--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a bit of an accident really - I…" description: "\"I was a bit of an accident really - I certainly didn't set out to write a cookbook or three. I didn't have a plan. I was unemployed, writing a blog abo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/jack-monroe-5513_accident_i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-cert_1259945.jpg" --- # I was a bit of an accident really - I certainly didn't set… ![“I was a bit of an accident really - I certainly didn't set out to write a cookbook or three. I didn't have a plan. I was unemployed, writing a blog about local politics and a few recipes, and it was more successful than I could ever have imagined it to be.” quote by Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/jack-monroe-5513_accident_i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-cert_1259945.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/jack-monroe-5513_accident_i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-cert_1259945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/jack-monroe-5513_accident_i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-cert_1259945.jpg) > “I was a bit of an accident really - I certainly didn't set out to write a cookbook or three. I didn't have a plan. I was unemployed, writing a blog about local politics and a few recipes, and it was more successful than I could ever have imagined it to be.” [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author unexpectedly became a cookbook author while blogging about politics, without a prior plan, and found unexpected success. **In simple terms:** Accidental success in cookbook writing. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected opportunities. Themes career writing serendipity Mood inspirational reflective Type career creative When to use this quote - career changes - food writing - personal branding - entrepreneurial ventures Key Concepts entrepreneurship food blogging Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a hobby into a career? - What role does planning play in creative success? A Different Perspective Success may require sustained effort beyond initial luck. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Unemployed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployed/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Obviously, the easiest recipes are the most successful when it comes to the home cook, because they're not intimidated by them. If I'm doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-flay/obviously-the-easiest-recipes-are-the-most-successful-when-it-comes/) [Bobby Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-flay/) > [After opening my first restaurant in 1969, one of the regular customers suggested I write a cookbook, so I did. Then another. After my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/after-opening-my-first-restaurant-in-1969-one-of-the-regular/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [When I first started writing cookbooks, I remember thinking to myself, what makes me think I can write a cookbook? There are these great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-garten/when-i-first-started-writing-cookbooks-i-remember-thinking-to-myself/) [Ina Garten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-garten/) > [I'm always in the kitchen, cooking and experimenting - I love it. And every now and then I think, 'I should write a cookbook'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-desai/i-m-always-in-the-kitchen-cooking-and-experimenting-i-love-it-and/) [Kiran Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-desai/) > [I've always had a fantasy to write a cookbook, because everyone wants to know what a model eats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-lakshmi/i-ve-always-had-a-fantasy-to-write-a-cookbook-because-everyone-wants/) [Padma Lakshmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-lakshmi/) > [“And dear, if you should someday become famous, don't write a cookbook.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/and-dear-if-you-should-someday-become-famous-don-t-write-a-cookbook/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [I'm a huge cook! I'm actually trying to write my first cookbook. I make an Indian-spice Bolognese and serve it over pasta. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-simone/i-m-a-huge-cook-i-m-actually-trying-to-write-my-first-cookbook-i-make/) [Hannah Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-simone/) > [I think it's important if you're going to write a cookbook, it should sound like you talking - it should be things you actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/i-think-it-s-important-if-you-re-going-to-write-a-cookbook-it-should/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [I didn't even plan Bollywood! I did my first film just to experience something new, and not start a career!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taapsee-pannu/i-didn-t-even-plan-bollywood-i-did-my-first-film-just-to-experience/) [Taapsee Pannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taapsee-pannu/) > [“I had never owned a pair of jeans, and I didn't plan on it. I'm not a cowboy, a farmer, or a 1950s greaser.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-iserson/i-had-never-owned-a-pair-of-jeans-and-i-didn-t-plan-on-it-i-m-not-a/) [David Iserson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-iserson/) > [When things didn't go as your plan or back-up plan, don't sulk. Make new plans! The sun doesn't stop shining just because of dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-things-didn-t-go-as-your-plan-or-back-up-plan-don-t-sulk-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything that has happened to me has happened when I didn't plan it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-graham/everything-that-has-happened-to-me-has-happened-when-i-didn-t-plan-it/) [Larry Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-graham/) > [I didn't plan to love you, it just happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/i-didn-t-plan-to-love-you-it-just-happened/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [I didn't have any plan to go into comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berry/i-didn-t-have-any-plan-to-go-into-comedy/) [Matt Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berry/) > [I didn't ever plan to be a producer, and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendi-deng-murdoch/i-didn-t-ever-plan-to-be-a-producer-and-i-didn-t-really-know-what-i/) [Wendi Deng Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendi-deng-murdoch/) ## More by Jack Monroe > [I'm publicist, patron of nine charities, creative director, food consultant, recipe developer - and mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-publicist-patron-of-nine-charities-creative-director-food/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [My pregnancy changed my relationship with my body because I went from despising it to marvelling at what it