---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I alter some things, eliminate and try…"
description: "\"I alter some things, eliminate and try again until I am satisfied. Then begins the mental working out of this material in its breadth, its narrowness, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_breadth_i-alter-some-things-eliminate-and-try-ag_2723751.jpg"
---

#  I alter some things, eliminate and try again until I am…

![“I alter some things, eliminate and try again until I am satisfied. Then begins the mental working out of this material in its breadth, its narrowness, its height and depth.” quote by Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_breadth_i-alter-some-things-eliminate-and-try-ag_2723751.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_breadth_i-alter-some-things-eliminate-and-try-ag_2723751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_breadth_i-alter-some-things-eliminate-and-try-ag_2723751.jpg)

> “I alter some things, eliminate and try again until I am satisfied. Then begins the mental working out of this material in its breadth, its narrowness, its height and depth.”

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

## About This Quote

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

Iterative refinement leads to satisfaction; explore all dimensions of a concept.

**In simple terms:** Refine repeatedly, explore fully.

Key Takeaway

Embrace iterative creative process.

Themes

creativity iteration satisfaction depth exploration

Mood

determined reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- musical composition
- writing drafts
- product design

Key Concepts

process theory artistic development problem solving

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you know when a work is complete?
- What methods help you explore breadth and depth efficiently?

A Different Perspective

Perfectionism can stall progress.

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[Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Narrowness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrowness/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/)

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> [“SOMETIMES WHAT WE WANT BUT CANT GET IT, EVEN WE DO NOT TRY TO GET IT. AT LAST WE SATISFIED JUST FAILURE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupee/sometimes-what-we-want-but-cant-get-it-even-we-do-not-try-to-get-it/)

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> [Old age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-skelton/old-age-is-when-broadness-of-the-mind-and-narrowness-of-the-waist/)

[Red Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-skelton/)

> [Narrowness of mind is often the cause of obstinacy; we do not easily believe beyond what we see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/narrowness-of-mind-is-often-the-cause-of-obstinacy-we-do-not-easily/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [Narrowness is the mother of unbelief. Obtain a broad outlook if you would agree with God in your philosophy and be able to transmit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-cook/narrowness-is-the-mother-of-unbelief-obtain-a-broad-outlook-if-you/)

[Joseph Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-cook/)

> [Life is a thin narrowness of taken-for-granted, a plank over a canyon in a fog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/life-is-a-thin-narrowness-of-taken-for-granted-a-plank-over-a-canyon/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [“Handcrafted Humanity Sonnet 12 Here are some words born of narrowness, Activist, woke, religious, atheist, Socialist, communist, capitalist, conservative, Intellectual, intelligent, classy, elitist, Educated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/handcrafted-humanity-sonnet-12-here-are-some-words-born-of-narrowness/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/should-not-talk-so-much-about-myself-if-there-were-anybody-else-whom/)

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> [“But an inferior talent can only be graceful when it's carrying inferior ideas. And the more narrowly you can look at a thing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/but-an-inferior-talent-can-only-be-graceful-when-it-s-carrying/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Our sanity depends essentially on a narrowness of vision--the ability to select the elements vital to survival, while ignoring the great truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-hart/our-sanity-depends-essentially-on-a-narrowness-of-vision-the-ability/)

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[Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/)

> [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

## More by Ludwig van Beethoven

> [Strange, I feel as if up to now I had written no more than a few notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/strange-i-feel-as-if-up-to-now-i-had-written-no-more-than-a-few-notes/)

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

> [After Rossini dies, who will be there to promote his music?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/after-rossini-dies-who-will-be-there-to-promote-his-music/)

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> [But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next to me heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someone-standing-next-to-me-heard/)

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

> [In the world of art, as in the whole of creation, freedom and progress are the main objectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/in-the-world-of-art-as-in-the-whole-of-creation-freedom-and-progress/)

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

> [I despise a world which does not feel that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/i-despise-a-world-which-does-not-feel-that-music-is-a-higher/)

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[Explore all 168 Ludwig van Beethoven quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

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

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Browse all 171 Breadth quotes

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