--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jorge Luis Borges wrote a poem when he…" description: "\"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 t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/theodora-goss-10051_80s_jorge-luis-borges-wrote-a-poem-when-he-w_1588075.png" --- # Jorge Luis Borges wrote a poem when he was in his 80s… ![“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…” quote by Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/theodora-goss-10051_80s_jorge-luis-borges-wrote-a-poem-when-he-w_1588075.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/theodora-goss-10051_80s_jorge-luis-borges-wrote-a-poem-when-he-w_1588075.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/theodora-goss-10051_80s_jorge-luis-borges-wrote-a-poem-when-he-w_1588075.png) > “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 . . .” [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [80s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borges/) [Borges Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borges-wrote-864648/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jorge-luis-borges/) [Justify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Look up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-up/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luis-borges-537056/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Masters Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters-writer-6013013/) [One day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-day/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Wrote Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-poem/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Jorge Luis Borges\] had short stories, and I was trying to learn how to write short stories, and then he had these things in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/jorge-luis-borges-had-short-stories-and-i-was-trying-to-learn-how-to/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [“Centuries of centuries and only in the present do things happen. —JORGE LUIS BORGES”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/centuries-of-centuries-and-only-in-the-present-do-things-happen-jorge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I read Borges, Jorge Luis Borges. He think he too good for me, but I love him . . . he was a blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-hay/i-read-borges-jorge-luis-borges-he-think-he-too-good-for-me-but-i/) [Sheridan Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-hay/) > [My biggest superhero of writing is Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentine fabulist. He's an amazingly perceptive writer, but also willing to make a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/my-biggest-superhero-of-writing-is-jorge-luis-borges-the-argentine/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [Jorge Luis Borges had the soapbox and the authority to complain about this myopic understanding of the duty of Latin American writers, which sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/jorge-luis-borges-had-the-soapbox-and-the-authority-to-complain-about/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [“The truth is that we all live by leaving behind. Borges. That was it. Jorge Luis Borges’s Funes the Memorious, a book about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hilary/the-truth-is-that-we-all-live-by-leaving-behind-borges-that-was-it/) [Sarah Hilary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hilary/) > [I always read the Latin American writers. I love so many of them: Gabriel García Márquez, José Donoso, Alejo Carpentier, Jorge Luis Borges, Clarice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-always-read-the-latin-american-writers-i-love-so-many-of-them/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [ There \[DreamTigers by Jorge Luis Borges\] were these little fablesque things, you know, dream tigers, beautiful, beautiful pieces that when you read them had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/there-dreamtigers-by-jorge-luis-borges-were-these-little-fablesque/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I first got online in the late '80s when I was an eccentric teenager in suburban New Jersey, in a town mostly interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/i-first-got-online-in-the-late-80s-when-i-was-an-eccentric-teenager/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [One of my favorite writers is short story writer/essayist Jorge Luis Borges, who was blind. I'm not claiming to be anything remotely resembling a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-howes/one-of-my-favorite-writers-is-short-story-writer-essayist-jorge-luis/) [Larry Howes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-howes/) > [“Oh, Buenos Aires, I have traveled around the world, but I’ve never been separated from you,” said Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges. And Saint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/oh-buenos-aires-i-have-traveled-around-the-world-but-i-ve-never-been/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [Those of us who thought Jorge Luis Borges was a pioneer of magical realism were mistaken; he was a pioneer of science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/those-of-us-who-thought-jorge-luis-borges-was-a-pioneer-of-magical/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Suggestions for further reading Karen Armstrong, Jerusalem; Jorge Luis Borges, Ficciones; Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha; Deepak Chopra, God: A Story of Revelation; Kahlil Gibran, The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/suggestions-for-further-reading-karen-armstrong-jerusalem-jorge-luis/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [ I remember I was very taken with a book called DreamTigers by \[Jorge Luis\] Borges. He was at the University of Texas, Austin, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-remember-i-was-very-taken-with-a-book-called-dreamtigers-by-jorge/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [ I would say