About this quote

An ending is usually the choice you make to stop telling what happened, not a final seal on what can follow. When you mark something finished, you create practical room to take one small next step or try a different approach. Be specific about why you stopped and what unfinished pieces matter enough to pick up again. Try naming one concrete action that would reopen the scene.

When to use it

• After I handed in my PhD thesis, I kept saying, "There is no real ending," because the work will continue in papers and advising students.
• On my last day at the startup I told the team, "There is no real ending," to remind them the product's ideas will surface in new projects.
• When I retired from competitive running I said, "There is no real ending," and then signed up to coach a youth team instead.
• At my grandmother's memorial I told my cousins, "There is no real ending," meaning her routines and stories live on in how we care for each other.