--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's still a part of me that thinks I…" description: "\"There's still a part of me that thinks I have to write a really good novel. I'm not trying to say I'm not happy with the novels I've written in the pas..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_books_there-s-still-a-part-of-me-that-thinks-i_2268059.jpg" --- # There's still a part of me that thinks I have to write a… ![“There's still a part of me that thinks I have to write a really good novel. I'm not trying to say I'm not happy with the novels I've written in the past. But it always feels to me like there's another one that I have to write that will really say what I want to say, and really paint this world…” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_books_there-s-still-a-part-of-me-that-thinks-i_2268059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_books_there-s-still-a-part-of-me-that-thinks-i_2268059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_books_there-s-still-a-part-of-me-that-thinks-i_2268059.jpg) > “There's still a part of me that thinks I have to write a really good novel. I'm not trying to say I'm not happy with the novels I've written in the past. But it always feels to me like there's another one that I have to write that will really say what I want to say, and really paint this world that I can see hazily in my head.” [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 author feels an unfinished creative drive, believing a perfect novel still awaits him. **In simple terms:** He senses a missing masterpiece. Key Takeaway Embrace current work while exploring new ideas. Themes creativity perfectionism artistic longing Mood reflective determined Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing a new novel - reviewing past works - seeking inspiration Key Concepts self‑actualization narrative ambition Questions to Reflect On - What story would you write if fear vanished? - How does the “perfect” novel concept affect your current projects? A Different Perspective The pressure of an ideal can stifle progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Don't worry about what anyone else thinks - write what you must.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-phillips/don-t-worry-about-what-anyone-else-thinks-write-what-you-must/) [Carl Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-phillips/) > [As a man lives and thinks, so he will write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/as-a-man-lives-and-thinks-so-he-will-write/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [Everyone thinks they can write a play; you just write down what happened to you. But the art of it is drawing from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/everyone-thinks-they-can-write-a-play-you-just-write-down-what/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [The light that has guided us is still unquenched, and the causes that have carried us so far in the van of free nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/the-light-that-has-guided-us-is-still-unquenched-and-the-causes-that/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [It drives me crazy to do readings of my books, because if I read anything I've written in the past, I'd like to almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/it-drives-me-crazy-to-do-readings-of-my-books-because-if-i-read/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [I do sometimes look back at things I've written in the past, and think, 'I just don't remember being the person who wrote that.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-do-sometimes-look-back-at-things-i-ve-written-in-the-past-and-think/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Language also encodes our past. We want to know who we are. To know who we are, we have to know who we used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/language-also-encodes-our-past-we-want-to-know-who-we-are-to-know-who/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [I get enjoyment out of writing, but I get absolutely no enjoyment out of rewriting, so I don't do much of it. The more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-get-enjoyment-out-of-writing-but-i-get-absolutely-no-enjoyment-out/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [I realized with Broadway everything written for black people is usually written in the past, and I'm kind of a contemporary guy. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/i-realized-with-broadway-everything-written-for-black-people-is/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [To be honest ,... we both made mistakes you were wrong, so was I. This realationship is not working between us. Now it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syoung/to-be-honest-we-both-made-mistakes-you-were-wrong-so-was-i-this/) Syoung > [The books one has written in the past have two surprises in store: one couldn't write them again, and wouldn't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/the-books-one-has-written-in-the-past-have-two-surprises-in-store-one/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [America is indeed a revelation, though not quite the one that was planned. Given a clean slate, man, it was hoped, would write the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/america-is-indeed-a-revelation-though-not-quite-the-one-that-was/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [You need to write about something that you really know about or you deeply connect with. Don't fake it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/you-need-to-write-about-something-that-you-really-know-about-or-you/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [To say, "Well, I write when I really get into it" is a bunch of bull. Put the paper in the typewriter, stare at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/to-say-well-i-write-when-i-really-get-into-it-is-a-bunch-of-bull-put/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [If you write really good material, the rest just falls into place. There's really no trick to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/if-you-write-really-good-material-the-rest-just-falls-into-place/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) ## 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? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) [Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's still a part of me that thinks I have to write a really good novel. I'm not trying to say I'm not happy with the novels I've written in the past. 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