Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Anne Lamott

Quote by Anne Lamott

“Annie Dillard has said that day by day you have to give the work before you all the best stuff you have, not saving up for later projects. If you give freely, there will always be more.”

Quote by Anne Lamott

Book:Bird by Bird
Create image

Work

Bird by Bird

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott is an American novelist born on April 10, 1954. Her works are known for their humor, directness, and profound emotional depth, primarily exploring themes of family, faith, and self-discovery. more

You May Also Like

“But as MLK Jr. said in his blueprint speech, "When you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. Don't just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn't do it any better.”

WorkDoing Your BestMlk Jr
Book:That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America
Create image

“Я оказалась среди чужих — я, чью физическую силу купили за определенную плату на определенное количество часов в день. Всё остальное во мне им было безразлично. А мне так сильно хочется самой распоряжаться своим временем вместо того, чтобы постоянно его продавать.”

Work
Book:Youth
Create image

“Labor Day honors the dignity of work and the enduring contributions of working people. It is dedicated to no single man, sect, or class, but to the tireless collective efforts of all who, through sweat, skill, and sacrifice, strive to build a better world—for ourselves, our children, and generations yet to come.”

WorkLabor DayLabour DayWorkers RightsLabor ActivismLabor Day QuotesInternational Labor DayWorkers DayWorkers UnionInternational Workers Day
Author:Aloo Denish Obiero
Create image

“When do you think you stop?” I ask. “When you’re forty? When they die?” I shoot him a teasing look. “When you win a Pulitzer?” He scoffs quietly. “No, not then. Because then, suddenly, they’re incredibly proud, but they’re proud of the accomplishment, not of the work. So you feel like you have to keep accomplishing instead of just creating. It affirms the idea that the value in what you do is how people react to it, and not just in the making of it. I’ve written stuff I’m really proud of that hardly anyone read. I’ve written stuff I’m proud of that no one liked. That doesn’t mean it didn’t deserve to be written.” Now I’m genuinely smiling, my mood lifting almost instantly. “That’s a nice thought.” His huge shoulders lift in a shrug. “It’s true. How many of your favorite shows got canceled? How many of the best albums barely sold when they came out? I mean, It’s a Wonderful Life was a box office flop in its time. If everyone who worked on that movie had known, could see how things were going to pan out in the short term, would they have even bothered to make it? And then the world would’ve lost out on something beautiful. Just because something doesn’t make money or win awards doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. Or doesn’t deserve to exist. The job is alchemy. You take a hunk of rock and you try to turn it into gold, and the gold isn’t even really the point.” “Right, because the goal is immortality,” I joke. “It’s permanence,” he says. “Not, like, having your name on the side of a fucking airplane or skyscraper, or some shit like that. But bringing something intangible into the world that can live on without you. Something bigger than the person who made it. And even then, the goal is secondary to the process. The process is for us. It changes us in ways that can’t be measured. At least, that’s what I’ve always thought.” My grin is getting bigger by the second.”

ProcessWorkCreativityRealizationAccomplishments
Book:Great Big Beautiful Life
Create image