can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/my-pregnancy-changed-my-relationship-with-my-body-because-i-went-from/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [There's all kinds of research that shows children operate best if they start the day with some proper food inside them - it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/there-s-all-kinds-of-research-that-shows-children-operate-best-if/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I'm well-known for saying unsayable things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-well-known-for-saying-unsayable-things/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I think as much as people moan at things like award ceremonies, it gives people role models. It provides real positive reinforcement that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-think-as-much-as-people-moan-at-things-like-award-ceremonies-it/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [Working 90 hours a week is easily racked up when you're self-employed and rely on portable tech to do your work; your train journeys,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/working-90-hours-a-week-is-easily-racked-up-when-you-re-self-employed/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I'm very careful with the money I have, I pay myself the living wage, and I try to save the rest, because if life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-very-careful-with-the-money-i-have-i-pay-myself-the-living-wage/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [All kids are fussy eaters - they go through phases where they'll only eat red food or they just want to eat porridge. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/all-kids-are-fussy-eaters-they-go-through-phases-where-they-ll-only/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [Working behind the cocktail bar was a different kind of escapism, a creative outlet with a newfound respect for alcohol. I didn't drink as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/working-behind-the-cocktail-bar-was-a-different-kind-of-escapism-a/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I'm not organised, and I don't cope well with deadlines, structure and routine. I'm chaotic. Always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-not-organised-and-i-don-t-cope-well-with-deadlines-structure-and/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [During my time at Essex county fire and rescue service, barely a shift went by without receiving a call from an elderly person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/during-my-time-at-essex-county-fire-and-rescue-service-barely-a-shift/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [If I've learned anything in the last seven or eight years it's that my career flies by the seat of my pants and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/if-i-ve-learned-anything-in-the-last-seven-or-eight-years-it-s-that/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I was a young mother with a dependent. I went from nice flat and fire service job to cold and hungry with a child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-was-a-young-mother-with-a-dependent-i-went-from-nice-flat-and-fire/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [Until people realise benefits doesn't mean scrounger, and austerity isn't a fun middle-class way to grow your own vegetables, there's still a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/until-people-realise-benefits-doesn-t-mean-scrounger-and-austerity/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I wear Doc Martens leather boots, so I'm not a vegan. I am a vague-one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-wear-doc-martens-leather-boots-so-i-m-not-a-vegan-i-am-a-vague-one/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) [Explore all 100 Jack Monroe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) ## More Accident quotes > [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/) [Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/) > [People dont get married by accident and they dont get divorced by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/people-dont-get-married-by-accident-and-they-dont-get-divorced-by/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/a-tragic-car-accident-put-me-in-a-wheelchair-and-dashed-my-hopes-and/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [The spirit in the body is like wine in a glass; when it spills, it seeps into air and earth and light….It’s a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/the-spirit-in-the-body-is-like-wine-in-a-glass-when-it-spills-it/) [Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/) > [accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/accident-ruled-every-corner-of-the-universe-except-the-chambers-of/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [There is a French expression that says: to be exposed to an accident, to cross a street without looking at the cars means exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-is-a-french-expression-that-says-to-be-exposed-to-an-accident/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [However, I met with a horrible accident while riding my bike in Sangla Valley. The accident was a wakeup call for me stop getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/however-i-met-with-a-horrible-accident-while-riding-my-bike-in-sangla/) [Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 922 Accident quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a bit of an accident really - I certainly didn't set out to write a cookbook or three. I didn't have a plan. I was unemployed, writing a blog about local politics and a few recipes, and it was more successful than I could ever have imagined it to be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Monroe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-certainly-didn-t-set-out-to-write/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accident" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-certainly-didn-t-set-out-to-write/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/jack-monroe-5513_accident_i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-cert_1259945.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/jack-monroe-5513_accident_i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-cert_1259945.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/jack-monroe-5513_accident_i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-cert_1259945.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was a bit of an accident really - I certainly didn't set out to write a cookbook or three. I didn't have a…” — Jack Monroe", "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": "Jack Monroe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was a bit of an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-certainly-didn-t-set-out-to-write/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-was-a-bit-of-an-accident-really-i-certainly-didn-t-set-out-to-write/#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 } } ] } ```