--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I caution writers all the time to slow…" description: "\"I caution writers all the time to slow down and pay more attention to the work in front of them than to the end result. I don't think you write one boo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/sue-grafton-1640_attention_i-caution-writers-all-the-time-to-slow-d_2580362.png" --- # I caution writers all the time to slow down and pay more… ![“I caution writers all the time to slow down and pay more attention to the work in front of them than to the end result. I don't think you write one book and get anywhere. I think you write five books and then maybe you are finally on the right path.” quote by Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/sue-grafton-1640_attention_i-caution-writers-all-the-time-to-slow-d_2580362.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/sue-grafton-1640_attention_i-caution-writers-all-the-time-to-slow-d_2580362.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/sue-grafton-1640_attention_i-caution-writers-all-the-time-to-slow-d_2580362.png) > “I caution writers all the time to slow down and pay more attention to the work in front of them than to the end result. I don't think you write one book and get anywhere. I think you write five books and then maybe you are finally on the right path.” [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advises writers to focus on present work, emphasizing persistence and learning from multiple attempts. **In simple terms:** Write now, learn gradually, improve over time. Key Takeaway Prioritize current writing over future fame. Themes writing patience growth Mood motivational practical Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - novel drafting - short story practice - editing - workshops Key Concepts craftsmanship process Questions to Reflect On - How many drafts will you commit to? - What can you learn from each piece? A Different Perspective May cause frustration for those seeking quick success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Caution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caution/) [End result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-result/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“It's unfortunate that we don't have a mentor system anymore. In the Renaissance, artists were apprentices to masters. You learn to do a painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/it-s-unfortunate-that-we-don-t-have-a-mentor-system-anymore-in-the/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Inner silence works from the moment you begin to accrue it. What the old sorcerers were after was the final dramatic, end result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/inner-silence-works-from-the-moment-you-begin-to-accrue-it-what-the/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [If I care to listen to every criticism, let alone act on them, then this shop may as well be closed for all other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-i-care-to-listen-to-every-criticism-let-alone-act-on-them-then/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I never thought I'd be successful. It seems in my own mind that in everything I've undertaken I've never quite made the mark. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-wang/i-never-thought-i-d-be-successful-it-seems-in-my-own-mind-that-in/) [Vera Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-wang/) > [Sometimes when you have limited resources and you really have to think about creative ways to get around some of these problems, generally the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-lieberman/sometimes-when-you-have-limited-resources-and-you-really-have-to/) [Todd Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-lieberman/) > [I know a lot of Christians who have been in ministry and walked away from it because the pressure can be too great. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baldwin/i-know-a-lot-of-christians-who-have-been-in-ministry-and-walked-away/) [Stephen Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baldwin/) > [I feel like you have to make art because you have to make it. 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I can stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-eisenstaedt/people-will-never-understand-the-patience-a-photographer-requires-to/) [Alfred Eisenstaedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-eisenstaedt/) > [The photographer Ruth Bernhard used to tell me that this is like asking somebody how they evolved their signature. It is not something I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/the-photographer-ruth-bernhard-used-to-tell-me-that-this-is-like/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [The song is about knowing the end result of every situation you're in, and being able to play it out in your mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/the-song-is-about-knowing-the-end-result-of-every-situation-you-re-in/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [My dark comic edge is the end result of trying to use humor to maintain my sanity growing up in a dysfunctional family in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirby-wright/my-dark-comic-edge-is-the-end-result-of-trying-to-use-humor-to/) [Kirby Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirby-wright/) > [I've learned that the effort sportsmen and women put in is incredible. Their commitment to their sport is phenomenal. Sometimes as a viewer, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-douglas/i-ve-learned-that-the-effort-sportsmen-and-women-put-in-is-incredible/) [Jill Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-douglas/) > [Too much credit is given to the end result. The true lesson is in the struggle that takes place between the dream and reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-brooks/too-much-credit-is-given-to-the-end-result-the-true-lesson-is-in-the/) [Garth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-brooks/) ## More by Sue Grafton > [“Life is hard. Life hurts. So what? You tough it out. You get through and then you'll feel good again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/life-is-hard-life-hurts-so-what-you-tough-it-out-you-get-through-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“nothing wrong with a lie or two when the situation demanded it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/nothing-wrong-with-a-lie-or-two-when-the-situation-demanded-it/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I can just about promise you Philip Marlowe was never as dainty as I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-can-just-about-promise-you-philip-marlowe-was-never-as-dainty-as-i/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“You can always push people around, but it's not a good idea. Better to let them volunteer information for reasons of their own. 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It's a fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/some-people-die-accidentally-it-s-a-fact/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Thinking is hard work, which is why you don't see many people doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/thinking-is-hard-work-which-is-why-you-don-t-see-many-people-doing-it/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Pay enough for anything and it passes for taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/pay-enough-for-anything-and-it-passes-for-taste/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“It’s hard to have faith in your fellow man when you’re forced to look at some of his handiwork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/it-s-hard-to-have-faith-in-your-fellow-man-when-you-re-forced-to-look/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Insecure people have a special sensitivity for anything that finally confirms their own low opinion of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/insecure-people-have-a-special-sensitivity-for-anything-that-finally/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I wondered if I'd ever be nice enough to volunteer for anything. I was hoping not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-wondered-if-i-d-ever-be-nice-enough-to-volunteer-for-anything-i-was/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Ideas are easy. It's the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/ideas-are-easy-it-s-the-execution-of-ideas-that-really-separates-the/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“You can't believe everything you hear. Sometimes, you can't even believe your eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/you-can-t-believe-everything-you-hear-sometimes-you-can-t-even/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“It wasn’t about finding the right answer; it was about patience and diligence. I surrendered to the process, ascribing the same importance to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/it-wasn-t-about-finding-the-right-answer-it-was-about-patience-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“Life is simple. You're the one making things complex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/life-is-simple-you-re-the-one-making-things-complex/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) [Explore all 217 Sue Grafton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. 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Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I caution writers all the time to slow down and pay more attention to the work in front of them than to the end result. 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