--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had written children's books for 14…" description: "\"I had written children's books for 14 years before I published 'Wicked.' And none of them were poorly reviewed, and none of them sold enough for me to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/gregory-maguire-547_able_i-had-written-children-s-books-for-14-ye_2628032.png" --- # I had written children's books for 14 years before I… ![“I had written children's books for 14 years before I published 'Wicked.' And none of them were poorly reviewed, and none of them sold enough for me to be able to buy a bed.” quote by Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/gregory-maguire-547_able_i-had-written-children-s-books-for-14-ye_2628032.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/gregory-maguire-547_able_i-had-written-children-s-books-for-14-ye_2628032.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/gregory-maguire-547_able_i-had-written-children-s-books-for-14-ye_2628032.png) > “I had written children's books for 14 years before I published 'Wicked.' And none of them were poorly reviewed, and none of them sold enough for me to be able to buy a bed.” [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despite years of children's books, financial struggle persisted until a breakthrough work arrived. **In simple terms:** Persistence precedes breakthrough. Key Takeaway Keep creating despite setbacks. Themes writing perseverance career Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - publishing - personal finance - career planning Key Concepts financial hardship creative evolution Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you during low periods? - How can you diversify income while creating? A Different Perspective Success may be delayed despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children'S Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-s-books-2/) [Reviewed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reviewed/) ## Related quotes > [I had written childrens books for 14 years before I published Wicked. 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Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [WikiLeaks has been publishing for ten years, and in those ten years, we have published ten million documents, several thousand individual publications, several thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/wikileaks-has-been-publishing-for-ten-years-and-in-those-ten-years-we/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [For nearly twenty years I have been a published author... But I have never yet seen a book of mine offered for sale in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/for-nearly-twenty-years-i-have-been-a-published-author-but-i-have/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I didn't write professionally at first. It took me nine years to get anything published. At the beginning I mostly wrote picture books, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-didn-t-write-professionally-at-first-it-took-me-nine-years-to-get/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I've written one book-length piece of journalism. The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi? That book had an impact. 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