---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't get a word at first, it's…"
description: "\"If you can't get a word at first, it's always waiting somewhere, and it's just a case of finding it.\" — Leslie Bricusse"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/leslie-bricusse-27152_always_if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-al_2392721.jpg"
---

#  If you can't get a word at first, it's always waiting…

![“If you can't get a word at first, it's always waiting somewhere, and it's just a case of finding it.” quote by Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/leslie-bricusse-27152_always_if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-al_2392721.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/leslie-bricusse-27152_always_if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-al_2392721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/leslie-bricusse-27152_always_if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-al_2392721.jpg)

> “If you can't get a word at first, it's always waiting somewhere, and it's just a case of finding it.”

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

## About This Quote

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

Finding the right word often requires patience; it will appear when you stop forcing it.

**In simple terms:** Patience reveals the right word.

Key Takeaway

Pause and let ideas surface.

Themes

creativity patience language

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- authoring
- brainstorming
- problem solving

Key Concepts

cognitive flow writing process

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance patience with urgency?
- What techniques help you notice hidden ideas?

A Different Perspective

Waiting can stall progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“For me, the word "writing" is the exact opposite of the word "waiting". Instead of waiting, there is writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/for-me-the-word-writing-is-the-exact-opposite-of-the-word-waiting/)

[Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/)

> [Waiting is part of writing. When I write the word 'waiting' by hand it even looks like 'writing.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-minghella/waiting-is-part-of-writing-when-i-write-the-word-waiting-by-hand-it/)

[Anthony Minghella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-minghella/)

> [Your answer is waiting for you today. Get up and get to church for a life changing experience. The Word is waiting for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-answer-is-waiting-for-you-today-get-up-and-get-to-church-for-a/)

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

> [Our answer is waiting for you today. Get up and get to church for a life changing experience. The Word is waiting for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-answer-is-waiting-for-you-today-get-up-and-get-to-church-for-a/)

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

> [“Your Right Man is out there, waiting--you just have to know where to look. It’s a challenge, but it’s just about the most fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/your-right-man-is-out-there-waiting-you-just-have-to-know-where-to/)

[Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/)

> [As long as my voice is here, and there is a Holiday Inn waiting for me, then everything's just swell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/as-long-as-my-voice-is-here-and-there-is-a-holiday-inn-waiting-for-me/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [“I like how you're neither here nor there. And how there's nowhere else you're meant to be while waiting. You're just sort of suspended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/i-like-how-you-re-neither-here-nor-there-and-how-there-s-nowhere-else/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [Dont keep her waiting just because u know she wil wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-keep-her-waiting-just-because-u-know-she-wil-wait/)

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

> [“Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcy-demaree/grandma-always-made-you-feel-she-had-been-waiting-to-see-just-you-all/)

Marcy DeMaree

> [“So next time somebody says, “Sorry to have kept you waiting,” you can reply, “That’s all right, I wasn’t waiting. I was just standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/so-next-time-somebody-says-sorry-to-have-kept-you-waiting-you-can-2/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [There are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/there-are-scores-of-people-waiting-for-someone-just-like-us-to-come/)

[Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/)

> [“So next time somebody says, “Sorry to have kept you waiting,” you can reply, “That’s all right, I wasn’t waiting. I was just standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/so-next-time-somebody-says-sorry-to-have-kept-you-waiting-you-can/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“If U keep Waiting for just the Right Time.., U May never begin .., Begin From where You Are, With What You are &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhay-morbhatt/if-u-keep-waiting-for-just-the-right-time-u-may-never-begin-begin/)

Abhay Morbhatt

> [Although love unreturned can drive you to despair, trust that somewhere out there, someone is waiting just for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ramirez/although-love-unreturned-can-drive-you-to-despair-trust-that/)

[Laura Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ramirez/)

> [Don't tell them too much about your soul. They're waiting for just that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/don-t-tell-them-too-much-about-your-soul-they-re-waiting-for-just-that/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## More by Leslie Bricusse

