---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The last sentence in a piece is another…"
description: "\"The last sentence in a piece is another adventure. It should open the piece up.\" — Joan Didion"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/joan-didion-497_adventure_the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another_734133.jpg"
---

#  The last sentence in a piece is another adventure. It…

![“The last sentence in a piece is another adventure. It should open the piece up.” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/joan-didion-497_adventure_the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another_734133.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/joan-didion-497_adventure_the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another_734133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/joan-didion-497_adventure_the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another_734133.jpg)

> “The last sentence in a piece is another adventure. It should open the piece up.”

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

## About This Quote

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

The final sentence should open new possibilities, turning the ending into a fresh beginning.

**In simple terms:** Endings can start new adventures.

Key Takeaway

Craft conclusions that invite continuation.

Themes

writing structure creativity

Mood

thoughtful hopeful

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- literature
- public speaking
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

narrative editing storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we design endings that inspire?
- What makes a conclusion feel open?

A Different Perspective

Not all endings naturally lead to new starts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open/) [Open Piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-piece-1567476/) [Piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece/) [Piece Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece-adventure-5744049/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Sentence Piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-piece-5744048/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/)

## Related quotes

> [I had a very linear story line for this particular play, and I wanted to open the piece up a bit, so I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kan-gotanda/i-had-a-very-linear-story-line-for-this-particular-play-and-i-wanted/)

[Philip Kan Gotanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kan-gotanda/)

> [I wish I could open a piece of my brain and you could see into my memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-wish-i-could-open-a-piece-of-my-brain-and-you-could-see-into-my/)

[Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/)

> [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [As a writer, even as a child, long before what I wrote began to be published, I developed a sense that meaning itself was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/as-a-writer-even-as-a-child-long-before-what-i-wrote-began-to-be/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I've never been keen on open adoption. It doesn't seem to solve the main problem with adoption, which is that somebody feels she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-ve-never-been-keen-on-open-adoption-it-doesn-t-seem-to-solve-the/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [We put suffocation warnings on all the - on every piece of plastic film manufactured in the United States or for sale with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/we-put-suffocation-warnings-on-all-the-on-every-piece-of-plastic-film/)

[Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/)

> [A composition is always more than the sum of its parts. In other words, a really good piece of music is more than itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/a-composition-is-always-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-in-other-words/)

[Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/)

> [The King is a fighting piece. Use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-steinitz/the-king-is-a-fighting-piece-use-it/)

[Wilhelm Steinitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-steinitz/)

> [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [I take apart restaurant menus everywhere I go. I kind of tick off a lot of chefs in restaurants because I'll say, 'You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montel-williams/i-take-apart-restaurant-menus-everywhere-i-go-i-kind-of-tick-off-a/)

[Montel Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montel-williams/)

> [As an actor, you always want to find a piece of who you are in every role you take on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larenz-tate/as-an-actor-you-always-want-to-find-a-piece-of-who-you-are-in-every/)

[Larenz Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larenz-tate/)

> [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/)

[Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/)

> [There's a difference between watching a film and watching a bit of cinema and enjoying a film as a piece of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-frost/there-s-a-difference-between-watching-a-film-and-watching-a-bit-of/)

[Nick Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-frost/)

> [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-erhard/a-compromise-is-the-art-of-dividing-a-cake-in-such-a-way-that/)

[Ludwig Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-erhard/)

## More by Joan Didion

> [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I no longer want reminders of what was, what got broken, what got lost, what got wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-no-longer-want-reminders-of-what-was-what-got-broken-what-got-lost/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. Later he said that if John had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-just-can-t-see-the-upside-in-this-i-heard-myself-say-by-way-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

[Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

## More Adventure quotes

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

[Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/)

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

[Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

[Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/)

> [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/)

[Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

[Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The last sentence in a piece is another adventure. It should open the piece up.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joan Didion"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another-adventure-it-should-open-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adventure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another-adventure-it-should-open-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/joan-didion-497_adventure_the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another_734133.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/joan-didion-497_adventure_the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another_734133.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/joan-didion-497_adventure_the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another_734133.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The last sentence in a piece is another adventure. It should open the piece up.” — Joan Didion",
                "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": "Joan Didion",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The last sentence in a piece...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another-adventure-it-should-open-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-last-sentence-in-a-piece-is-another-adventure-it-should-open-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
