Quotations about:
deadline
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
A book is never finished, it is abandoned.
Gene Fowler (1890-1960) American journalist, author, and dramatist. [b. Eugene Devlan]
Quoted in H. Allen Smith,
The Life and Legend of Gene Fowler, ch. 27 (1977)
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Source)
Fowler was speaking about publisher deadlines. Others have used similar phrases regarding the creative process as a whole. See
Valéry and
Abram.
Added on 29-Jan-24 | Last updated 29-Jan-24
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Topics: art, completion, creation, creativity, deadline, editing, ending, finish, revision, writing
More quotes by Fowler, Gene If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.
Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944) American author, playwright
Bingo (1988)
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Source)
The phrase can actually be found prior to Brown's formulation (
1,
2), but Brown appears to have been the first to popularize it, and it entered into much wider use after her.
Frequent variant: "If not for the last minute ...."
Added on 18-Feb-20 | Last updated 18-Feb-20
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Topics: deadline, last minute, last moment, meme, pressure, procrastination, schedule
More quotes by Brown, Rita Mae A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it’s better than no inspiration at all.
Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944) American author, playwright
Starting from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writers’ Manual, Part 4 (1988)
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Added on 10-Feb-20 | Last updated 10-Feb-20
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Topics: deadline, goad, incentive, inspiration, meme, pressure, work, writing
More quotes by Brown, Rita Mae Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Comment (1777-09-19)
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Source)
In James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791)
Added on 1-Feb-04 | Last updated 13-May-24
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Topics: clarity, concentration, danger, deadline, death, focus, time
More quotes by Johnson, Samuel 
HOBBES: Have you an idea for your story yet?
CALVIN: No, I’m waiting for inspiration. You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
HOBBES: What mood is that?
CALVIN: Last-minute panic.
Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1992-05-21)
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Added on 1-Feb-04 | Last updated 27-Aug-24
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Topics: creativity, deadline, ideas, inspiration, panic, procrastination, writing
More quotes by Watterson, Bill What I love the most about deadlines is the whooshing sound they make as they go by.
Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English author, humourist, screenwriter
Attributed in Richard Dawkins, “A Lament for Douglas Adams,”
The Guardian (2001-05-13)
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Source)
Added on 1-Feb-04 | Last updated 9-Oct-24
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Topics: deadline, delay, lateness, leisure, meme, procrastination, schedule, time
More quotes by Adams, Douglas 
