--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 2004, I took a one year sabbatical to…" description: "\"In 2004, I took a one year sabbatical to finish my second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. At the end of that year, I was not done with my book, and ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/khaled-hosseini-251_book_in-2004-i-took-a-one-year-sabbatical-to_2314699.png" --- # In 2004, I took a one year sabbatical to finish my second… ![“In 2004, I took a one year sabbatical to finish my second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. At the end of that year, I was not done with my book, and had to in effect resign from work. I did. I never went back.” quote by Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/khaled-hosseini-251_book_in-2004-i-took-a-one-year-sabbatical-to_2314699.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/khaled-hosseini-251_book_in-2004-i-took-a-one-year-sabbatical-to_2314699.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/khaled-hosseini-251_book_in-2004-i-took-a-one-year-sabbatical-to_2314699.png) > “In 2004, I took a one year sabbatical to finish my second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. At the end of that year, I was not done with my book, and had to in effect resign from work. I did. I never went back.” [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing personal creative fulfillment over stable work can require bold sacrifices. **In simple terms:** Follow passion, even if risky. Key Takeaway Prioritize authentic work over security. Themes creativity risk career sabbatical Mood determined reflective Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - financial instability - family expectations - career setbacks Key Concepts personal fulfillment life balance artistic drive Questions to Reflect On - What would you give up for your art? - How do you manage practical needs while pursuing passion? A Different Perspective Sacrifices may affect others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-thousand-231006/) [Sabbatical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabbatical/) [Sabbatical Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabbatical-finish-5510616/) [Second Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-novel-1263597/) [Splendid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Thousand splendid suns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-splendid-suns-190827/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Year Sabbatical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year-sabbatical-4142086/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [After taking a two-year sabbatical to spend time with my wife and travel the world, I'm excited to join the Twitter Board and help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-pichette/after-taking-a-two-year-sabbatical-to-spend-time-with-my-wife-and/) [Patrick Pichette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-pichette/) > [If in your mind it was possible to take a year's sabbatical from work to reassess your life, what would you do and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/if-in-your-mind-it-was-possible-to-take-a-year-s-sabbatical-from-work/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [ \[Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns\] is not just unique to books, but films and music. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/kite-runner-and-a-thousand-splendid-suns-is-not-just-unique-to-books/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [How many more people right now feel connected to Mumbai because of Slumdog Millionaire, or suddenly are interested in the plight of orphans on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/how-many-more-people-right-now-feel-connected-to-mumbai-because-of/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/one-could-not-count-the-moons-that-shimmer-on-her-roofs-or-the/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The difficulty of writing a second novel is directly proportional to how successful the first novel was, it seems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-difficulty-of-writing-a-second-novel-is-directly-proportional-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The point is, that the function of the novel seems to be changing; it has become an outpost of journalism; we read novels for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-point-is-that-the-function-of-the-novel-seems-to-be-changing-it/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [One novel in five hundred or a thousand has the quality a novel should have to make it a novel -- the quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/one-novel-in-five-hundred-or-a-thousand-has-the-quality-a-novel/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I am persuaded that not a novel in ten thousand is of any use to a child to fit him for life. The most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-jameson/i-am-persuaded-that-not-a-novel-in-ten-thousand-is-of-any-use-to-a/) [Storm Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-jameson/) > [“Boys, Laila came to see, treated friendship the way they treated the sun: its existence undisputed, its radian best enjoyed, not beheld directly. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseni/boys-laila-came-to-see-treated-friendship-the-way-they-treated-the-2/) [Khaled Hosseni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseni/) > [My boyfriend suggested I write two pages a day. He wouldn't take me out if I hadn't done my two pages. That's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-boyfriend-suggested-i-write-two-pages-a-day-he-wouldn-t-take-me/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [I think what happens to young writers is that they use up every life experience that they have had up to that point for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smith/i-think-what-happens-to-young-writers-is-that-they-use-up-every-life/) [Lee Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smith/) > [I thought that I would have a huge literary novel coming out when I was, like, 29. I quit my banking job, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-thought-that-i-would-have-a-huge-literary-novel-coming-out-when-i/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Goon Squad' took about three years to write and that's the short end. My second novel, 'Look at Me,' took six years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/goon-squad-took-about-three-years-to-write-and-that-s-the-short-end/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“Critics are eager to discover a new voice. For some reason they're just as eager to be disappointed by a second novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-goldsmith/critics-are-eager-to-discover-a-new-voice-for-some-reason-they-re/) [Olivia Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-goldsmith/) ## More by Khaled Hosseini > [“Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul, at least those whose fathers could afford to buy a good iron stove. The reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/winter-was-every-kid-s-favorite-season-in-kabul-at-least-those-whose/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Their fights didn’t so much end as dissipate, like a drop of ink in a bowl of water, with a residual taint that lingered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/their-fights-didn-t-so-much-end-as-dissipate-like-a-drop-of-ink-in-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I think that everything he did, feeding the poor, giving money to friends in need, it was all a way of redeeming himself. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-think-that-everything-he-did-feeding-the-poor-giving-money-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“it always falls on the sober to pay for the sins of the drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/it-always-falls-on-the-sober-to-pay-for-the-sins-of-the-drunk/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But as she walked the final twenty paces, she could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/mariam-knew-that-life-for-the-most-part-had-been-unkind-to-her-but-as/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I pray. I pray that my sins have not caught up with me the way I'd always feared they would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-pray-i-pray-that-my-sins-have-not-caught-up-with-me-the-way-i-d/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“shoes: that putting them on a bed invited death into the family, that a quarrel would follow if one put on the left shoe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/shoes-that-putting-them-on-a-bed-invited-death-into-the-family-that-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The short of it is, as an aspiring writer, there is nothing as damaging to your credibility as saying that you don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-short-of-it-is-as-an-aspiring-writer-there-is-nothing-as-damaging/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [At that moment, she cannot think of a more reckless, irrational thing than choosing to become a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/at-that-moment-she-cannot-think-of-a-more-reckless-irrational-thing/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“He says this is war. 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You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/rahim-khan-laughed-children-aren-t-coloring-books-you-don-t-get-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) [Explore all 697 Khaled Hosseini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## More Book 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/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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