--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I came to a dead stop and began major…" description: "\"I came to a dead stop and began major revisions. Sometimes these entailed the shredding of all existing manuscript for a fresh start - an inefficient w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/william-manchester-18393_book_i-came-to-a-dead-stop-and-began-major-re_518689.jpg" --- # I came to a dead stop and began major revisions. Sometimes… ![“I came to a dead stop and began major revisions. Sometimes these entailed the shredding of all existing manuscript for a fresh start - an inefficient way to write a book, though I found it exciting.” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/william-manchester-18393_book_i-came-to-a-dead-stop-and-began-major-re_518689.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/william-manchester-18393_book_i-came-to-a-dead-stop-and-began-major-re_518689.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/364/william-manchester-18393_book_i-came-to-a-dead-stop-and-began-major-re_518689.jpg) > “I came to a dead stop and began major revisions. Sometimes these entailed the shredding of all existing manuscript for a fresh start - an inefficient way to write a book, though I found it exciting.” [William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes halting a project, discarding previous work, and starting anew, finding excitement despite inefficiency. **In simple terms:** Stopping, discarding, and restarting a project can be thrilling even if inefficient. Key Takeaway Embrace bold revisions when needed. Themes creativity process risk renewal efficiency Mood enerusiastic reflective Type motivational analytical When to use this quote - authoring a novel - overhauling a manuscript - restarting a research paper - revamping a business plan - resetting a personal habit Key Concepts writing iteration creative destruction project management Questions to Reflect On - Is the excitement worth the lost time? - How can you balance thoroughness with the need for change? A Different Perspective Fresh starts can waste resources and delay progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fresh start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-start/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You cover Q-tips with sandpaper and ram them up your nostrils as far as they will go. Then you sniff talcum powder while shredding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/you-cover-q-tips-with-sandpaper-and-ram-them-up-your-nostrils-as-far/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [The bad news is that ignoring the performance of people is almost as bad as shredding their effort in front of their eyes. 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They buckle and dent what was originally forged at a red-hot heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-longley/most-poets-revisions-are-disastrous-they-buckle-and-dent-what-was/) [Michael Longley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-longley/) > [The writer’s life is a life of revisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-writer-s-life-is-a-life-of-revisions/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“That’s the magic of revisions – every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-barnhill/that-s-the-magic-of-revisions-every-cut-is-necessary-and-every-cut/) [Kelly Barnhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-barnhill/) > [I'm a big advocate of revisions, of living with something for a month and then realizing what needs changing, what was lazy, what could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/i-m-a-big-advocate-of-revisions-of-living-with-something-for-a-month/) [K. Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-flay/) > [I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives, but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-love-revisions-we-can-t-go-back-and-revise-our-lives-but-being/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## More by William Manchester > [ It is true that despite occasional gleams of Churchillian eloquence he \[Gen. Douglas MacArthur\] usually spoke poorly. He was far more effective in conversations… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-manchester/it-is-true-that-despite-occasional-gleams-of-churchillian-eloquence/) [William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/) > [Men do not fight for flag or country, for the Marine Corps or glory or any other abstraction. They fight for one another. 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Douglas MacArthur's\] own heroes were Lincoln and Washington, and in some ways he resembled them. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-manchester/his-gen-douglas-macarthur-s-own-heroes-were-lincoln-and-washington/) [William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/) > [But there are no loners. No man lives in a void. His every act is conditioned by his time and his society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-manchester/but-there-are-no-loners-no-man-lives-in-a-void-his-every-act-is/) [William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/) > [As she sallied forth from her boudoir, you would never have guessed how quickly she could strip for action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-manchester/as-she-sallied-forth-from-her-boudoir-you-would-never-have-guessed/) [William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/) > [“In 1988, William Manchester began writing The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm, the third and final volume of his biography of Winston Churchill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-manchester/in-1988-william-manchester-began-writing-the-last-lion-defender-of/) [William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/) > [ His \[Gen. 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