The coming of a new year is a time to look ahead, to plan, to dream—but also to stop and reflect on the chapter or book we’re closing, the page we’re turning, the conflicts we’ve resolved, the characters we’re bidding goodbye.

It’s no accident that literary metaphors spill into the cultural lexicon whenever a new year begins.

After all, endings are important—for readers and writers especially. They’re milestones that deserve to be honored and recognized.

And so, we find ourselves turning to the wise words of fellow writers to help us reflect and find closure, steel our resolve, and let in new inspiration. Here are 8 quote-worthy insights to help you do just that.

  1. Time makes up the pages that will be your story. Every time your life changes, you start a new chapter. To me, there’s nothing more depressing than someone getting to the end of their days and realizing they’ve only written one long, boring passage.” —Elizabeth Isaacs
  2. “The next chapter of my life is always more interesting than the last one.” —Michael Lipsey

  3. “No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas; this new book is newly opened, has just begun! Look, it is the first page! And it is a beautiful one!” —C. JoyBell C.
  4. “There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” ―Frank Herbert

  5. “There’s a trick to the ‘graceful exit.’ … It means leaving what’s over without denying its validity or its past importance to our lives. It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving up, rather than out.” ―Ellen Goodman
  6. “It’s okay how some stories leave off without an ending. Life doesn’t always deliver the one you would expect.” ―Adam Silvera
  7. “I don’t want a happy ending, I want more story.” ―Frances Hardinge

  8. “All stories must end so, with the next tale winking out of the corners of the last pages, promising more, promising moonlight and dancing and revels, if only you will come back when spring comes again.” ―Catherynne M. Valente

Do you have a favorite quote to reflect on when a life chapter ends? We’d love to hear it: Join our discussion on Facebook.

From all of us at Career Authors, we wish you a peaceful, meaningful close to this year, and a beautiful start to the next one.