---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It took me a good two-and-a-half to three…"
description: "\"It took me a good two-and-a-half to three years to write 'Dhobi Ghat' and more importantly be satisfied with it.\" — Kiran Rao"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/kiran-rao-23845_good_it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-thre_1198546.jpg"
---

#  It took me a good two-and-a-half to three years to write…

![“It took me a good two-and-a-half to three years to write 'Dhobi Ghat' and more importantly be satisfied with it.” quote by Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/kiran-rao-23845_good_it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-thre_1198546.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/kiran-rao-23845_good_it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-thre_1198546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/kiran-rao-23845_good_it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-thre_1198546.jpg)

> “It took me a good two-and-a-half to three years to write 'Dhobi Ghat' and more importantly be satisfied with it.”

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The creation process spanned years, emphasizing patience and personal satisfaction before release.

**In simple terms:** It took years and personal satisfaction before releasing.

Key Takeaway

Value patience and personal fulfillment.

Themes

creativity patience artistic fulfillment

Mood

reflective determined

Type

inspirational personal

When to use this quote

- writing a film script
- editing a novel
- developing a product
- learning a skill

Key Concepts

process satisfaction self‑critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How does patience affect your creative output?
- What standards define your satisfaction?

A Different Perspective

Time constraints can hinder depth and satisfaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [Dhobi Ghat' is the only script I actually completed and that I was convinced about wanting to direct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/dhobi-ghat-is-the-only-script-i-actually-completed-and-that-i-was/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [ From beginning to end, the novel \[Dissemblers\] took about three and a half years to write. I didn't write it chronologically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-campbell/from-beginning-to-end-the-novel-dissemblers-took-about-three-and-a/)

[Liza Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-campbell/)

> [I notice that I only publish once every four years. It takes a couple of years to write a book and then, for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-see/i-notice-that-i-only-publish-once-every-four-years-it-takes-a-couple/)

[Carolyn See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-see/)

> [I don't think anything I've written has been done in under six or eight drafts. Usually it takes me a few years to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/i-don-t-think-anything-i-ve-written-has-been-done-in-under-six-or/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [I think about my films for a long time, maybe years, but I write them in days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-kashyap/i-think-about-my-films-for-a-long-time-maybe-years-but-i-write-them/)

[Anurag Kashyap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-kashyap/)

> [I love to read. I remember hearing that the average author takes two years to write a book. So when I read a book,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/i-love-to-read-i-remember-hearing-that-the-average-author-takes-two/)

[Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/)

> [I just think, as writers, especially with a book that takes years to write, you sort of wake up every morning hoping and praying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/i-just-think-as-writers-especially-with-a-book-that-takes-years-to/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [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/)

> [I talk to my typewriter and that is what I've been working on for 40 years-how to write for talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/i-talk-to-my-typewriter-and-that-is-what-i-ve-been-working-on-for-40/)

[Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/)

> [And I'm a slow writer: five, six hundred words is a good day. That's the reason it took me 20 years to write those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-foote/and-i-m-a-slow-writer-five-six-hundred-words-is-a-good-day-that-s-the/)

[Shelby Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-foote/)

> [I taught elementary school and painted apartments for ten years. Now I write full-time and never have to change a thing I write. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka/i-taught-elementary-school-and-painted-apartments-for-ten-years-now-i/)

[Jon Scieszka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-scieszka/)

> [Yes, I did lock myself in my room for about two years and write some songs and things like that. But I don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-hayes/yes-i-did-lock-myself-in-my-room-for-about-two-years-and-write-some/)

[Hunter Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-hayes/)

> [When I need to take a side, I write a newspaper article and I tell my government, "You should not do that, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/when-i-need-to-take-a-side-i-write-a-newspaper-article-and-i-tell-my/)

[Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/)

> [It took me 14 years to write poems about Vietnam. I had never thought about writing about it, and in a way I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/it-took-me-14-years-to-write-poems-about-vietnam-i-had-never-thought/)

[Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/)