that Edgar Allan Poe, \[Georges\] Perec, Thomas Pynchon, and \[Jorge Luis\] Borges are all boy-writers. These are writers who take... a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-would-say-that-edgar-allan-poe-georges-perec-thomas-pynchon-and/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More by Theodora Goss > [ Writing two stories \[in the Thorn and the Blossom\] about the same set of events that were complete stories in themselves, but also added… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/writing-two-stories-in-the-thorn-and-the-blossom-about-the-same-set/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [I've heard some readers saying they wished the story was longer, and I completely understand that desire - we all like to sink into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/i-ve-heard-some-readers-saying-they-wished-the-story-was-longer-and-i/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [“She drifted, feather-like, in tenuous radiance… Her gown, it seemed a thing made out of mist, As though the dewy air Had gathered in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/she-drifted-feather-like-in-tenuous-radiance-her-gown-it-seemed-a/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [The Thorn and The Blossom can be read from either side - you can choose whether to read it from Brendan's or Evelyn's perspective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/the-thorn-and-the-blossom-can-be-read-from-either-side-you-can-choose/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [ The editor, Stephen Segal, actually called me with the idea of creating an accordion book \[ "The Thorn & The Blossom"\], and asked if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/the-editor-stephen-segal-actually-called-me-with-the-idea-of-creating/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/the-book-itself-the-thorn-and-the-blossom-is-bound-accordion-style-it/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [“Spectacular cases are usually simpler, and less interesting, than they initially appear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/spectacular-cases-are-usually-simpler-and-less-interesting-than-they/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [If you look at the natural world, really look at it, it's always magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/if-you-look-at-the-natural-world-really-look-at-it-it-s-always-magical/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [Art inspires me. Looking at art in a museum, listening to music, reading the works of other writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/art-inspires-me-looking-at-art-in-a-museum-listening-to-music-reading/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [I loved writing something people usually have - miscommunication, for example. Now that I've written a romance, I'm sure I'll write more: it's fascinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/i-loved-writing-something-people-usually-have-miscommunication-for/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [I would tell myself to get more sleep! Believe it or not, I wrote the book while finishing my PhD in English literature. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/i-would-tell-myself-to-get-more-sleep-believe-it-or-not-i-wrote-the/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [Nature inspires me continually. Today, I can look out my window and see the entire world covered with snow. It's like Narnia under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/nature-inspires-me-continually-today-i-can-look-out-my-window-and-see/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [Understanding what is going on in the world today inspires me in a negative sense because there's so much about it that I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/understanding-what-is-going-on-in-the-world-today-inspires-me-in-a/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [“I will tell you, too, that every fairy tale has a moral. The moral of my story may be that love is a constraint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/i-will-tell-you-too-that-every-fairy-tale-has-a-moral-the-moral-of-my/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [ I put that part of myself into both Brendan and Evelyn \[from The Thorn and the Blossom\] - as well as some of my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/i-put-that-part-of-myself-into-both-brendan-and-evelyn-from-the-thorn/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) [Explore all 68 Theodora Goss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) ## More 80s quotes > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [If for no other reason than it's just fun to watch people age, and it's fun to watch what happened to '80s hairdos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/if-for-no-other-reason-than-it-s-just-fun-to-watch-people-age-and-it/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/) [Justus Kohncke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-kohncke/) > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [When I was coming up in the '80s television, if you were on television that meant either you were a young actor just coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-was-coming-up-in-the-80s-television-if-you-were-on-television/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/when-someone-asks-if-you-re-a-god-you-say-yes/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) [Lou Lumenick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-lumenick/) > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [It was the case in the 70s and 80s that people believed music could change the world. But now people aren't making music because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-was-the-case-in-the-70s-and-80s-that-people-believed-music-could/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) [Browse all 488 80s quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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. 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