-happy/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [“Perhaps you can’t quit your day job, and I understand that. But never, ever quit your day dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-gaines/perhaps-you-can-t-quit-your-day-job-and-i-understand-that-but-never/) [Chip Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-gaines/) > [Ironic that in order to do my life's work, I had to quit my day job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/ironic-that-in-order-to-do-my-life-s-work-i-had-to-quit-my-day-job/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Always stop for the day while you still know what will happen next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-stop-for-the-day-while-you-still-know-what-will-happen-next/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [We all take a beating every day, you know, one way or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/we-all-take-a-beating-every-day-you-know-one-way-or-another/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Being a novelist is hard for anyone - male or female. You don't get to quit your day job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/being-a-novelist-is-hard-for-anyone-male-or-female-you-don-t-get-to/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I won't quit my day job. I like restaurants. I don't do a lot of television, either, even though people come to me with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-won-t-quit-my-day-job-i-like-restaurants-i-don-t-do-a-lot-of/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [You should never quit your day job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-taylor/you-should-never-quit-your-day-job/) [Diana Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-taylor/) > [“You can never be done with music. No more than you can be done with breathing. The day you quit is the day you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brom/you-can-never-be-done-with-music-no-more-than-you-can-be-done-with/) [Brom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brom/) > [“Quitting a job doesn't jump-start a dream because dreams take planning, purpose, and progress to succeed. That stuff has to happen before you quit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-acuff/quitting-a-job-doesn-t-jump-start-a-dream-because-dreams-take/) [Jonathan Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-acuff/) > [If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-for-a-lifetime/) [Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [They say hard work pays off Well tell the Based God don't quit his day job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/capital-steez/they-say-hard-work-pays-off-well-tell-the-based-god-don-t-quit-his/) [Capital STEEZ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/capital-steez/) > [“Butt in chair is the only way to quit your day job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-lovins/butt-in-chair-is-the-only-way-to-quit-your-day-job/) Renee Lovins > [I never wanted to be an actor, and then 'GH' was the first time where my managers were like, 'Quit your day job. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-paevey/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-then-gh-was-the-first-time-where-my/) [Ryan Paevey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-paevey/) ## More by Ernest Hemingway > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“There was no wind, and, outside now of the warm air of the cave, heavy with smoke of both tobacco and charcoal, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-was-no-wind-and-outside-now-of-the-warm-air-of-the-cave-heavy/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It was not brilliant bull-fighting. It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Creation's probably overrated. After all, God made the world in only six days and rested on the seventh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/creation-s-probably-overrated-after-all-god-made-the-world-in-only/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Viva my husband who was Mayor of this town”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/viva-my-husband-who-was-mayor-of-this-town/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The earth gets tired of being exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-earth-gets-tired-of-being-exploited/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good-after-and-what-is-immoral-is-what/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“We drove out along the coast road. There was the green of the headlands, the white, red-roofed villas, patches of forest, and the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/we-drove-out-along-the-coast-road-there-was-the-green-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Oh, darling, I've been so miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/oh-darling-i-ve-been-so-miserable/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I read my own books sometimes to cheer me when it is hard to write, and then I remember that it was always difficult,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-read-my-own-books-sometimes-to-cheer-me-when-it-is-hard-to-write/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“You find everything on earth at Harry's." "Yes, my Colonel. Except, possibly, happiness." "I'll damn well find happiness, too," the Colonel assured him. "Happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-find-everything-on-earth-at-harry-s-yes-my-colonel-except/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“No. It's bad for me. Cole Porter wrote the words and the music. This knowledge that you're going mad for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/no-it-s-bad-for-me-cole-porter-wrote-the-words-and-the-music-this/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“everything kills everything else in some way. Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive. The boy keeps me alive, he thought. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everything-kills-everything-else-in-some-way-fishing-kills-me-exactly/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Explore all 1,464 Ernest Hemingway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More Finishing quotes > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [One should never forget that by actually perfecting one piece one gains and learns more than by starting or half-finishing a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-brahms/one-should-never-forget-that-by-actually-perfecting-one-piece-one/) [Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-brahms/) > [A good, finished scandal, fully armed and equipped, such as circulates in the world, is rarely the production of a single individual, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/a-good-finished-scandal-fully-armed-and-equipped-such-as-circulates/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [“Never be afraid to offer a smile; sure the risk is that a few foolish people may misinterpret your kindness as weakness, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/never-be-afraid-to-offer-a-smile-sure-the-risk-is-that-a-few-foolish/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [Salah already played in England. He has high skills at dribbling, tempo and finishing and he makes defenders despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-matip/salah-already-played-in-england-he-has-high-skills-at-dribbling-tempo/) [Joel Matip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-matip/) > [I didn't finish high school - left home when I was 15. I moved away to Fresno and worked as a grocery clerk. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-covey/i-didn-t-finish-high-school-left-home-when-i-was-15-i-moved-away-to/) [Joy Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-covey/) > [Don't start shit you can't finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden/don-t-start-shit-you-can-t-finish/) [Jaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden/) > [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/) > [So many people are good at starts and not so good at finishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/so-many-people-are-good-at-starts-and-not-so-good-at-finishing/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [I think it started with both the shows and the box set from finishing White Material. I think we were also pretty desperate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-a-staples/i-think-it-started-with-both-the-shows-and-the-box-set-from-finishing/) [Stuart A. Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-a-staples/) > [You can always improve with the team. There are tactical things, finishing in front of goal, speed as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/you-can-always-improve-with-the-team-there-are-tactical-things/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [It is easy to have a lot of paintings or projects hanging around that are 'almost done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/it-is-easy-to-have-a-lot-of-paintings-or-projects-hanging-around-that/) [Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Good shoes - they're the ultimate finishing touch. In fact, we actually joke in my family that your shoes have to be shined before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-newton/good-shoes-they-re-the-ultimate-finishing-touch-in-fact-we-actually/) [Cam Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-newton/) > [As a group I thought we played connected. I feel like we had a lot of great shots, some great opportunities, and for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-botterill/as-a-group-i-thought-we-played-connected-i-feel-like-we-had-a-lot-of/) Jennifer Botterill Browse all 475 Finishing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ernest Hemingway" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finishing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/ernest-hemingway-83_finishing_always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-wh_51690.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/ernest-hemingway-83_finishing_always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-wh_51690.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/ernest-hemingway-83_finishing_always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-wh_51690.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.” — Ernest Hemingway", "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": "Ernest Hemingway", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Always quit for the day when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/#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 } } ] } ```