---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's how it always is with me: the…"
description: "\"That's how it always is with me: the thing that sets me down to start writing is usually not what I end up doing. Because, as much as I love genre, and..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/quentin-tarantino-1030_ends_that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thin_1874778.jpg"
---

#  That's how it always is with me: the thing that sets me…

![“That's how it always is with me: the thing that sets me down to start writing is usually not what I end up doing. Because, as much as I love genre, and I try to deliver the goods, I go off from it. I go do my own thing.” quote by Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/quentin-tarantino-1030_ends_that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thin_1874778.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/quentin-tarantino-1030_ends_that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thin_1874778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/quentin-tarantino-1030_ends_that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thin_1874778.jpg)

> “That's how it always is with me: the thing that sets me down to start writing is usually not what I end up doing. Because, as much as I love genre, and I try to deliver the goods, I go off from it. I go do my own thing.”

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

## About This Quote

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

Creative focus shifts when initial ideas give way to unexpected inspiration.

**In simple terms:** Plans change during creation.

Key Takeaway

Embrace flexibility in artistic process.

Themes

creativity discipline genre authenticity

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing a screenplay
- novel drafting
- music composition
- design projects

Key Concepts

narrative theory flow state

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you decide when to stay the course?
- When is it worth abandoning a plan?

A Different Perspective

Frequent changes can dilute original vision.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Genre Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre-try-721278/) [Goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goods/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Start Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-writing/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-usually-1298705/)

## Related quotes

> [I procrastinate to a point where I'm filled with self-loathing and then I start writing. It's usually a state of self-loathing that gets me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/i-procrastinate-to-a-point-where-i-m-filled-with-self-loathing-and/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [It is very difficult to come up with new things in action genre. I try what all I can change and give something different;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabhu-deva/it-is-very-difficult-to-come-up-with-new-things-in-action-genre-i-try/)

[Prabhu Deva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabhu-deva/)

> [I have a complex feeling about genre. I love it, but I hate it at the same time. I have the urge to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bong-joon-ho/i-have-a-complex-feeling-about-genre-i-love-it-but-i-hate-it-at-the/)

[Bong Joon-ho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bong-joon-ho/)

> [I don't write toward a genre, and I try not to make claim to a genre after a book is published. That said, The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-don-t-write-toward-a-genre-and-i-try-not-to-make-claim-to-a-genre/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [I'm of the school 'Write what you know.' You can educate yourself, but the best writing usually comes from the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-mcnally/i-m-of-the-school-write-what-you-know-you-can-educate-yourself-but/)

[Terrence McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-mcnally/)

> [It's really hard to talk about writing, and I'm usually conscious if I'm misleading people or misleading the questioner, because the problem with writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/it-s-really-hard-to-talk-about-writing-and-i-m-usually-conscious-if-i/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [“Still writing?" I usually nod and smile, then quickly change the subject. But here is what I would like to put down my fork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/still-writing-i-usually-nod-and-smile-then-quickly-change-the-subject/)

[Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/)

> [I am always writing. It is not always good, but if I am writing, I am usually happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-nable/i-am-always-writing-it-is-not-always-good-but-if-i-am-writing-i-am/)

[Matthew Nable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-nable/)

> [Remember that input is as important as output. Take in something for inspiration, to relight the fire inside you, and ideas on how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-perri/remember-that-input-is-as-important-as-output-take-in-something-for/)

[Camille Perri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-perri/)

> [Even when I am writing I usually take a break around lunchtime and go for a little walk to clear out my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/even-when-i-am-writing-i-usually-take-a-break-around-lunchtime-and-go/)

[Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/)

> [I never really tell anyone what I'm writing beforehand because I usually don't know what it will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcdonagh/i-never-really-tell-anyone-what-i-m-writing-beforehand-because-i/)

[Martin McDonagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcdonagh/)

> [I don't have specific music for when I'm writing. I'm usually listening to the same playlist or 'artist' before I arrive at the computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-don-t-have-specific-music-for-when-i-m-writing-i-m-usually/)

[Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/)

> [My experiences always influence my writing, but usually only on an emotional level. I have experienced death of a family member and it's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-smith/my-experiences-always-influence-my-writing-but-usually-only-on-an/)

[Kim Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-smith/)

> [With a novel, you have to have a story. It's much more important to have it matter to the reader what happens to people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/with-a-novel-you-have-to-have-a-story-it-s-much-more-important-to/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [I think it's dangerous to think you know what you're writing. I usually don't know, and usually I just discover it in the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/i-think-it-s-dangerous-to-think-you-know-what-you-re-writing-i/)

[Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/)

## More by Quentin Tarantino

> [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [Whatever's going on with me at the time of writing is going to find its way into the piece. If that doesn't happen, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/whatever-s-going-on-with-me-at-the-time-of-writing-is-going-to-find/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [Oddly enough, most of the books written about the subject aren't very good because they just focus on the more hateful movies that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/oddly-enough-most-of-the-books-written-about-the-subject-aren-t-very/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [“I'm an American, our names don't mean shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-m-an-american-our-names-don-t-mean-shit/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I'm a historian in my own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-m-a-historian-in-my-own-mind/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I hate school at that time. Now, little did I know that actually if I had stayed in school I would've actually really liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-hate-school-at-that-time-now-little-did-i-know-that-actually-if-i/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I'm not writing novels, the screenplays are my novels, so I'm gonna write it the best that I can. If the movie never gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-m-not-writing-novels-the-screenplays-are-my-novels-so-i-m-gonna/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [One of the songs that stayed in my head that I really considered a lot was an old folk song called 'John Brown' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/one-of-the-songs-that-stayed-in-my-head-that-i-really-considered-a/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> ['The Grand Budapest Hotel' is not really my thing, but I kind of loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/the-grand-budapest-hotel-is-not-really-my-thing-but-i-kind-of-loved-it/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [I hope to give you at least 15 more years of movies. I'm not going to be this old guy that keeps cranking them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-hope-to-give-you-at-least-15-more-years-of-movies-i-m-not-going-to/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [In real life there are no bad guys. Everybody just has their own perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/in-real-life-there-are-no-bad-guys-everybody-just-has-their-own/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [He musta thought it was white boy day. It ain't white boy day, is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/he-musta-thought-it-was-white-boy-day-it-ain-t-white-boy-day-is-it/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [If you go out and see a lot of movies in a given year, it's really hard to come up with a top ten,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/if-you-go-out-and-see-a-lot-of-movies-in-a-given-year-it-s-really/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [When I went to do my big audition with actors for Mr. Blonde, the thing that was very interesting was the first person to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/when-i-went-to-do-my-big-audition-with-actors-for-mr-blonde-the-thing/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [By the time I was doing "Kill Bill," it was so much filled with prose that, you know, I start seeing why people write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/by-the-time-i-was-doing-kill-bill-it-was-so-much-filled-with-prose/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

[Explore all 305 Quentin Tarantino quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

## More Ends quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/)

[Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/)

> [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [Believe to the end, even if all men went astray and you were left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/believe-to-the-end-even-if-all-men-went-astray-and-you-were-left-the/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

[Browse all 20,790 Ends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That's how it always is with me: the thing that sets me down to start writing is usually not what I end up doing. Because, as much as I love genre, and I try to deliver the goods, I go off from it. I go do my own thing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Quentin Tarantino"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thing-that-sets-me-down-to-start/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ends"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thing-that-sets-me-down-to-start/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/quentin-tarantino-1030_ends_that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thin_1874778.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/quentin-tarantino-1030_ends_that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thin_1874778.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/quentin-tarantino-1030_ends_that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thin_1874778.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That's how it always is with me: the thing that sets me down to start writing is usually not what I end up…” — Quentin Tarantino",
                "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": "Quentin Tarantino",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That's how it always is with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thing-that-sets-me-down-to-start/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/that-s-how-it-always-is-with-me-the-thing-that-sets-me-down-to-start/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
