Quotes About Refinement

Real ladies do not know the price of things

A work is perfectly finished only when nothing can be added to it and nothing taken away.

Most of my work consisted of crossing out. Crossing out was the secret of all good writing.

Next to occupation is the building up of good taste. That is difficult, slow work. Few achieve it. It means all the difference in the world in the end.

Edits are very important to me - they're the way in which I work on everything.

Elaboration is not beauty, and sand-paper never finished a piece of bad work.

Contrary to the outstanding work of art, outstanding theory is susceptible to improvements.

I rewrite everything, almost idiotically. I rewrite and work and work, and rewrite and rewrite some more.

I revise and revise and revise. I'm not even sure "revise" is the right word. I work a story almost to death before it's done.

I don't mind trying it out and making sure something seems to work well.

It has taken me 20 years to eliminate the unnecessary elements from my work.

Plays are so much more special if they've never ever had a production, but I think you can really work on a play and make it better with each production.

I need to work on everything.

I don't write a quick draft and then revise; instead, I work slowly page by page, revising and polishing.

Regardless of how little time and work someone takes to perform a task, there has to be a more efficient and effective way to perform it.

I've found that my first drafts are not so special. But the more I work on them, the better they get. They are more unique and defensible.

To work with Kaz on this kind of project is a fascinating process...He seems to be Dogen himself when offering the translations that we Western collaborators then refine with him.

Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.

I always strive to get better.

Our work can always get better, and we are constantly striving for that.

There are many, many things in my work that need redoing - never the structure.

Rewriting isn't just about dialogue; it's the order of the scenes, how you finish a scene, how you get into a scene.

Our music is becoming more mature.

I gotta work on my overall game.