--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just start somewhere,\" Dr. Marshall had…" description: "\"“Just start somewhere,\" Dr. Marshall had said to me as I ground a banana-pineapple one to bits between my teeth. \"It doesn't have to be at the beginnin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sarah-dessen-110_abusive_just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-sai_188292.png" --- # Just start somewhere," Dr. Marshall had said to me as I… ![“Just start somewhere," Dr. Marshall had said to me as I ground a banana-pineapple one to bits between my teeth. "It doesn't have to be at the beginning." She'd pulled her legs up, Indian-style, letting the legal pad she'd been holding drop to the floor. "I thought everything always had to start at…” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sarah-dessen-110_abusive_just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-sai_188292.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sarah-dessen-110_abusive_just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-sai_188292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sarah-dessen-110_abusive_just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-sai_188292.png) > ““Just start somewhere," Dr. Marshall had said to me as I ground a banana-pineapple one to bits between my teeth. "It doesn't have to be at the beginning." She'd pulled her legs up, Indian-style, letting the legal pad she'd been holding drop to the floor. "I thought everything always had to start at the beginning," I said. "Not in this room," she said easily. "Go ahead, Caitlin. Just tell me one thing. It gets easier, I promise. The first thing is always the hardest." I looked down at my hands, stained mildly red from the particularly sticky watermelon Rancher. "Okay," I said, reaching forward to take another one out of the bowl, just in case. She was already sitting back in her chair, readying herself for whatever glimpse I would give her into the mess I'd become. "What was the name of Pygmalion's sister?" She blinked, twice, obviously surprised. "Ummm," she said, keeping her eyes on me. "I don't know." "Rogerson did," I told her. "Rogerson knew everything.”” [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting a task is often hardest; any small action reduces inertia and builds momentum toward progress. **In simple terms:** Begin with any small step to gain momentum. Key Takeaway Take the first step, no matter how messy. Themes motivation productivity overcoming fear growth learning Mood determined hopeful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing - creative brainstorming - personal challenges - learning new skills Key Concepts incremental progress psychology of action habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take right now? - How does starting messy affect your confidence? A Different Perspective Even small starts may feel chaotic and lack direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) ## Related quotes > [There must have been a moment, at the beginning, were we could have said -- no. 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People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. 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Those are just a few examples of bridges that should rightly be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-abusive-relationship-a-cheating-ex-partner-family-who-constantly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a temper, but I wouldn't call me abusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatum-o-neal/i-have-a-temper-but-i-wouldn-t-call-me-abusive/) [Tatum O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatum-o-neal/) > [I wouldn't mind being in an abusive relationship with you babes only if you would punch me with her tits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-wouldn-t-mind-being-in-an-abusive-relationship-with-you-babes-only/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“The woman knows from living with the abusive man that there are no simple answers. 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The first thing is always the hardest.\" I looked down at my hands, stained mildly red from the particularly sticky watermelon Rancher. \"Okay,\" I said, reaching forward to take another one out of the bowl, just in case. She was already sitting back in her chair, readying herself for whatever glimpse I would give her into the mess I'd become. \"What was the name of Pygmalion's sister?\" She blinked, twice, obviously surprised. \"Ummm,\" she said, keeping her eyes on me. \"I don't know.\" \"Rogerson did,\" I told her. \"Rogerson knew everything.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Dessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-said-to-me-as-i-ground-a-banana/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abusive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-said-to-me-as-i-ground-a-banana/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sarah-dessen-110_abusive_just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-sai_188292.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sarah-dessen-110_abusive_just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-sai_188292.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sarah-dessen-110_abusive_just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-sai_188292.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just start somewhere,\" Dr. Marshall had said to me as I ground a banana-pineapple one to bits between my…” — Sarah Dessen", "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": "Sarah Dessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Just start somewhere,\" Dr. Marshall had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-said-to-me-as-i-ground-a-banana/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/just-start-somewhere-dr-marshall-had-said-to-me-as-i-ground-a-banana/#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 } } ] } ```