--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are going to make a book end…" description: "\"If you are going to make a book end badly, it must end badly from the beginning.\" — Robert Louis Stevenson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/robert-louis-stevenson-289_book_if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badl_2408205.jpg" --- # If you are going to make a book end badly, it must end… ![“If you are going to make a book end badly, it must end badly from the beginning.” quote by Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/robert-louis-stevenson-289_book_if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badl_2408205.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/robert-louis-stevenson-289_book_if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badl_2408205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/robert-louis-stevenson-289_book_if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badl_2408205.jpg) > “If you are going to make a book end badly, it must end badly from the beginning.” [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A poorly planned ending leads to a bad conclusion. **In simple terms:** Bad beginnings cause bad endings. Key Takeaway Plan early for good outcomes. Themes planning storytelling outcome Mood cautious reflective Type advice literary When to use this quote - writing novels - project management - product launches - event planning Key Concepts literature narrative structure Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure a strong start? - What signs indicate a story is failing? A Different Perspective Even with planning, unforeseen issues arise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Everything ends badly, otherwise it would not end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/everything-ends-badly-otherwise-it-would-not-end/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [“I’d a million times rather live and risk and have it all end badly than stay in the box I’ve been in for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/i-d-a-million-times-rather-live-and-risk-and-have-it-all-end-badly/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [It will all end very badly, Gus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/it-will-all-end-very-badly-gus/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [I told them," he said in a clear, carrying voice, "that they should not give someone as old and powerful as I a daughter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-told-them-he-said-in-a-clear-carrying-voice-that-they-should-not/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Tests of love always end badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-thernstrom/tests-of-love-always-end-badly/) Melanie Thernstrom > [SOMETIMES THINGS DONT END BADLY , THEY JUST END](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-paul-rose/sometimes-things-dont-end-badly-they-just-end/) [LEONARD PAUL ROSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-paul-rose/) > [Life is too short to waste time on books that end badly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-ann-krentz/life-is-too-short-to-waste-time-on-books-that-end-badly/) [Jayne Ann Krentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-ann-krentz/) > [“Only one statement about life is universally true: It's going to end badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evans-light/only-one-statement-about-life-is-universally-true-it-s-going-to-end/) Evans Light > [90% of all friends with benefits relationships never work and usually end badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/90-of-all-friends-with-benefits-relationships-never-work-and-usually/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Things, for me in Boston, did not end badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-green/things-for-me-in-boston-did-not-end-badly/) [Gerald Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-green/) > [Nothing in my life is going right, right now and there's got to be a reason for that. I think that God is trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-mccready/nothing-in-my-life-is-going-right-right-now-and-there-s-got-to-be-a/) [Mindy McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-mccready/) > [“But how do you know?” “Because it’s our book, Cassie. Yours and mine. This is our story, and I’ll be damned if I let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-monroe/but-how-do-you-know-because-it-s-our-book-cassie-yours-and-mine-this/) [Max Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-monroe/) > [Foreign interventions always end badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/foreign-interventions-always-end-badly/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [“How could you and me end badly? We’re already the most amazing thing ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-meredith-walters/how-could-you-and-me-end-badly-we-re-already-the-most-amazing-thing/) [A. Meredith Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-meredith-walters/) > [I see how complicated it is to make a film and how many people are involved and I love the fact that I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-see-how-complicated-it-is-to-make-a-film-and-how-many-people-are/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) ## More by Robert Louis Stevenson > [You must suffer me to go my own dark way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-must-suffer-me-to-go-my-own-dark-way/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Nobody speaks of a beautifful view for 5 minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/nobody-speaks-of-a-beautifful-view-for-5-minutes/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find is an honest friend. He is a fortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/we-are-all-travelers-in-the-wilderness-of-this-world-and-the-best/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-little-rift-between-the-sexes-is-astonishingly-widened-by-simply/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The problem of education is twofold: first to know, and then to utter. Everyone who lives any semblance of an inner life thinks more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-problem-of-education-is-twofold-first-to-know-and-then-to-utter/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“For thirty years," he said, "I've sailed the seas and seen good and bad, better and worse, fair weather and foul, provisions running out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/for-thirty-years-he-said-i-ve-sailed-the-seas-and-seen-good-and-bad/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“Mutiny, it was plain, hung over us like a thunder-cloud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/mutiny-it-was-plain-hung-over-us-like-a-thunder-cloud/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Jealousy is the most radical primeval and naked form of admiration in war paint, so to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/jealousy-is-the-most-radical-primeval-and-naked-form-of-admiration-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [It is the property of things seen for the first time, or for the first time after long, like the flowers in spring, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-the-property-of-things-seen-for-the-first-time-or-for-the-first/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [You have no idea, unless you have tried it, how endlessly long is a summer's day, that you measure out only by hunger, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-have-no-idea-unless-you-have-tried-it-how-endlessly-long-is-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Do not measure success by today's harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/do-not-measure-success-by-today-s-harvest-measure-success-by-the/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-be-idle-requires-a-strong-sense-of-personal-identity/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Saints are sinners who kept on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/saints-are-sinners-who-kept-on-going/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The friendly cow, all red and white, I love with all my heart; She gives me cream with all her might, To eat with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-friendly-cow-all-red-and-white-i-love-with-all-my-heart-she-gives/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) [Explore all 701 Robert Louis Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## More Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you are going to make a book end badly, it must end badly from the beginning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Louis Stevenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badly-it-must-end-badly-from-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badly-it-must-end-badly-from-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/robert-louis-stevenson-289_book_if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badl_2408205.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/robert-louis-stevenson-289_book_if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badl_2408205.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/robert-louis-stevenson-289_book_if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badl_2408205.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are going to make a book end badly, it must end badly from the beginning.” — Robert Louis Stevenson", "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": "Robert Louis Stevenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you are going to make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badly-it-must-end-badly-from-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/if-you-are-going-to-make-a-book-end-badly-it-must-end-badly-from-the/#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 } } ] } ```