--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought and pondered -- vainly. I felt…" description: "\"“I thought and pondered -- vainly. I felt that blank incapability of invention which is the greatest misery of authorship, when dull Nothing replies to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/mary-shelly-44915_innovation_i-thought-and-pondered-vainly-i-felt-tha_308969.jpg" --- # I thought and pondered -- vainly. I felt that blank… ![“I thought and pondered -- vainly. I felt that blank incapability of invention which is the greatest misery of authorship, when dull Nothing replies to our anxious invocations,” quote by Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/mary-shelly-44915_innovation_i-thought-and-pondered-vainly-i-felt-tha_308969.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/mary-shelly-44915_innovation_i-thought-and-pondered-vainly-i-felt-tha_308969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/mary-shelly-44915_innovation_i-thought-and-pondered-vainly-i-felt-tha_308969.jpg) > ““I thought and pondered -- vainly. I felt that blank incapability of invention which is the greatest misery of authorship, when dull Nothing replies to our anxious invocations,”” [Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer feels blocked, yearning for inspiration that never arrives, causing deep frustration. **In simple terms:** Writer's block feels like a painful emptiness. Key Takeaway Seek new stimuli to break creative stagnation. Themes creativity frustration inspiration solitude Mood melancholic introspective Type literary reflective When to use this quote - writing - artistic projects - problem solving Key Concepts creative block artist's struggle inner void Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your creative block? - How can you invite fresh ideas? A Different Perspective Creative emptiness may stem from external pressures or internal doubt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [“I felt that blank incapability of invention which is the greatest misery of authorship, when dull Nothing replies to our anxious invocations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-felt-that-blank-incapability-of-invention-which-is-the-greatest/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“My best advice about writer’s block is: the reason you’re having a hard time writing is because of a conflict between the GOAL of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/my-best-advice-about-writer-s-block-is-the-reason-you-re-having-a/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [“I’d never pondered the bourgeois implications of an earplug.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-d-never-pondered-the-bourgeois-implications-of-an-earplug/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“there was no one like me and I was unlike any one else. "I am alone and they are every one," I thought—and pondered.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-was-no-one-like-me-and-i-was-unlike-any-one-else-i-am-alone-and/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I never pondered during my struggling phase that I should have become an engineer, as I knew that was not my life. I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-kaushal/i-never-pondered-during-my-struggling-phase-that-i-should-have-become/) [Vicky Kaushal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-kaushal/) > [The mystery of life--its inexplicability, beauty, cruelty, tenderness, folly . . . has occupied the greater part of my waking thoughts; and in reverence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/the-mystery-of-life-its-inexplicability-beauty-cruelty-tenderness/) [Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/) > [If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-were-asked-under-what-sky-the-human-mind-has-most-fully-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For a long time, he pondered his transformation, listened to the bird, as it sang for joy. Had not this bird died in him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/for-a-long-time-he-pondered-his-transformation-listened-to-the-bird/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“He pondered, having many disjointed and unconnected brooding thoughts; they swam through him like silvery fish. Fears, and mild dislikes, and apprehensions. And all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-pondered-having-many-disjointed-and-unconnected-brooding-thoughts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [i have never pondered over questions that are not questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-have-never-pondered-over-questions-that-are-not-questions/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“A Dream Pang I HAD withdrawn in forest, and my song Was swallowed up in leaves that blew alway; And to the forest edge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/a-dream-pang-i-had-withdrawn-in-forest-and-my-song-was-swallowed-up/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“Why should we all act so like children? Because we are? Yes, I suppose so." She made a humorous grimace. "But even then, why?