--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time I start on a new book, I am a…" description: "\"Every time I start on a new book, I am a beginner again. I doubt myself, I grow discouraged, all the work accomplished in the past is as though it neve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/simone-de-beauvoir-407_accomplished_every-time-i-start-on-a-new-book-i-am-a_2841468.jpg" --- # Every time I start on a new book, I am a beginner again. I… ![“Every time I start on a new book, I am a beginner again. I doubt myself, I grow discouraged, all the work accomplished in the past is as though it never was, my first drafts are so shapeless that it seems impossible to go on with the attempt at all, right up until the moment - always…” quote by Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/simone-de-beauvoir-407_accomplished_every-time-i-start-on-a-new-book-i-am-a_2841468.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/simone-de-beauvoir-407_accomplished_every-time-i-start-on-a-new-book-i-am-a_2841468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/simone-de-beauvoir-407_accomplished_every-time-i-start-on-a-new-book-i-am-a_2841468.jpg) > “Every time I start on a new book, I am a beginner again. I doubt myself, I grow discouraged, all the work accomplished in the past is as though it never was, my first drafts are so shapeless that it seems impossible to go on with the attempt at all, right up until the moment - always imperceptible, there, too, there is a break - when it is has become impossible not to finish it.” [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) ## 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 new book feels like being a beginner again, eroding confidence despite past achievements. **In simple terms:** New projects can feel like starting over. Key Takeaway Embrace beginner mindset. Themes learning self‑doubt growth Mood introspective encouraging Type creative motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - career transitions - skill development Key Concepts psychology creative process confidence building Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor past work while starting anew? - What strategies rebuild confidence? A Different Perspective Perfectionism may hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) [Beginner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginner/) [Beginners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginners/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Discouraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraged/) [Discouraged Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraged-work-1544608/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubt Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt-myself/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Grow Discouraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-discouraged-3728192/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Impossible Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible-finish-1229943/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [New books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-books/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Most of the time one is discouraged by the work, but now and again by some grace something stands out and invites you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/most-of-the-time-one-is-discouraged-by-the-work-but-now-and-again-by/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [That's the terrible thing: the more one works on a picture, the more impossible it becomes to finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/that-s-the-terrible-thing-the-more-one-works-on-a-picture-the-more/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [I make so many ideas, it's impossible to finish every single one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-dukes/i-make-so-many-ideas-it-s-impossible-to-finish-every-single-one/) [Frank Dukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-dukes/) > [For everyone who thought I couldn’t do it… for everyone who thought I shouldn’t do it… for everyone who said, ‘It’s impossible’… see you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/for-everyone-who-thought-i-couldn-t-do-it-for-everyone-who-thought-i/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [I doubt myself for sure. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-adler/you-gotta-pick-yourself-up-sometimes-you-just-gotta-do-it-over-and/) [Steven Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-adler/) > [I can't ever doubt myself. Never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-james/i-can-t-ever-doubt-myself-never/) [Luke James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-james/) > [You think you know what is just and what is not. I understand. We all think we know." I had no doubt, myself, then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/you-think-you-know-what-is-just-and-what-is-not-i-understand-we-all/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [“Papa talks enough of my defects, and shows enough scorn of me, to make it natural I should doubt myself. I doubt whether I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/papa-talks-enough-of-my-defects-and-shows-enough-scorn-of-me-to-make/) [Emily Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Whenever I feel weak, Ill remember those who make me strong. 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There are so many other ways of exploring humanity - by ethnology, psychoanalysis, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/in-fact-people-seem-to-be-tired-of-fiction-now-there-are-so-many/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Feminism is one way of attacking society as it now exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/feminism-is-one-way-of-attacking-society-as-it-now-exists/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“Magari mi troverai ridicola, ma mi disprezzerei se non osassi esserlo mai”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/magari-mi-troverai-ridicola-ma-mi-disprezzerei-se-non-osassi-esserlo/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [from one minute to the next the present is merely an honorary past. 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I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-am-awfully-greedy-i-want-everything-from-life-i-want-to-be-a-woman/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“I enjoyed my exhaustion, though; I liked overdoing things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-enjoyed-my-exhaustion-though-i-liked-overdoing-things/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“But I miss you to the point of anguish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/but-i-miss-you-to-the-point-of-anguish/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) [Explore all 488 Simone de Beauvoir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) ## More Accomplished quotes > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [... even the most sublimely accomplished non-stop talker can't consistently please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/even-the-most-sublimely-accomplished-non-stop-talker-can-t/) [J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/) > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I'm proud of what I've accomplished and that is empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-m-proud-of-what-i-ve-accomplished-and-that-is-empowering/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. 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They have created a land of make-believe that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-accomplished-something-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/) [Amy Ridenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ridenour/) > [“Great things can be accomplished, when it doesnt matter who gets the credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/great-things-can-be-accomplished-when-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [If I could inspire you for even a moment to be yourself and love yourself, and not let what anyone has to say hinder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-neal-hartry/if-i-could-inspire-you-for-even-a-moment-to-be-yourself-and-love/) [Joshua Neal Hartry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-neal-hartry/) [Browse all 1,379 Accomplished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every time I start on a new book, I am a beginner again. 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