--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As long as I could hold a pencil, I was…" description: "\"As long as I could hold a pencil, I was drawing and telling stories and making jokes. I've just been lucky that no one ever stopped me, and now I can d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8e/alex-hirsch-3407_can-do_as-long-as-i-could-hold-a-pencil-i-was-d_869757.jpg" --- # As long as I could hold a pencil, I was drawing and… ![“As long as I could hold a pencil, I was drawing and telling stories and making jokes. I've just been lucky that no one ever stopped me, and now I can do that for a living.” quote by Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8e/alex-hirsch-3407_can-do_as-long-as-i-could-hold-a-pencil-i-was-d_869757.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8e/alex-hirsch-3407_can-do_as-long-as-i-could-hold-a-pencil-i-was-d_869757.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8e/alex-hirsch-3407_can-do_as-long-as-i-could-hold-a-pencil-i-was-d_869757.jpg) > “As long as I could hold a pencil, I was drawing and telling stories and making jokes. I've just been lucky that no one ever stopped me, and now I can do that for a living.” [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects a lifelong passion for drawing and storytelling, crediting perseverance and support in turning a hobby into a profession. **In simple terms:** Passion and perseverance can become a career. Key Takeaway Nurture creative passions early. Themes creativity career perseverance Mood inspired grateful Type career personal development When to use this quote - art school - freelance work - media production Key Concepts self‑expression storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What kept you motivated? - How do you handle creative blocks? A Different Perspective Success often requires external validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Telling stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-stories/) ## Related quotes > [If, in making a portrait, you hope to grasp the interior silence of a willing victim, it's very difficult, but you must somehow position…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/if-in-making-a-portrait-you-hope-to-grasp-the-interior-silence-of-a/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [Drawing' is telling a story with pictures. 'Writing' is telling a story with words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-hartman/drawing-is-telling-a-story-with-pictures-writing-is-telling-a-story/) [Butch Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-hartman/) > [Somebody let me a hold a 2 pencil cause they testin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-3000/somebody-let-me-a-hold-a-2-pencil-cause-they-testin/) Andre 3000 > [Since the moment I could hold a pencil, I have spent nearly all day every day writing. And there is not an age group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-forsyth/since-the-moment-i-could-hold-a-pencil-i-have-spent-nearly-all-day/) [Kate Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-forsyth/) > [“Outside the plate glass the world in the mist had become a pencil drawing executed in a dozen different grays with, here and there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/outside-the-plate-glass-the-world-in-the-mist-had-become-a-pencil/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I belong to this notebook and this pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-belong-to-this-notebook-and-this-pencil/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Increasingly, editing means going to lunch. It means editing with a credit card, not with a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/increasingly-editing-means-going-to-lunch-it-means-editing-with-a/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [The computer is really like a pencil, you know. It used to be. The pencil can do anything you want to, but you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimo-vignelli/the-computer-is-really-like-a-pencil-you-know-it-used-to-be-the/) [Massimo Vignelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimo-vignelli/) > [Unfortunately when I start to talk or when someone watches over my shoulders my pencil either stops or I draw meaningless lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/unfortunately-when-i-start-to-talk-or-when-someone-watches-over-my/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [Said Hamlet to Ophelia, I'll draw a sketch of thee. What kind of pencil shall I use? 2B or not 2B?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/said-hamlet-to-ophelia-i-ll-draw-a-sketch-of-thee-what-kind-of-pencil/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [I put my pencil upon the paper, doubtfully, and drew little lines, considering my theme. But I would not long hesitate in this manner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/i-put-my-pencil-upon-the-paper-doubtfully-and-drew-little-lines/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [With pencil there is a tendency to be timid, either using very faint lines or erasing bad lines... Line sketching tends to emphasize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/with-pencil-there-is-a-tendency-to-be-timid-either-using-very-faint/) [Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/) > [But I had never drawn on a tablet before. I've been doing pencil and paper and film for almost 20 years. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-hertzfeldt/but-i-had-never-drawn-on-a-tablet-before-i-ve-been-doing-pencil-and/) [Don Hertzfeldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-hertzfeldt/) > [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More by Alex Hirsch > [I've driven Ferrari 488 GTB, the 488 Spider, the Mclaren 570s and 540c, the Bentley GT3R, GT Speed and V8s, Mercedes AMG GTs, Lamborghini…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/i-ve-driven-ferrari-488-gtb-the-488-spider-the-mclaren-570s-and-540c/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [Gravity Falls' didn't just appear overnight - every spooky cave and moss covered tree was created by a team of brilliant artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/gravity-falls-didn-t-just-appear-overnight-every-spooky-cave-and-moss/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [Gravity Falls' is a very hard show to produce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/gravity-falls-is-a-very-hard-show-to-produce/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [When I was about 7 years old, I built a leprechaun trap out of a cardboard box, a biscuit tin and some toilet paper tubes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/when-i-was-about-7-years-old-i-built-a-leprechaun-trap-out-of-a/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [I can speak to my experience and say that CalArts worked out very well for me. After CalArts, I went to Cartoon Network, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/i-can-speak-to-my-experience-and-say-that-calarts-worked-out-very/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [Gravity Falls has transformed the children of America into an army of Dippers. I couldn't be more proud!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/gravity-falls-has-transformed-the-children-of-america-into-an-army-of/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [What people are going to see on my platform is cars from a different perspective - so that I'm still speaking the same language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/what-people-are-going-to-see-on-my-platform-is-cars-from-a-different/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [I loved 'The Simpsons' because it didn't talk down to its audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/i-loved-the-simpsons-because-it-didn-t-talk-down-to-its-audience/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [Not a lot of people get to say, 'I'm a cartoon character.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/not-a-lot-of-people-get-to-say-i-m-a-cartoon-character/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [Cliffhangers are a lot of fun, but I think they can be easily abused if you're not careful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/cliffhangers-are-a-lot-of-fun-but-i-think-they-can-be-easily-abused/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [When I was 12 years old, I was obsessed with codes, conspiracies, and secret messages. I would record TV commercials with SoundRecorder.exe on Windows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/when-i-was-12-years-old-i-was-obsessed-with-codes-conspiracies-and/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [You can look at a finale as chance to make an impact or a statement, to shock people or shoot a big cannon and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/you-can-look-at-a-finale-as-chance-to-make-an-impact-or-a-statement/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [I thought that was the coolest thing in the world, the idea of somebody trying to solve mysteries. I would see conspiracies in everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/i-thought-that-was-the-coolest-thing-in-the-world-the-idea-of/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [The best thing about driving supercars is the way it makes me feel. It's so much fun that I often find myself laughing behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/the-best-thing-about-driving-supercars-is-the-way-it-makes-me-feel-it/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [When you write scripts, it begins to feel like you're living in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/when-you-write-scripts-it-begins-to-feel-like-you-re-living-in-them/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) [Explore all 131 Alex Hirsch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) ## More Can do quotes > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As long as I could hold a pencil, I was drawing and telling stories and making jokes. 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