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-edward-white/why-should-we-all-act-so-like-children-because-we-are-yes-i-suppose/) Stewart Edward White > [“Sebastian stayed seated at his computer chair and pondered. Time travel … I don’t have the time to time travel! he moaned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-e-f-neilson/sebastian-stayed-seated-at-his-computer-chair-and-pondered-time/) G.E.F. Neilson > [“She pondered the arrangements of the paintings on a wall like a writer pondered commas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/she-pondered-the-arrangements-of-the-paintings-on-a-wall-like-a/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“If anyone in your publishing life were to argue against a particular book or a career aspiration for reasons you had not already pondered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/if-anyone-in-your-publishing-life-were-to-argue-against-a-particular/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More by Mary Shelly > [“I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures as no language can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/i-was-seized-by-remorse-and-the-sense-of-guilt-which-hurried-me-away/) [MARY SHELLY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) > [“Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/natural-philosophy-is-the-genius-that-has-regulated-my-fate/) [Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) > [“I allowed my thoughts, unchecked by reason, to ramble in the fields of Paradise, and dared to fancy amiable and lovely creatures sympathizing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/i-allowed-my-thoughts-unchecked-by-reason-to-ramble-in-the-fields-of/) [Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) > [“I thank you, Walton," he said, "for your kind intentions towards to miserable a wretch; but when you speak of new ties and fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/i-thank-you-walton-he-said-for-your-kind-intentions-towards-to/) [Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) > [“I spread the whole earth out as a map before me. On no one spot of its surface could I put my finger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/i-spread-the-whole-earth-out-as-a-map-before-me-on-no-one-spot-of-its/) [Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) > [“Poor William! That dear child; he now sleeps with his angel mother. His friends mourn and weep, but he is at rest: he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/poor-william-that-dear-child-he-now-sleeps-with-his-angel-mother-his/) [Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) > [“I endeavoured to crush these fears and to fortify myself for the trial which in a few months I resolved to undergo; and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/i-endeavoured-to-crush-these-fears-and-to-fortify-myself-for-the/) [MARY SHELLY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) > [“The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelly/the-world-was-to-me-a-secret-which-i-desired-to-divine/) [Mary Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) [Explore all 9 Mary Shelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelly/) ## More Innovation quotes > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“In the innovation age customer experience is key. Your impression defines their expression”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-durotoye/in-the-innovation-age-customer-experience-is-key-your-impression/) [Fela Durotoye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-durotoye/) > [“Incrementalism never allows innovation to flourish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-ratna/incrementalism-never-allows-innovation-to-flourish/) [Abhishek Ratna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-ratna/) > [I have tremendous admiration for companies with the kind of pioneering spirit and innovation eBay has demonstrated from day one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/i-have-tremendous-admiration-for-companies-with-the-kind-of/) [Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/) > [Real breakthroughs are not found because you want to develop some new technology, but because you are curious and want to find out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-zeilinger/real-breakthroughs-are-not-found-because-you-want-to-develop-some-new/) [Anton Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-zeilinger/) > [Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-outside-the-proverbial-box-we/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [We have to be innovative, we have to be fresh, we have to be new. People are counting on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-barthel/we-have-to-be-innovative-we-have-to-be-fresh-we-have-to-be-new-people/) [Sarah Barthel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-barthel/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [I'd take garbage, and I'd glue them together and create inventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-makosinski/i-d-take-garbage-and-i-d-glue-them-together-and-create-inventions/) [Ann Makosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-makosinski/) > [“Some innovations just don’t attract enough economic or social demand: just as supersonic flight and manned space flight stagnated after the 1970s, today (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-j-rees/some-innovations-just-don-t-attract-enough-economic-or-social-demand/) Martin J. Rees > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Other things being equal, it is the person who can lift his work up to the plane of the intuitional and inspiration who achieves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanwood-cobb/other-things-being-equal-it-is-the-person-who-can-lift-his-work-up-to/) Stanwood Cobb > [Let art, then, imitate nature, find what she desires, and follow as she directs. For in invention nature is never last, education never first;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-art-then-imitate-nature-find-what-she-desires-and-follow-as-she/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) [Browse all 4,437 Innovation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I thought and pondered -- vainly. 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