---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sooner you learn to finish things…"
description: "\"The sooner you learn to finish things, and as a matter of course finish your creative endeavors, the better. It took me a long time to learn that.\" — L..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/laini-taylor-258_creative_the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-an_1289328.png"
---

#  The sooner you learn to finish things, and as a matter of…

![“The sooner you learn to finish things, and as a matter of course finish your creative endeavors, the better. It took me a long time to learn that.” quote by Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/laini-taylor-258_creative_the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-an_1289328.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/laini-taylor-258_creative_the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-an_1289328.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/laini-taylor-258_creative_the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-an_1289328.png)

> “The sooner you learn to finish things, and as a matter of course finish your creative endeavors, the better. It took me a long time to learn that.”

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

## About This Quote

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

Finishing creative work is essential; procrastination delays fulfillment.

**In simple terms:** Finish what you start.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate discipline in creativity.

Themes

productivity creativity completion

Mood

determined motivational

Type

practical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing projects
- art commissions
- personal goals

Key Concepts

goal setting self-discipline

Questions to Reflect On

- What unfinished projects linger?
- How can you build finishing habits?

A Different Perspective

Perfectionism can hinder completion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Endeavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endeavor/)

## Related quotes

> [Before you start anything, learn how to finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/before-you-start-anything-learn-how-to-finish-it/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Before you start,learn how to finish it.Be genuine in every moment of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/before-you-start-learn-how-to-finish-it-be-genuine-in-every-moment-of/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [Life doesn't make any sense without interdependence. We need each other, and the sooner we learn that, the better for us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-erikson/life-doesn-t-make-any-sense-without-interdependence-we-need-each/)

[Erik Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-erikson/)

> [“No, there is nothing people will not do, and the sooner you learn that, the better off you will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-there-is-nothing-people-will-not-do-and-the-sooner-you-learn-that/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [The sooner you learn it's on you to make life interesting, the better off you'll be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/the-sooner-you-learn-it-s-on-you-to-make-life-interesting-the-better/)

[Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/)

> [The sooner we learn to be jointly responsible, the easier the sailing will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-maillart/the-sooner-we-learn-to-be-jointly-responsible-the-easier-the-sailing/)

[Ella Maillart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-maillart/)

> [“The sooner you learn women rule this world, the better off you’ll be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-crane/the-sooner-you-learn-women-rule-this-world-the-better-off-you-ll-be/)

[Julia Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-crane/)

> [The sooner you learn that life is not fair, the better off you'll be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/the-sooner-you-learn-that-life-is-not-fair-the-better-off-you-ll-be/)

[Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/)

> [“This is not a book about teaching a child how to read; it's about teaching a child to want to read. There's an education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/this-is-not-a-book-about-teaching-a-child-how-to-read-it-s-about/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [The sooner we learn feelings are fickle, the better off we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/the-sooner-we-learn-feelings-are-fickle-the-better-off-we-are/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [“You are, if I understand correctly, Chosen. It is your responsibility to use the words given you to...finish things. To resolve stories that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sagara/you-are-if-i-understand-correctly-chosen-it-is-your-responsibility-to/)

[Michelle Sagara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sagara/)

> [I don't miss another opportunity to try to do my best to finish the things I have left undone. I could say: It's my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/i-don-t-miss-another-opportunity-to-try-to-do-my-best-to-finish-the/)

[Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/)

> [I usually finish things in the last second. But I think, as I've gotten older, I don't worry about it, and I just rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rippon/i-usually-finish-things-in-the-last-second-but-i-think-as-i-ve-gotten/)

[Adam Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rippon/)

> [We work day after day, not to finish things; but to make the future better ... because we will spend the rest of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/we-work-day-after-day-not-to-finish-things-but-to-make-the-future/)

[Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/)

> [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

## More by Laini Taylor

> [“Word spread quickly: The visitor wished to address the scholars. 'What can he want?' they wondered, streaming into the Royal Theater. Attendance was voluntary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/word-spread-quickly-the-visitor-wished-to-address-the-scholars-what/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“The past and the future were just blinders we wore so that infinity wouldn’t drive us mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-past-and-the-future-were-just-blinders-we-wore-so-that-infinity/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“I love books. Not just for what they contain. I love them as objects too, as ever-present reminders of what they contain, and because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/i-love-books-not-just-for-what-they-contain-i-love-them-as-objects/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“To the naked eye, he’s decent kissing height if I wear platforms, though of course a live test will be required before official certification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/to-the-naked-eye-he-s-decent-kissing-height-if-i-wear-platforms/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [You almost hold up your piece of paper and say, ‘The girl I like just gave me a treasure map to herself.’ But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/you-almost-hold-up-your-piece-of-paper-and-say-the-girl-i-like-just/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“...You are not just going to vanish like this, Karou. This isn't some goddamn Narnia book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/you-are-not-just-going-to-vanish-like-this-karou-this-isn-t-some/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/have-you-ever-asked-yourself-do-monsters-make-war-or-does-war-make/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“She told Mik, "You have perfect violin-playing muscles." "And you, with your mighty puppeteer arms. We put the chimaera to shame." She stopped fanning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/she-told-mik-you-have-perfect-violin-playing-muscles-and-you-with/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [As far back as she could remember, a phantom life had mocked her with its impenetrable “something else,” but now it was the opposite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/as-far-back-as-she-could-remember-a-phantom-life-had-mocked-her-with/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“By the time the plan's wheels touched down on a desolate stretch of desert runway, the sun had cleared a ridge of mountains and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/by-the-time-the-plan-s-wheels-touched-down-on-a-desolate-stretch-of/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“It was hard to imagine feeling that magical tingling sensation in the pit of her belly anytime soon. Best not to worry about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/it-was-hard-to-imagine-feeling-that-magical-tingling-sensation-in-the/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“He listened like a cactus drinks the rain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/he-listened-like-a-cactus-drinks-the-rain/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [Around Mik, my powers desert me. I lose basic motor function, like my brain focuses all neural activity on my lips and shifts into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/around-mik-my-powers-desert-me-i-lose-basic-motor-function-like-my/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [Everything lined up. It has been easy, as if it were meant-" "Meant!" she said, amazed. She spun to face him, which, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/everything-lined-up-it-has-been-easy-as-if-it-were-meant-meant-she/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

[Explore all 715 Laini Taylor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

## More Creative quotes

> [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/)

[Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/)

> [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/)

[Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/)

[David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/)

> [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/)

[Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/)

> [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/)

[Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/)

> [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/)

[Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/)

> [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/)

[Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/)

> [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/)

[Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/)

> [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/)

[Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/)

[Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The sooner you learn to finish things, and as a matter of course finish your creative endeavors, the better. It took me a long time to learn that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laini Taylor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-and-as-a-matter-of-course/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Creative"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-and-as-a-matter-of-course/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/laini-taylor-258_creative_the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-an_1289328.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/laini-taylor-258_creative_the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-an_1289328.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/laini-taylor-258_creative_the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-an_1289328.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The sooner you learn to finish things, and as a matter of course finish your creative endeavors, the better…” — Laini Taylor",
                "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": "Laini Taylor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The sooner you learn to finish...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-and-as-a-matter-of-course/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-sooner-you-learn-to-finish-things-and-as-a-matter-of-course/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