> [Writing songs and lyrics is not that different from doing the 'Times' crossword every morning. They both give you a good mental workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/writing-songs-and-lyrics-is-not-that-different-from-doing-the-times/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [As a complete score, I love 'Sherlock Holmes' - but we cast it badly. We put Ron Moody into the part - a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/as-a-complete-score-i-love-sherlock-holmes-but-we-cast-it-badly-we/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [“It's a new dawn It's a new day It's a new life for me And I'm feeling good”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/it-s-a-new-dawn-it-s-a-new-day-it-s-a-new-life-for-me-and-i-m-feeling/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [When I wake up, if I can't figure something out during the daytime and then wake up at 4 A.M., it's there immediately. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/when-i-wake-up-if-i-can-t-figure-something-out-during-the-daytime-and/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [I'm musical in the sense that I can write a song, but I realised when I was learning the piano as a child that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/i-m-musical-in-the-sense-that-i-can-write-a-song-but-i-realised-when/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> ['Retirement' is a dirty word. Luckily, I can carry on working until I drop, provided I retain my mental abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/retirement-is-a-dirty-word-luckily-i-can-carry-on-working-until-i/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [I fell in love with the idea of writing songs when I was a child. I thought I was going to be a journalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/i-fell-in-love-with-the-idea-of-writing-songs-when-i-was-a-child-i/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [It takes a while to get a show on, and I've a number that have not yet been produced. I want to see all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/it-takes-a-while-to-get-a-show-on-and-i-ve-a-number-that-have-not-yet/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [I was talking to a TV bigwig, and he said, 'Nobody under 35 knows who Sammy Davis is.' Well, you'll hear angry denials of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/i-was-talking-to-a-tv-bigwig-and-he-said-nobody-under-35-knows-who/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [I never try to predict what will happen to any project, ever. There are so many factors. Does the public like the subject matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/i-never-try-to-predict-what-will-happen-to-any-project-ever-there-are/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [When I write a song, I hear the music and words at the same time - one suggests the form of the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/when-i-write-a-song-i-hear-the-music-and-words-at-the-same-time-one/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [It's much easier to write a song for a musical than just writing a song because, writing for a musical, you know what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/it-s-much-easier-to-write-a-song-for-a-musical-than-just-writing-a/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [I wanted to grow up to be George and Ira Gershwin from the age of about six.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/i-wanted-to-grow-up-to-be-george-and-ira-gershwin-from-the-age-of/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [My view is that the great songwriting happened between 1920 and 1960. We're all, in our different ways, descended from the great songwriters of that era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/my-view-is-that-the-great-songwriting-happened-between-1920-and-1960/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

> [I think we have to assume we have one life. Though, having said that, I did write a song called 'You Only Live Twice.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/i-think-we-have-to-assume-we-have-one-life-though-having-said-that-i/)

[Leslie Bricusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

[Explore all 21 Leslie Bricusse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/)

## More Always quotes

> [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/)

[Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/)

[William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [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/)

> [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/)

[Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/)

> [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/)

[Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/)

> [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/)

[Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/)

[Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/)

[Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/)

Browse all 36,048 Always quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you can't get a word at first, it's always waiting somewhere, and it's just a case of finding it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leslie Bricusse"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-always-waiting-somewhere-and-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Always"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-always-waiting-somewhere-and-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/leslie-bricusse-27152_always_if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-al_2392721.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/leslie-bricusse-27152_always_if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-al_2392721.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/leslie-bricusse-27152_always_if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-al_2392721.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you can't get a word at first, it's always waiting somewhere, and it's just a case of finding it.” — Leslie Bricusse",
                "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": "Leslie Bricusse",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bricusse/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you can't get a word...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-always-waiting-somewhere-and-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bricusse/if-you-can-t-get-a-word-at-first-it-s-always-waiting-somewhere-and-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```