--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At first, I spend about four hours a day…" description: "\"At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on it, because all I want to do is make it goo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/tracy-kidder-8859_book_at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day_3235255.jpg" --- # At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward… ![“At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on it, because all I want to do is make it good and get it done.” quote by Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/tracy-kidder-8859_book_at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day_3235255.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/tracy-kidder-8859_book_at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day_3235255.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/tracy-kidder-8859_book_at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day_3235255.jpg) > “At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on it, because all I want to do is make it good and get it done.” [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intensive writing hours reflect dedication to craft and completion. **In simple terms:** Work hard to finish writing. Key Takeaway Prioritize focused effort. Themes writing productivity dedication craft Mood focused intense Type motivational practical When to use this quote - novel writing - deadline pressure - creative blocks - project completion Key Concepts time management creative flow goal setting Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain quality over long hours? - What breaks help maintain creativity? A Different Perspective Risk of fatigue and diminishing returns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Get it done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-it-done/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I spend three hours a day writing and the rest of my day getting over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-spend-three-hours-a-day-writing-and-the-rest-of-my-day-getting-over/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [You have to hold your audience in writing to the very end-much more than in talking, when people have to be polite and listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/you-have-to-hold-your-audience-in-writing-to-the-very-end-much-more/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [“our knowledge physical, metaphysical, physiological, polemical, nautical, mathematical, ænigmatical, technical, biographical, romantical, chemical, and obstetrical, with fifty other branches of it, (most of ’em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/our-knowledge-physical-metaphysical-physiological-polemical-nautical/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [Writing is not an end in itself but life transmuted into radiance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-atkinson/writing-is-not-an-end-in-itself-but-life-transmuted-into-radiance/) [Brooks Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-atkinson/) > [I don't see the direct correlation between my personal life and the novel I'm writing until I'm at the end of the novel or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-don-t-see-the-direct-correlation-between-my-personal-life-and-the/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [A good day to me is writing from 6 A.M. 'til noon with a break to take my daughter to school. After lunch, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/a-good-day-to-me-is-writing-from-6-a-m-til-noon-with-a-break-to-take/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [The fulfillment I get from a good day of writing is addictive and will always bring me back the next day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/the-fulfillment-i-get-from-a-good-day-of-writing-is-addictive-and/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [Anytime you spend 15 or 16 hours a day with someone, five days a week for six months, that's more time than some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-mcclintock/anytime-you-spend-15-or-16-hours-a-day-with-someone-five-days-a-week/) [Eddie McClintock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-mcclintock/) > [With an inexperienced director, a lot of times the days go on to 14, 15, 16 hours. It goes horrendously overtime. And because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/with-an-inexperienced-director-a-lot-of-times-the-days-go-on-to-14-15/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [It is true I work 16 hours a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-chandrababu-naidu/it-is-true-i-work-16-hours-a-day/) [N. Chandrababu Naidu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-chandrababu-naidu/) > [I survived on sandwiches, and I was on stage every night for six years of my life. I was working 16 hours a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-mugler/i-survived-on-sandwiches-and-i-was-on-stage-every-night-for-six-years/) [Thierry Mugler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-mugler/) > [I work 338 days a year, 16 hours a day,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-pelzer/i-work-338-days-a-year-16-hours-a-day/) [Dave Pelzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-pelzer/) > [People have written about 'Sleep' as if it were some kind of record attempt, but I could just put repeat marks at the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-richter/people-have-written-about-sleep-as-if-it-were-some-kind-of-record/) [Max Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-richter/) > [He's the president of the United States. He's got to work 14 to 16 hours a day, run foreign and domestic policy. If he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-salinger/he-s-the-president-of-the-united-states-he-s-got-to-work-14-to-16/) [Pierre Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-salinger/) > [Ladies, a man who sits on a couch flipping channels while you work 16 hours per day to take care of him is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saramae/ladies-a-man-who-sits-on-a-couch-flipping-channels-while-you-work-16/) [Saramae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saramae/) ## More by Tracy Kidder > [“He sniffed, and said as others had before him and others no doubt would again, "I have learned never to say, 'Never again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/he-sniffed-and-said-as-others-had-before-him-and-others-no-doubt/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Don't worry about being worried. You're heading out on an adventure and you can always change your mind along the way and try something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/don-t-worry-about-being-worried-you-re-heading-out-on-an-adventure/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-that-enduring-geological-features-are-important-though-i/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“In the process Paul laid out a comprehensive theory of poverty, of a world designed by the elites of all nations to serve their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/in-the-process-paul-laid-out-a-comprehensive-theory-of-poverty-of-a/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Farmer liked to tell his Harvard students that to be a good clinician you must never let a patient know that you have problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/farmer-liked-to-tell-his-harvard-students-that-to-be-a-good-clinician/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“One shouldn't expect anyone to be complete at any given moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/one-shouldn-t-expect-anyone-to-be-complete-at-any-given-moment/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-want-my-prose-to-be-as-clear-as-a-pane-of-glass/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [What I like about non-fiction is that it covers such a huge territory. The best non-fiction is also creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/what-i-like-about-non-fiction-is-that-it-covers-such-a-huge-territory/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Things were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/things-were-here-before-you-and-will-be-here-after-you-re-gone-the/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe in God. I think God has given so much power to people, and intelligence, and said, 'Well, you are on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-in-god-i-think-god-has-given-so-much-power-to-people-and/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [The goofiness of radicals thinking they have to dress in Guatemalan peasant clothes. The poor don't want you to look like them. They want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/the-goofiness-of-radicals-thinking-they-have-to-dress-in-guatemalan/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [That's when I feel most alive, he told me once on an airplane, when I'm helping people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/that-s-when-i-feel-most-alive-he-told-me-once-on-an-airplane-when-i-m/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/attempts-at-imitation-would-put-the-emphasis-where-it-didn-t-belong/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Nothing every happens unless you push it. Ed Rasala. 111”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/nothing-every-happens-unless-you-push-it-ed-rasala-111/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Curing yourself of obsessive compulsive disorder by going to a strip club is pretty strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/curing-yourself-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-by-going-to-a-strip/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) [Explore all 77 Tracy Kidder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## 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": "At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on it, because all I want to do is make it good and get it done.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tracy Kidder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day-writing-toward-the-end-of-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day-writing-toward-the-end-of-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/tracy-kidder-8859_book_at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day_3235255.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/tracy-kidder-8859_book_at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day_3235255.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/tracy-kidder-8859_book_at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day_3235255.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on…” — Tracy Kidder", "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": "Tracy Kidder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At first, I spend about four...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day-writing-toward-the-end-of-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/at-first-i-spend-about-four-hours-a-day-writing-toward-the-end-of-a/#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 } } ] } ```