---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I usually leave Reykavik for two to three…"
description: "\"I usually leave Reykavik for two to three weeks to go to the South Coast of Iceland where I have a small fisherman's hut from the beginning of the last..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/sjon-22692_century_i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-thre_1620772.jpg"
---

#  I usually leave Reykavik for two to three weeks to go to…

![“I usually leave Reykavik for two to three weeks to go to the South Coast of Iceland where I have a small fisherman's hut from the beginning of the last century. That's where I sit down and do the actual writing. I might write for 16 hours a day or something. That's how it happens.” quote by Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/sjon-22692_century_i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-thre_1620772.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/sjon-22692_century_i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-thre_1620772.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/sjon-22692_century_i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-thre_1620772.jpg)

> “I usually leave Reykavik for two to three weeks to go to the South Coast of Iceland where I have a small fisherman's hut from the beginning of the last century. That's where I sit down and do the actual writing. I might write for 16 hours a day or something. That's how it happens.”

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

## About This Quote

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

The author retreats to a historic hut in Iceland to write intensively, finding solitude essential for creativity.

**In simple terms:** He writes in a remote hut for long periods.

Key Takeaway

Seek solitude for deep work.

Themes

creativity solitude place

Mood

contemplative inspirational

Type

literary personal

When to use this quote

- writing retreats
- remote work
- artist residencies

Key Concepts

environmental influence creative process

Questions to Reflect On

- How does environment affect your focus?
- What balance between solitude and community works for you?

A Different Perspective

Isolation can limit social interaction and mental health.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fisherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fisherman/) [Iceland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iceland/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Iceland is so small; classical musicians play on pop projects and pop musicians play with jazz musicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/iceland-is-so-small-classical-musicians-play-on-pop-projects-and-pop/)

[Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/)

> [I usually leave my memories behind... because it has nothing to do with my future...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-shahyn/i-usually-leave-my-memories-behind-because-it-has-nothing-to-do-with/)

[Ahmed Shahyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-shahyn/)

> [By the time I'm done with my show, I'm in Never-Never Land. Usually I leave the room for the auction and try to chill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-israel/by-the-time-i-m-done-with-my-show-i-m-in-never-never-land-usually-i/)

[Michael Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-israel/)

> [Usually I have to leave parties early - just when the action is beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/usually-i-have-to-leave-parties-early-just-when-the-action-is/)

[Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/)

> [The hardest thing usually to leave behind, as was the case now, can loosely be called the conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/the-hardest-thing-usually-to-leave-behind-as-was-the-case-now-can/)

[Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/)

> [I'm more European than anything. I've lived in America for 10 years, and I live in Florida because I like to be outdoors. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-maier/i-m-more-european-than-anything-i-ve-lived-in-america-for-10-years/)

[Tomas Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-maier/)

> [Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish, too much handling will spoil it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/governing-a-great-nation-is-like-cooking-a-small-fish-too-much/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Until the middle of the nineteenth century, Biarritz was a community of whalers. During the Middle Ages, it had grown from a small fishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/until-the-middle-of-the-nineteenth-century-biarritz-was-a-community/)

[Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/)

> [“Lesson number one: “Not my problem” is not a philosophy. It’s a mental illness. Right up there with pessimism. Other people’s problems are our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/lesson-number-one-not-my-problem-is-not-a-philosophy-it-s-a-mental/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [I prefer being a small fish in a big pond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-keibler/i-prefer-being-a-small-fish-in-a-big-pond/)

[Stacy Keibler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-keibler/)

> [How curious that such an outsize man, in physique as well as personality, should be remembered today mainly for giving his name to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/how-curious-that-such-an-outsize-man-in-physique-as-well-as/)

[Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/)

> [Big fish eat small fish with as much right as they have power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/big-fish-eat-small-fish-with-as-much-right-as-they-have-power/)

[Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/)