> [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

## More by Kiran Rao

> [Dhobi Ghat' is the only script I actually completed and that I was convinced about wanting to direct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/dhobi-ghat-is-the-only-script-i-actually-completed-and-that-i-was/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [The box office in an arthouse film is always going to be small. We have to face this and overcome this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/the-box-office-in-an-arthouse-film-is-always-going-to-be-small-we/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [I had a very late introduction to films. We didn't watch a lot of films while growing up in Kolkata.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/i-had-a-very-late-introduction-to-films-we-didn-t-watch-a-lot-of/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [I watch certain kinds of masala films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/i-watch-certain-kinds-of-masala-films/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [We were quite a middle class family, but we had access to all the good things in life, be it books or access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/we-were-quite-a-middle-class-family-but-we-had-access-to-all-the-good/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [If I as a filmmaker take a very radical subject, which might not get an audience in the first week, multiplexes wouldn't agree to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/if-i-as-a-filmmaker-take-a-very-radical-subject-which-might-not-get/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [Though I adored Delhi, Mumbai was in my veins and I felt connected to this city and had to come back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/though-i-adored-delhi-mumbai-was-in-my-veins-and-i-felt-connected-to/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [Basically, I have always wanted to have an art-house cinema. A cinema where we can show films that are not necessarily the current offerings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/basically-i-have-always-wanted-to-have-an-art-house-cinema-a-cinema/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [After my 12th, my parents moved to Bangalore while I moved to Mumbai to study Economics at Sophia College. Much unlike other girls who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/after-my-12th-my-parents-moved-to-bangalore-while-i-moved-to-mumbai/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [Working as an AD and producer prepares you in the sense that you know what you have to do to make a film. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/working-as-an-ad-and-producer-prepares-you-in-the-sense-that-you-know/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [I would never make a film because I think it's going to be a box-office success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/i-would-never-make-a-film-because-i-think-it-s-going-to-be-a-box/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [When I went to Jamia, I thought I wanted to be a cinematographer or photographer because I liked telling stories in pictures, but my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/when-i-went-to-jamia-i-thought-i-wanted-to-be-a-cinematographer-or/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [I was this classic film school snob who thought mainstream cinema was synonymous with bad cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/i-was-this-classic-film-school-snob-who-thought-mainstream-cinema-was/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [I don't even watch many huge films. I don't go to the cinema every weekend. I watch selective cinema and want to make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/i-don-t-even-watch-many-huge-films-i-don-t-go-to-the-cinema-every/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

> [I think every mother does what is best for her child because it's such a joy and a daily learning experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/i-think-every-mother-does-what-is-best-for-her-child-because-it-s/)

[Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

[Explore all 25 Kiran Rao quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/)

## More Good quotes

> [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. So I went to Belgium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/when-i-came-to-chelsea-it-was-clear-that-like-many-other-players-i/)

[Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/)

> [Today I didn't even have to even use my A.K ! I got to say it was a good day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/today-i-didn-t-even-have-to-even-use-my-a-k-i-got-to-say-it-was-a/)

[Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/)

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [If you want to edit your photos and make yourself look different, go for it. That is up to you, but in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-list/if-you-want-to-edit-your-photos-and-make-yourself-look-different-go/)

[Peyton List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-list/)

> [I met Rajini sir after 'Jigarthanda,' and he said he liked my film. He told me I could approach him whenever I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthik-subbaraj/i-met-rajini-sir-after-jigarthanda-and-he-said-he-liked-my-film-he/)

[Karthik Subbaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthik-subbaraj/)

> [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/)

[Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/)

> [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/)

[Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/)

> [Eric Clapton's scales - when he comes off a high note and it's time for a refrain or a little bit of a rest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rea/eric-clapton-s-scales-when-he-comes-off-a-high-note-and-it-s-time-for/)

[Chris Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rea/)

> [I studied all kinds of dance, all types of music. I got good grades. I started hitting the recording studio around 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/i-studied-all-kinds-of-dance-all-types-of-music-i-got-good-grades-i/)

[Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/)

> [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. I would get to my choir class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/everybody-has-their-cliques-and-i-was-very-shy-i-m-still-very-shy/)

[Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/)

> [My only close-to-game-plan is to follow good writing. If the writing is in TV or if it's in theater or in film, that's it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/my-only-close-to-game-plan-is-to-follow-good-writing-if-the-writing/)

[Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/)

> [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/)

[Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/)

> [I think I am against stereotype. Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/)

[Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/)

> [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/)

[Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/)

> [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/)

[Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/)

Browse all 40,882 Good quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It took me a good two-and-a-half to three years to write 'Dhobi Ghat' and more importantly be satisfied with it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kiran Rao"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-three-years-to-write-dhobi-ghat/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Good"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-three-years-to-write-dhobi-ghat/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/kiran-rao-23845_good_it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-thre_1198546.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/kiran-rao-23845_good_it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-thre_1198546.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/kiran-rao-23845_good_it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-thre_1198546.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It took me a good two-and-a-half to three years to write 'Dhobi Ghat' and more importantly be satisfied with…” — Kiran Rao",
                "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": "Kiran Rao",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It took me a good two-and-a-half...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-three-years-to-write-dhobi-ghat/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/it-took-me-a-good-two-and-a-half-to-three-years-to-write-dhobi-ghat/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
