--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no idea! I have been writing for…" description: "\"I have no idea! I have been writing for 35 years and from the beginning up to now the situation's almost the same. I'm kind of an ugly duckling. Always..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/haruki-murakami-21_ducklings_i-have-no-idea-i-have-been-writing-for-3_2805607.jpg" --- # I have no idea! I have been writing for 35 years and from… ![“I have no idea! I have been writing for 35 years and from the beginning up to now the situation's almost the same. I'm kind of an ugly duckling. Always the duckling, never the swan.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/haruki-murakami-21_ducklings_i-have-no-idea-i-have-been-writing-for-3_2805607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/haruki-murakami-21_ducklings_i-have-no-idea-i-have-been-writing-for-3_2805607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/haruki-murakami-21_ducklings_i-have-no-idea-i-have-been-writing-for-3_2805607.jpg) > “I have no idea! I have been writing for 35 years and from the beginning up to now the situation's almost the same. I'm kind of an ugly duckling. Always the duckling, never the swan.” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer feels stuck in a stagnant creative state, seeing themselves as perpetually an outsider rather than achieving mastery. **In simple terms:** Feeling stuck and unseen in one's craft. Key Takeaway Embrace change and seek new perspectives. Themes creativity identity stagnation Mood frustrated reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - collaborative projects - new genres - travel for inspiration Key Concepts self‑concept artistic growth Questions to Reflect On - What habits keep you in the same creative pattern? - How could redefining your artistic identity open new possibilities? A Different Perspective Self‑identification can limit growth if not challenged. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ugly duckling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly-duckling/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [And while we're on the subject of ducks, which we plainly are, the story, 'The Ugly Duckling' ought be banned as the central character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/and-while-we-re-on-the-subject-of-ducks-which-we-plainly-are-the/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [Ugly ducklings don't turn into swans and glide off down the lake. Whether your sunglasses are on or off, you only see the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/ugly-ducklings-don-t-turn-into-swans-and-glide-off-down-the-lake/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [Always praise your kid even if he/she is unresponsive to learning. By insulting them and putting them down, you will only push them away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/always-praise-your-kid-even-if-he-she-is-unresponsive-to-learning-by/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [I always believed I was an ugly duckling in a family of swans, you know? I was such a black sheep, and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-pearce/i-always-believed-i-was-an-ugly-duckling-in-a-family-of-swans-you/) [Lindsay Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-pearce/) > [In the story of Ugly Duckling, when did the Ugly Duckling stop feeling Ugly? When he realized that he was a Swan. Each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/in-the-story-of-ugly-duckling-when-did-the-ugly-duckling-stop-feeling/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [This ugly duckling investment will likely need time - quarters, or even years - to blossom into a beautiful swan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/this-ugly-duckling-investment-will-likely-need-time-quarters-or-even/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [My duchess,” James stated, his eyes sweeping the crowd with the air of a man who has ruled the waves. “She is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/my-duchess-james-stated-his-eyes-sweeping-the-crowd-with-the-air-of-a/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [I never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-andersen/i-never-dreamed-of-so-much-happiness-when-i-was-the-ugly-duckling/) [Hans Christian Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-andersen/) > [The thing about Janis is that she just looked so unique, an ugly duckling dressed as a princess, fearlessly so. Seeing her live was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/the-thing-about-janis-is-that-she-just-looked-so-unique-an-ugly/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [In Los Angeles, I feel like the ugly duckling, like I'm from Venus or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-green/in-los-angeles-i-feel-like-the-ugly-duckling-like-i-m-from-venus-or/) [Eva Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-green/) > [When I was very young I was the ugly duckling. I had a lot of complexes. My sister was wonderful and I was nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-mouskouri/when-i-was-very-young-i-was-the-ugly-duckling-i-had-a-lot-of/) [Nana Mouskouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-mouskouri/) > [Dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-ian/dreams-were-all-they-gave-for-free-to-ugly-duckling-girls-like-me/) [Janis Ian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-ian/) > [Fate cast me to play the role of an ugly duckling with no promise of swanning. . . . I have played my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-dressler/fate-cast-me-to-play-the-role-of-an-ugly-duckling-with-no-promise-of/) [Marie Dressler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-dressler/) > [Santa Claus was white and everything bad was black. The little ugly duckling was the black duck, and the black cat was the bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/santa-claus-was-white-and-everything-bad-was-black-the-little-ugly/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I am not beautiful. My mother once called me an ugly duckling. But,listed separately, I have a few good features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/i-am-not-beautiful-my-mother-once-called-me-an-ugly-duckling-but/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Ducklings quotes > [I am not beautiful. My mother once called me an ugly duckling. But,listed separately, I have a few good features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/i-am-not-beautiful-my-mother-once-called-me-an-ugly-duckling-but/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [The thing about Janis is that she just looked so unique, an ugly duckling dressed as a princess, fearlessly so. Seeing her live was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/the-thing-about-janis-is-that-she-just-looked-so-unique-an-ugly/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [This ugly duckling investment will likely need time - quarters, or even years - to blossom into a beautiful swan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/this-ugly-duckling-investment-will-likely-need-time-quarters-or-even/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [My duchess,” James stated, his eyes sweeping the crowd with the air of a man who has ruled the waves. “She is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/my-duchess-james-stated-his-eyes-sweeping-the-crowd-with-the-air-of-a/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby duckling, was merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-from-my-mother-who-learned-to-do/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [Fate cast me to play the role of an ugly duckling with no promise of swanning. . . . I have played my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-dressler/fate-cast-me-to-play-the-role-of-an-ugly-duckling-with-no-promise-of/) [Marie Dressler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-dressler/) > [I never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-andersen/i-never-dreamed-of-so-much-happiness-when-i-was-the-ugly-duckling/) [Hans Christian Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-andersen/) > [I don't have ugly ducklings turning into swans in my stories. I have ugly ducklings turning into confident ducks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/i-don-t-have-ugly-ducklings-turning-into-swans-in-my-stories-i-have/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [He giggled like a puppy being tickled by a kitten wearing a duckling costume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benton/he-giggled-like-a-puppy-being-tickled-by-a-kitten-wearing-a-duckling/) [Jim Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benton/) > [Santa Claus was white and everything bad was black. The little ugly duckling was the black duck, and the black cat was the bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/santa-claus-was-white-and-everything-bad-was-black-the-little-ugly/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“Here and there a cygnet is reared uneasily among the ducklings in the brown pond, and never finds the living stream in fellowship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/here-and-there-a-cygnet-is-reared-uneasily-among-the-ducklings-in-the/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [In the story of Ugly Duckling, when did the Ugly Duckling stop feeling Ugly? When he realized that he was a Swan. Each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/in-the-story-of-ugly-duckling-when-did-the-ugly-duckling-stop-feeling/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [My mother was the worst kind of stage mother. She would make me and my younger sister and brother little duckling costumes and put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/my-mother-was-the-worst-kind-of-stage-mother-she-would-make-me-and-my/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) > [I like to go for walks on Wandsworth Common and feed the ducklings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-healey/i-like-to-go-for-walks-on-wandsworth-common-and-feed-the-ducklings/) [Emma Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-healey/) > [Dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-ian/dreams-were-all-they-gave-for-free-to-ugly-duckling-girls-like-me/) [Janis Ian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-ian/) Browse all 41 Ducklings quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have no idea! I have been writing for 35 years and from the beginning up to now the situation's almost the same. 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