--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What does the absolutely final deadline…" description: "\"“What does the absolutely final deadline apply to? What book?\" If there was one book that did not cry out for a sequel, it was \"Death of a Doge\". \"Don'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/martha-grimes-22399_books_what-does-the-absolutely-final-deadline_2202035.jpg" --- # What does the absolutely final deadline apply to? What… ![“What does the absolutely final deadline apply to? What book?" If there was one book that did not cry out for a sequel, it was "Death of a Doge". "Don't you remember what an awful time you had writing that book?” quote by Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/martha-grimes-22399_books_what-does-the-absolutely-final-deadline_2202035.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/martha-grimes-22399_books_what-does-the-absolutely-final-deadline_2202035.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/martha-grimes-22399_books_what-does-the-absolutely-final-deadline_2202035.jpg) > ““What does the absolutely final deadline apply to? What book?" If there was one book that did not cry out for a sequel, it was "Death of a Doge". "Don't you remember what an awful time you had writing that book?”” [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions the absurdity of imposing a final deadline on a work that already feels complete, highlighting the paradox of seeking continuation for something that should end. **In simple terms:** Questioning unnecessary deadlines for finished works. Key Takeaway Accept closure without forced sequels. Themes creativity completion artistic integrity Mood reflective skeptical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - publishing decisions - creative projects - project management - self‑imposed pressure Key Concepts deadline paradox authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - Is every project truly unfinished? - When should you stop adding to a work? A Different Perspective Deadlines can stifle creativity if applied without purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Love has its name borrowed by a great number of dealings and affairs that are attributed to it--in which it has no greater part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/love-has-its-name-borrowed-by-a-great-number-of-dealings-and-affairs/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Polly was a writer of many deadlines. There were the ignorable deadlines, the not-to-be-taken-too-seriously deadlines: the deadlines-before-the-deadlines deadlines, and finally, the no-kidding-around deadlines. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/polly-was-a-writer-of-many-deadlines-there-were-the-ignorable/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [Without deadlines and restrictions I just tend to become preoccupied with other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/without-deadlines-and-restrictions-i-just-tend-to-become-preoccupied/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [There are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic deadlines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/there-are-no-unrealistic-goals-only-unrealistic-deadlines/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [Publishing is, by its nature, about deadlines, and deadlines are toxic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/publishing-is-by-its-nature-about-deadlines-and-deadlines-are-toxic/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [I think setting goals is critical; having deadlines for ourselves- how much by when? Too many people have these big dreams where they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-think-setting-goals-is-critical-having-deadlines-for-ourselves-how/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [“There is one surefire way to produce bad writing: submit to the slavery of a deadline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavia-id/there-is-one-surefire-way-to-produce-bad-writing-submit-to-the/) Flavia Idà > [Nothing focuses attention like a real deadline. If you are in a field where life and death, or having a job or not having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/nothing-focuses-attention-like-a-real-deadline-if-you-are-in-a-field/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [Nero wasn't worried at all when he heard the utterance of the Delphic Oracle: "Beware the age of seventy-three." Plenty of time to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-cavafy/nero-wasn-t-worried-at-all-when-he-heard-the-utterance-of-the-delphic/) [C.P. Cavafy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-cavafy/) > [Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to go out the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-the-moment-a-project-is-behind/) Alan Cox > [“Pakiramdam ko e andami kong naiisip na dehins magawa dahil alang deadline. Nasanay ata ko sa school tsaka sa trabaho na lahat may deadline.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manix-abrera/pakiramdam-ko-e-andami-kong-naiisip-na-dehins-magawa-dahil-alang/) Manix Abrera > [I always think the most important thing for a writer is a deadline, and it's the same with a house. They say you shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/i-always-think-the-most-important-thing-for-a-writer-is-a-deadline/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [All writers are forced to live within deadlines, and deadlines determine how good they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/all-writers-are-forced-to-live-within-deadlines-and-deadlines/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Two things you need to know about taxes. They've extended the deadline to April 18, and when you write your check, just make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/two-things-you-need-to-know-about-taxes-they-ve-extended-the-deadline/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) ## More by Martha Grimes > [“If a cone had dropped on velvet needles, if a star had lain a silver track across the sky, if the dead had turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/if-a-cone-had-dropped-on-velvet-needles-if-a-star-had-lain-a-silver/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [You can't be blocked if you just keep on writing words. Any words. People who get 'blocked' make the mistake of thinking they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/you-can-t-be-blocked-if-you-just-keep-on-writing-words-any-words/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [Talking's just a nervous habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/talking-s-just-a-nervous-habit/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [“any particular idiot in mind?” “I do, indeed. If Tom was actually here on Monday, and he needed an alibi, well, man, he didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/any-particular-idiot-in-mind-i-do-indeed-if-tom-was-actually-here-on/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [“As he followed Wood, Jury thought: one disappearance, two auto accident victims, one in a mental institution, one drowned. One murdered. Rackmoor, for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/as-he-followed-wood-jury-thought-one-disappearance-two-auto-accident/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [I cleared my throat - it isn't frogs you get in your throat; it's memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/i-cleared-my-throat-it-isn-t-frogs-you-get-in-your-throat-it-s/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [Before you hate something you should try to understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/before-you-hate-something-you-should-try-to-understand-it/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [“And how did he ever think he’d get away with murdering me?” Her tone implied she must surely belong to that rare breed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/and-how-did-he-ever-think-he-d-get-away-with-murdering-me-her-tone/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [“Fear wearing black.' Definition of cool. Maybe it's also the definition of courage. Would she be courageous?”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/fear-wearing-black-definition-of-cool-maybe-it-s-also-the-definition/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [You can never do enough for the dead. You search around for comfort but there is no comfort; there never was and never will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/you-can-never-do-enough-for-the-dead-you-search-around-for-comfort/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [“Losing one's mind is surely like losing one's virginity. Lose a little, lose a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/losing-one-s-mind-is-surely-like-losing-one-s-virginity-lose-a-little/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [Arnold was a dog's dog. Whenever he shuffled along walks and through alleyways, he always gave the impression of being on to something big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/arnold-was-a-dog-s-dog-whenever-he-shuffled-along-walks-and-through/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [The English inn stands permanently planted at the confluence of the roads of history, memory, and romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/the-english-inn-stands-permanently-planted-at-the-confluence-of-the/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [“And so it continued all day, wynde after wynde, from a room beyond came the whistle of a teakettle. "Now, you really must join…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/and-so-it-continued-all-day-wynde-after-wynde-from-a-room-beyond-came/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [Intricately plotted, beautifully paced, The Music of the Spheres is an elegant historical novel rich in detail, at times Dickensian in its description of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/intricately-plotted-beautifully-paced-the-music-of-the-spheres-is-an/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) [Explore all 27 Martha Grimes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What does the absolutely final deadline apply to? 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