--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There comes a point when you can more or…" description: "\"There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.\" — Kazuo Ishiguro" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or_112842.jpg" --- # There comes a point when you can more or less count the… ![“There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or_112842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or_112842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or_112842.jpg) > “There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.” [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## 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 acknowledges a finite creative lifespan, suggesting that the number of future works can be roughly estimated before death. **In simple terms:** You can count your remaining books. Key Takeaway Creative output is bounded. Themes mortality creativity legacy productivity Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - planning a book series - retirement writing projects - managing a publishing schedule Key Concepts time awareness prioritization Practical Applications - Create a realistic writing timeline - Focus on quality over quantity Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of mortality affect your creative choices? - Can you balance ambition with realistic expectations? A Different Perspective Quantifying future works may ignore unpredictable inspiration or life changes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The first part of my plan is to write until I die. The second part is to not die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-carver/the-first-part-of-my-plan-is-to-write-until-i-die-the-second-part-is/) Will Carver > [Me and my comedy writer friends talk a lot about how we love 'Die Hard,' but we'll never be able to write 'Die Hard.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rust/me-and-my-comedy-writer-friends-talk-a-lot-about-how-we-love-die-hard/) [Paul Rust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rust/) > [It was either write or die for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/it-was-either-write-or-die-for-me/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Not to write, for many of us, is to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/not-to-write-for-many-of-us-is-to-die/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The more we write the less we die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kessler/the-more-we-write-the-less-we-die/) Brian Kessler > [ I don't \[even\] know the number of books on Abraham Lincoln. 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So there can be no limit to the number of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/there-is-nothing-to-say-about-anything-so-there-can-be-no-limit-to/) [Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/) > [I think, for the rest of my life, I shall refrain from looking up things. It is the most ravenous time-snatcher I know. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-wells/i-think-for-the-rest-of-my-life-i-shall-refrain-from-looking-up/) [Carolyn Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-wells/) > [“Judge not the value of a friend by the number of boy- or girlfriends they helped you get. But by the number of books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/judge-not-the-value-of-a-friend-by-the-number-of-boy-or-girlfriends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Kazuo Ishiguro > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? 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