--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That’s why you have to write your book…" description: "\"That’s why you have to write your book right now, if that’s what you want to do. If you wait until you have the time, and the security, you might not w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/stephen-elliott-34300_book_that-s-why-you-have-to-write-your-book-r_2081187.jpg" --- # That’s why you have to write your book right now, if… ![“That’s why you have to write your book right now, if that’s what you want to do. If you wait until you have the time, and the security, you might not want to do it. You’re in a race against your own enthusiasm. Don’t put it off because someone told you it’s never too late. That’s the worst lie…” quote by Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/stephen-elliott-34300_book_that-s-why-you-have-to-write-your-book-r_2081187.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/stephen-elliott-34300_book_that-s-why-you-have-to-write-your-book-r_2081187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/stephen-elliott-34300_book_that-s-why-you-have-to-write-your-book-r_2081187.jpg) > “That’s why you have to write your book right now, if that’s what you want to do. If you wait until you have the time, and the security, you might not want to do it. You’re in a race against your own enthusiasm. Don’t put it off because someone told you it’s never too late. That’s the worst lie. It’s never too late today, but it’s often too late tomorrow.” [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Procrastination kills ambition; start now before enthusiasm fades. **In simple terms:** Start now, don’t wait. Key Takeaway Begin your project immediately. Themes productivity urgency self‑discipline Mood determined optimistic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing a book - starting a business - learning a skill - personal projects Key Concepts Motivation time management Questions to Reflect On - What project will you start today? - How can you keep momentum? A Different Perspective Waiting for perfect conditions rarely works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-right-529442/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Lie Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-late-1425094/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Never too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-too-late/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Told Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-late-2577287/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Write Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-book/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Who told you it was too late? And more importantly, why did you choose to believe them?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/who-told-you-it-was-too-late-and-more-importantly-why-did-you-choose/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“I made plans for 8:00. When my girlfriend told me she was late, I told her, “That’s funny, because my sperm was absent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-made-plans-for-8-00-when-my-girlfriend-told-me-she-was-late-i-told/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Agatha told me she was late, and I thought, I haven’t slept with her in years—she really must be late. I’m going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/agatha-told-me-she-was-late-and-i-thought-i-haven-t-slept-with-her-in/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I did B-list films because I couldn't find A-list ones. 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When your life revolves around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-chevalier/only-soldiers-and-labouring-men-can-appreciate-how-glorious-it-really/) [Maurice Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-chevalier/) > [“The high is what you crave, what you would kill for... and believe me, you will lie to yourself until it's to late to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-alazhar/the-high-is-what-you-crave-what-you-would-kill-for-and-believe-me-you/) [H. Alazhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-alazhar/) > [That's my favorite thing about him. I like to lie next to him when it's late, dark, and so quiet I can hear my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/that-s-my-favorite-thing-about-him-i-like-to-lie-next-to-him-when-it/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I pretty much started out writing full time. I was an at-home mom and when my youngest entered kindergarten, I started writing. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/i-pretty-much-started-out-writing-full-time-i-was-an-at-home-mom-and/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [“Choosing a book is so gratifying, it’s worth dragging out the process, starting even before finishing the current one. As the final chapters approach,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-paul/choosing-a-book-is-so-gratifying-it-s-worth-dragging-out-the-process/) [Pamela Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-paul/) > [“someone has mixed and shuffled the words of the Book more than was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/someone-has-mixed-and-shuffled-the-words-of-the-book-more-than-was/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“You have to read a book at the right time for you, and I am sure this cannot be insisted on too often, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-have-to-read-a-book-at-the-right-time-for-you-and-i-am-sure-this/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## More by Stephen Elliott > [A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. 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Well, let me be the first to tell you, you will never fix yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/you-think-you-can-t-fix-anything-until-you-fix-yourselves-well-let-me/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [“According to Jung, a stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/according-to-jung-a-stranger-can-see-in-an-instant-something-in-you/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [“They both knew when it was appropriate to eat and how to give a compliment, and spent a lot of time saying hello and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/they-both-knew-when-it-was-appropriate-to-eat-and-how-to-give-a/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [“We understand the world by how we retrieve memories, re-order information into stories to justify how we feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/we-understand-the-world-by-how-we-retrieve-memories-re-order/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [Tom Kealey might be my favorite short story writer and this astonishing collection is long overdue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/tom-kealey-might-be-my-favorite-short-story-writer-and-this/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [If you never forgive you'll always be alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/if-you-never-forgive-you-ll-always-be-alone/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [You'd be amazed how much fun you can have if you get out of your own head. The problem is that now people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/you-d-be-amazed-how-much-fun-you-can-have-if-you-get-out-of-your-own/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [“How awful we are all when we look at ourselves under a light, finally seeing our reflections+. How little we know about ourselves. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/how-awful-we-are-all-when-we-look-at-ourselves-under-a-light-finally/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) [Explore all 14 Stephen Elliott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) ## 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": "That’s why you have to write your book right now, if that’s what you want to do. 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