80s Quote by Theodora Goss
“Jorge Luis Borges wrote a poem when he was in his 80s about one day writing the book that would justify him. This was long after he had become one of the great masters, a writer everyone looks up to and reveres. As artists, I don't think we ever see ourselves as done. We always think we're at the beginning . . .”
About This Quote
Source Poem: Unwritten Book, late 1970s, Borges, 80s
The quote reflects an artist’s belief that creative work is never finished, and that self‑discovery continues throughout life.
In simple terms: Artists never feel complete; they always feel like they’re starting.
Key Takeaway
Embrace lifelong creative growth.
Themes
creativity
self‑discovery
humility
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- writing a new book
- reflecting on career
- teaching
- public speaking
Key Concepts
artistic identity
legacy
ongoing development
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you measure artistic progress?
- What fuels your sense of beginning?
A Different Perspective
Even masters may feel inadequate, risking paralysis.
![“[Jorge Luis Borges] had short stories, and I was trying to learn how to write short stories, and then he had these things in the middle that were like fables, and I loved hearing fables.” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a46/sandra-cisneros-862_borges_jorge-luis-borges-had-short-stories-and_102630.jpg)
![“There [DreamTigers by Jorge Luis Borges] were these little fablesque things, you know, dream tigers, beautiful, beautiful pieces that when you read them had the power of a long piece, but they were prose, and they had the power of poetry, in that the last line wasn't the end, it was a…” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/873/sandra-cisneros-862_beautiful_there-dreamtigers-by-jorge-luis-borges-w_1879835.jpg)
![“Writing two stories [in the Thorn and the Blossom] about the same set of events that were complete stories in themselves, but also added up to a larger story. As I was writing them, I kept going back and forth, because something would happen in one story that would have to be reflected in the…” quote by Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c0d/theodora-goss-10051_back-and-forth_writing-two-stories-in-the-thorn-and-the_213001.jpg)
![“The editor, Stephen Segal, actually called me with the idea of creating an accordion book [ "The Thorn & The Blossom"], and asked if I could write a story for it. I was so intrigued! I immediately knew that it had to be a love story told from the points of view of the two main characters. Right…” quote by Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a5d/theodora-goss-10051_accordions_the-editor-stephen-segal-actually-called_440631.jpg)
![“The book itself [The Thorn and The Blossom] is bound accordion-style: it has no spine, so it can open in either direction, and it's in a slipcase.” quote by Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d8f/theodora-goss-10051_accordion_the-book-itself-the-thorn-and-the-blosso_508857.jpg)
![“It was a very economically depressed time [the 80s] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and one could live on a pretty low income. One could live well below the poverty line and not suffer immensely.” quote by Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6f7/kiki-smith-10643_80s_it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-tim_26978.jpg)