> [Advise the ruler to govern the state as one cooks a small fish - that is, don't turn it so often in the pan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/advise-the-ruler-to-govern-the-state-as-one-cooks-a-small-fish-that/)

[Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/)

> [“Madness, like small fish, runs in hosts…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/madness-like-small-fish-runs-in-hosts/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [“He found himself grinning at her. His nervousness had disappeared, and suddenly he had a sense of his own size, his physical strength, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/he-found-himself-grinning-at-her-his-nervousness-had-disappeared-and/)

[Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/)

## More by Sjon

> [I do quite extensive research for most of my novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-do-quite-extensive-research-for-most-of-my-novels/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [All authors secretly hope that their works will be read in 100 years' time and 200 years, and that they will somehow survive into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/all-authors-secretly-hope-that-their-works-will-be-read-in-100-years/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [ \[Bob Dylan\] builds his lyrics, of course, from personal experience, but it's also a literary work. He draws heavily on his knowledge of American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/bob-dylan-builds-his-lyrics-of-course-from-personal-experience-but-it/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [One thing for sure is it will be written in the Icelandic language. All of my literary work is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/one-thing-for-sure-is-it-will-be-written-in-the-icelandic-language/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [Much of my time is taken up by reading, researching and trying out ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/much-of-my-time-is-taken-up-by-reading-researching-and-trying-out/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [Politics enter dangerous ground, when people proclaim there are simple answers for our complex world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/politics-enter-dangerous-ground-when-people-proclaim-there-are-simple/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [I will just take the chance that the language will still be relevant in 100 years, which is something we cannot take for granted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-will-just-take-the-chance-that-the-language-will-still-be-relevant/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [Bjork is one of my oldest friends so we share the friendship and common roots. That is what we build on when we work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/bjork-is-one-of-my-oldest-friends-so-we-share-the-friendship-and/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [“I felt the heat of the animosity they bear towards me, the vindictive nature that drives a man to destroy his neighbour in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-felt-the-heat-of-the-animosity-they-bear-towards-me-the-vindictive/)

[Sjón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [I have to face questions like, "Do I simply write the best text I possibly can? Do I specifically engage with contemporary issues? 'Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-have-to-face-questions-like-do-i-simply-write-the-best-text-i/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [I have seen the universe! It is made of poems!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-have-seen-the-universe-it-is-made-of-poems/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [Paul Beatty for "The Sellout" sounds like a relevant story for our times. It's playful, uses deep thought and seems to be taking advantage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/paul-beatty-for-the-sellout-sounds-like-a-relevant-story-for-our/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [ The option is always on the table. When we \[with Bjork\] were starting as creative kids in the Eighties, we found each other. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/the-option-is-always-on-the-table-when-we-with-bjork-were-starting-as/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [I'm not one of those writers who writes everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-m-not-one-of-those-writers-who-writes-everyday/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [ Katie Paterson introduced the project \[ Future Library \] to a handful of writers at a very fine international literary festival in Denmark at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/katie-paterson-introduced-the-project-future-library-to-a-handful-of/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

[Explore all 26 Sjon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

## More Century quotes

> [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/)

[David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/)

[Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/)

> [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/)

[Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/)

> [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 5,406 Century quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I usually leave Reykavik for two to three weeks to go to the South Coast of Iceland where I have a small fisherman's hut from the beginning of the last century. That's where I sit down and do the actual writing. I might write for 16 hours a day or something. That's how it happens.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sjon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-three-weeks-to-go-to-the-south/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Century"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-three-weeks-to-go-to-the-south/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/sjon-22692_century_i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-thre_1620772.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/sjon-22692_century_i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-thre_1620772.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/sjon-22692_century_i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-thre_1620772.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I usually leave Reykavik for two to three weeks to go to the South Coast of Iceland where I have a small…” — Sjon",
                "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": "Sjon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I usually leave Reykavik for two...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-three-weeks-to-go-to-the-south/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/i-usually-leave-reykavik-for-two-to-three-weeks-to-go-to-the-south/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
