Back Quote by John Lanchester
“I have a horror of going down dead ends, which you can easily do with a novel, spending months on it and then realising that it's all wrong. It's demoralising, because you don't get the time back.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Guardian, 2014
Fear of committing to a dead‑end project leads to wasted time and demoralisation.
In simple terms: Worry about dead ends wastes time.
Key Takeaway
Validate ideas early before deep investment.
Themes
risk
validation
creativity
productivity
confidence
Mood
anxious
determined
Type
cautionary
practical
When to use this quote
- writing a novel
- software development
- research projects
- startup planning
Key Concepts
Opportunity cost
feedback loops
iteration
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you test concepts cheaply?
- What signs indicate a dead end?
A Different Perspective
Early validation may limit creative exploration.
![“Buddy Hackett [was] talking - this is Hackett, not me - about the Virgin Mary, a limerick sort of thing, and all these children and families ... the look of absolute horror. He's going on and on and on, and finally he stops. It's just total horror, and the camera's still rolling. You can hear it…” quote by Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/685/bill-murray-1709_absolutes_buddy-hackett-was-talking-this-is-hacket_1301273.jpg)
