--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truly creative people care little about…" description: "\"“Truly creative people care little about what they have done, and a lot about what they are doing.”\" — Alan Cohen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/alan-cohen-1112_creative_truly-creative-people-care-little-about_1600908.png" --- # Truly creative people care little about what they have… ![“Truly creative people care little about what they have done, and a lot about what they are doing.” quote by Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/alan-cohen-1112_creative_truly-creative-people-care-little-about_1600908.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/alan-cohen-1112_creative_truly-creative-people-care-little-about_1600908.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/alan-cohen-1112_creative_truly-creative-people-care-little-about_1600908.png) > ““Truly creative people care little about what they have done, and a lot about what they are doing.”” [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative people focus on ongoing creation rather than past achievements. **In simple terms:** Focus on current creative work. Key Takeaway Prioritise present creative actions. Themes creativity mindset progress Mood motivational reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - design - music production Key Concepts growth mindset process orientation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance past lessons with new creation? - What habits keep you focused on current work? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on present may neglect learning from past. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-act/) [Creative people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-people/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ## Related quotes > [Truly creative people care a little about what they have done, and a lot about what they are doing. Their driving focus is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/truly-creative-people-care-a-little-about-what-they-have-done-and-a/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Big people take care of little people; we must live up to that trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/big-people-take-care-of-little-people-we-must-live-up-to-that-trust/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [Writing is truly a creative art - putting word to a blank piece of paper and ending up with a full-fledged story rife with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/writing-is-truly-a-creative-art-putting-word-to-a-blank-piece-of/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [A truly creative person rids him or herself of all self-imposed limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-jampolsky/a-truly-creative-person-rids-him-or-herself-of-all-self-imposed/) [Gerald Jampolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-jampolsky/) > [“I like to remind people that creativity also isn't a spark; it's a slog. Every artist, inventor, designer, writer, or other creative in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-burchard/i-like-to-remind-people-that-creativity-also-isn-t-a-spark-it-s-a/) [Brendon Burchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-burchard/) > [“The truly creative mind is hardly ever so much alone as when it is trying to be sociable. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/the-truly-creative-mind-is-hardly-ever-so-much-alone-as-when-it-is/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) > [When you are scripting, the scene, the dialogues, everything comes before you, taking final shape. That is truly the most creative aspect of filmmaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balachandra-menon/when-you-are-scripting-the-scene-the-dialogues-everything-comes/) [Balachandra Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balachandra-menon/) > [Of the truly creative no one is ever master; it must be left to go its own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/of-the-truly-creative-no-one-is-ever-master-it-must-be-left-to-go-its/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating: the truly creative and the truly medicated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/there-are-only-two-kinds-of-people-who-are-really-fascinating-the/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [The more ideas one is free to explore, the more likely a truly creative idea can emerge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bell/the-more-ideas-one-is-free-to-explore-the-more-likely-a-truly/) [Michael Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bell/) > [That's why I've always been appreciative of truly creative radio commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-roeper/that-s-why-i-ve-always-been-appreciative-of-truly-creative-radio/) [Richard Roeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-roeper/) > [The truly creative individual stands ready to abandon old habits and to acknowledge that life, particularly his own unique life, is rich with possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-baron/the-truly-creative-individual-stands-ready-to-abandon-old-habits-and/) Frank Baron > [I've never met a truly creative person who was happy and satisfied with life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-conran/i-ve-never-met-a-truly-creative-person-who-was-happy-and-satisfied/) [Terence Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-conran/) > [“Ask anybody doing truly creative work, and they’ll tell you the truth: They don’t know where the good stuff comes from. They just show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/ask-anybody-doing-truly-creative-work-and-they-ll-tell-you-the-truth/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## More by Alan Cohen > [When you protect yourself from pain, be sure you do not protect yourself from love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/when-you-protect-yourself-from-pain-be-sure-you-do-not-protect/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Anyone in a state of seeking can never be happy. Only those who are constantly finding are fulfilled. And finding is not something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/anyone-in-a-state-of-seeking-can-never-be-happy-only-those-who-are/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“You cannot be other than you are. Thank God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/you-cannot-be-other-than-you-are-thank-god/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Evaluate every act by whether it brings you greater life, or deadens you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/evaluate-every-act-by-whether-it-brings-you-greater-life-or-deadens/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Put aside ambition for public recognition, and simply do what you do because it feels good inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/put-aside-ambition-for-public-recognition-and-simply-do-what-you-do/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“When you finally give up striving, you will be left with what you have been striving for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/when-you-finally-give-up-striving-you-will-be-left-with-what-you-have/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“newspaper ads for lost pets and earthquakes that soon follow. Other studies indicate a higher rate of last-minute cancellations for airplane flights that crash.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/newspaper-ads-for-lost-pets-and-earthquakes-that-soon-follow-other/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“Quit using your creative power to formulate questions. You can just as easily—more easily— use it to formulate answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/quit-using-your-creative-power-to-formulate-questions-you-can-just-as/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > ['How can I be more like you?' she asked the guru. 'The best way to be more like me is to be more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/how-can-i-be-more-like-you-she-asked-the-guru-the-best-way-to-be-more/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Turmoil is a call for awakening. Every challenge, great or small, is moving you to look deeper and draw forth the highest in you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/turmoil-is-a-call-for-awakening-every-challenge-great-or-small-is/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [The difficulties of life do not keep you from greatness. They show you to its door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/the-difficulties-of-life-do-not-keep-you-from-greatness-they-show-you/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [What a doctor or healer tells you is a reflection of the beliefs and expectations you hold. Change your beliefs and you change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/what-a-doctor-or-healer-tells-you-is-a-reflection-of-the-beliefs-and/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Quit planning your dream and start living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/quit-planning-your-dream-and-start-living-it/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [The more you invest in your happiness, the more happiness will invest in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/the-more-you-invest-in-your-happiness-the-more-happiness-will-invest/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Joy is the wild card of life; it supersedes every other formula for success. If you can find a way to create joy, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/joy-is-the-wild-card-of-life-it-supersedes-every-other-formula-for/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) [Explore all 290 Alan Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) ## More Creative quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) [Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Truly creative people care little about what they have done, and a lot about what they are doing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Cohen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/truly-creative-people-care-little-about-what-they-have-done-and-a-lot/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/truly-creative-people-care-little-about-what-they-have-done-and-a-lot/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/alan-cohen-1112_creative_truly-creative-people-care-little-about_1600908.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/alan-cohen-1112_creative_truly-creative-people-care-little-about_1600908.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/alan-cohen-1112_creative_truly-creative-people-care-little-about_1600908.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Truly creative people care little about what they have done, and a lot about what they are doing.” — Alan Cohen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Cohen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Truly creative people care little about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/truly-creative-people-care-little-about-what-they-have-done-and-a-lot/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/truly-creative-people-care-little-about-what-they-have-done-and-a-lot/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```