--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started out on 'Min Kamp', I was…" description: "\"When I started out on 'Min Kamp', I was so extremely frustrated over my life and my writing. I wanted to write something majestic and grand, something ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_life_when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so_1127547.png" --- # When I started out on 'Min Kamp', I was so extremely… ![“When I started out on 'Min Kamp', I was so extremely frustrated over my life and my writing. I wanted to write something majestic and grand, something like 'Hamlet' or 'Moby Dick,' but found myself with this small life - looking after kids, changing diapers, quarreling with my wife, unable to…” quote by Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_life_when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so_1127547.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_life_when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so_1127547.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_life_when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so_1127547.png) > “When I started out on 'Min Kamp', I was so extremely frustrated over my life and my writing. I wanted to write something majestic and grand, something like 'Hamlet' or 'Moby Dick,' but found myself with this small life - looking after kids, changing diapers, quarreling with my wife, unable to write anything, really.” [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## 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 feels trapped by daily responsibilities, yearning for grand literary achievement but confronting mundane reality. **In simple terms:** Frustrated by daily life while aspiring to great writing. Key Takeaway Accept limits, find meaning in small moments. Themes frustration aspiration domestic life creative struggle Mood reflective hopeful Type memoir inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - writing routine - creative block - seeking inspiration Key Concepts existentialism artistic ambition family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can everyday duties fuel creative work? - What small victories can sustain a writer? A Different Perspective Great works still require discipline and time, not just inspiration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Frustrated Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrated-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-writing/) [Moby Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moby-dick/) [My life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-life/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Small life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-life/) [Wanted Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-write/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like you get more bees with honey. But that doesn't mean I don't get frustrated in my life. My way of dealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-feel-like-you-get-more-bees-with-honey-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-don/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“All those beings who revealed truths to me and who were no longer there, seemed to me to have lived a life from which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/all-those-beings-who-revealed-truths-to-me-and-who-were-no-longer/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Listen to God and follow your own heart, you will live an unfulfilled and frustrated life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/listen-to-god-and-follow-your-own-heart-you-will-live-an-unfulfilled/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [If you are frustrated with life or school just think what advantages you can have in the long run if you don't slack off!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/if-you-are-frustrated-with-life-or-school-just-think-what-advantages/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I was so frustrated with my whole life that I walked up this hilltop and screamed at the heavens. It was very dramatic -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-was-so-frustrated-with-my-whole-life-that-i-walked-up-this-hilltop/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [I like, you the way you are When we're drivin' in your car And you're, talkin' to me one on one But you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-you-the-way-you-are-when-we-re-drivin-in-your-car-and-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is within your hands to be frustrated in life or not. Just your expectations should become smaller, smaller, smaller, and in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-is-within-your-hands-to-be-frustrated-in-life-or-not-just-your/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [You know, Chihiro, darling- all it takes is one little wrong step and you end up feeling frustrated your whole life, like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/you-know-chihiro-darling-all-it-takes-is-one-little-wrong-step-and/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [And one thing to be remembered: it is not that the people who are poor, starving, become frustrated with life - no. They cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/and-one-thing-to-be-remembered-it-is-not-that-the-people-who-are-poor/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“The more we accustom ourselves to understanding the present in terms of memory, the unknown by the known, the living by the dead, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/the-more-we-accustom-ourselves-to-understanding-the-present-in-terms/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) > [Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, let them complain over what might have been, but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/let-others-lead-small-lives-but-not-you-let-others-argue-over-small/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/sometimes-i-wonder-about-my-life-i-lead-a-small-life-well-valuable/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [So many straws, in 1 milk shake glass So many fight, for thori si pepsi So many hands, in 1 chips pack So many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shadawcatt/so-many-straws-in-1-milk-shake-glass-so-many-fight-for-thori-si-pepsi/) [Shadawcatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shadawcatt/) > [“Pessimism, cynicism and fear will only lead to a very small life. Don’t live small.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abramson/pessimism-cynicism-and-fear-will-only-lead-to-a-very-small-life-don-t/) [Neil Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abramson/) > [“I think, How small my life seemed then. How little I wanted for myself. How little I expected of myself and those who claimed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-palmer/i-think-how-small-my-life-seemed-then-how-little-i-wanted-for-myself/) [Liza Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-palmer/) ## More by Karl Ove Knausgard > [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“When I look at a beautiful painting I have tears in my eyes, but not when I look at my children. That does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-look-at-a-beautiful-painting-i-have-tears-in-my-eyes-but-not/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“I was a wannabe who was actually unable to write because I had nothing to say, who wasn’t honest enough with himself to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-was-a-wannabe-who-was-actually-unable-to-write-because-i-had/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [I think there are a lot of similarities between writing and music. Music is much more direct and much more emotional and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-similarities-between-writing-and-music/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Go somewhere you know nothing about and see what happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/go-somewhere-you-know-nothing-about-and-see-what-happens/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [A problem with my novels is that they, from the start, have been infantile and incredibly childish. There are childishness, stupidity, lack of wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/a-problem-with-my-novels-is-that-they-from-the-start-have-been/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [In modern novels I try to not let myself get away and to be here, and that's why I write about my life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-modern-novels-i-try-to-not-let-myself-get-away-and-to-be-here-and/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Writing isn't black magic. You just have to come up with an idea...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-isn-t-black-magic-you-just-have-to-come-up-with-an-idea/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“It was a fantastic feeling, but it left me restless because the most important thing in it was the longing, for what was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/it-was-a-fantastic-feeling-but-it-left-me-restless-because-the-most/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“the past is now barely present in my thoughts. I believe the main reason for that is our children, since life with them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/the-past-is-now-barely-present-in-my-thoughts-i-believe-the-main/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“I loved it, I loved the feeling, it was my favorite feeling, but it never led to anything good, and the day after or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-loved-it-i-loved-the-feeling-it-was-my-favorite-feeling-but-it/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Actually there were only two forms of existence, I reflected: one that was tied to a place and one that wasn't. Both had always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/actually-there-were-only-two-forms-of-existence-i-reflected-one-that/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“And art has come to be a spectator of itself, the way it reacts, what newspapers write about it; the artist is a performer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-art-has-come-to-be-a-spectator-of-itself-the-way-it-reacts-what/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > ['My Struggle' came from a place of questioning and feelings of inauthenticity and frustration, and almost all of that is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/my-struggle-came-from-a-place-of-questioning-and-feelings-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [In 'Min Kamp,' I wanted to see how far it was possible to take realism before it would be impossible to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-min-kamp-i-wanted-to-see-how-far-it-was-possible-to-take-realism/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) [Explore all 118 Karl Ove Knausgard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I started out on 'Min Kamp', I was so extremely frustrated over my life and my writing. I wanted to write something majestic and grand, something like 'Hamlet' or 'Moby Dick,' but found myself with this small life - looking after kids, changing diapers, quarreling with my wife, unable to write anything, really.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karl Ove Knausgard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so-extremely-frustrated-over-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so-extremely-frustrated-over-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_life_when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so_1127547.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_life_when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so_1127547.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_life_when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so_1127547.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started out on 'Min Kamp', I was so extremely frustrated over my life and my writing. I wanted to…” — Karl Ove Knausgard", "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": "Karl Ove Knausgard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I started out on 'Min...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so-extremely-frustrated-over-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-started-out-on-min-kamp-i-was-so-extremely-frustrated-over-my/#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 } } ] } ```