--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a moment there I convinced myself I…" description: "\"For a moment there I convinced myself I had my back against a wall, and suddenly the only wall I find my back against is that of a 10 by 10 writing sha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/andrew-mcmahon-16018_average_for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i_520147.jpg" --- # For a moment there I convinced myself I had my back… ![“For a moment there I convinced myself I had my back against a wall, and suddenly the only wall I find my back against is that of a 10 by 10 writing shack in Glendale, where the summer days average between 90 and 100 and each song can be quantified in the sweat it took to write it. There is no ac…” quote by Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/andrew-mcmahon-16018_average_for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i_520147.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/andrew-mcmahon-16018_average_for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i_520147.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/andrew-mcmahon-16018_average_for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i_520147.jpg) > “For a moment there I convinced myself I had my back against a wall, and suddenly the only wall I find my back against is that of a 10 by 10 writing shack in Glendale, where the summer days average between 90 and 100 and each song can be quantified in the sweat it took to write it. There is no ac in hell, and sometimes you've got to get down to get up. The train is gaining speed I should think.” [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing oppressive circumstances can spark creative drive, turning discomfort into artistic energy. **In simple terms:** Hardship can fuel creativity. Key Takeaway Channel pressure into work. Themes creativity adversity motivation Mood intense determined Type inspirational musical When to use this quote - songwriting - heatwave - personal struggle - performance pressure Key Concepts psychology of flow environmental influence Questions to Reflect On - How do you transform discomfort into art? - What limits does pressure impose? A Different Perspective Creative output may suffer if stress becomes overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enlightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightening/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-days/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I couldn't write an AC/DC song. I don't know how to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-rudd/i-couldn-t-write-an-ac-dc-song-i-don-t-know-how-to-do-that/) [Phil Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-rudd/) > [Writing a first novel was an arduous crash course. I learned so much in the six years it took me to write it, mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/writing-a-first-novel-was-an-arduous-crash-course-i-learned-so-much/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [I don't have a cellphone or a computer. I deliberately circumscribe my mental life within the periods that I write about, and the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-don-t-have-a-cellphone-or-a-computer-i-deliberately-circumscribe-my/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Do you know how long it took me to write 'For a Few Dollars More'? Nine days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-vincenzoni/do-you-know-how-long-it-took-me-to-write-for-a-few-dollars-more-nine/) Luciano Vincenzoni > [This is the most beautiful thing in The Shack story, that Jesus can be just a friend, someone who can carry you, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviv-alush/this-is-the-most-beautiful-thing-in-the-shack-story-that-jesus-can-be/) [Aviv Alush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aviv-alush/) > [“It looked like a proper murder shack.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-frazier/it-looked-like-a-proper-murder-shack/) [T.M. Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-m-frazier/) > [I'm always down to try a new burger, but Shake Shack is still my top. What makes them so special is for the bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/i-m-always-down-to-try-a-new-burger-but-shake-shack-is-still-my-top/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [If you're a Mexican citizen whether you live in a shanty shack or the big palace on the beach, when you turn 65, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/if-you-re-a-mexican-citizen-whether-you-live-in-a-shanty-shack-or-the/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [“I did not care for the book the Shack at all! It all seemed a little far fetched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul/i-did-not-care-for-the-book-the-shack-at-all-it-all-seemed-a-little/) [paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul/) > [The fact is that you can be a Nazi living in a little trailer in the middle of Montana and as awful as everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-theroux/the-fact-is-that-you-can-be-a-nazi-living-in-a-little-trailer-in-the/) [Louis Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-theroux/) > [It's easy to grin / When your ship comes in / And you've got the stock market beat. / But the man worthwhile, /…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-knight/it-s-easy-to-grin-when-your-ship-comes-in-and-you-ve-got-the-stock/) Ted Knight > [Imagine you're a forty-year-old, Richard," Hamilton said to me around this time, while working as a salesman at a Radio Shack in Lynn Valley,"and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/imagine-you-re-a-forty-year-old-richard-hamilton-said-to-me-around/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [And one fine day the goddess of the wind kisses the foot of man, that mistreated, scorned foot, and from that kiss the soccer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/and-one-fine-day-the-goddess-of-the-wind-kisses-the-foot-of-man-that/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [“I don't need the money I couldn't care 'Cause everything I want Is standing right here I would live on the street In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devotchka/i-don-t-need-the-money-i-couldn-t-care-cause-everything-i-want-is/) DeVotchka > [ “\[THE DAILY BREATH\] I love the ending of the novel "The Shack" by William Young. Mackenzie, the main character, encounters Jesus during his near-death… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/the-daily-breath-i-love-the-ending-of-the-novel-the-shack-by-william/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) ## More by Andrew McMahon > [It's easy to love the snow because at the end of every snowstorm it's as if the world has started over. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/it-s-easy-to-love-the-snow-because-at-the-end-of-every-snowstorm-it-s/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I think that's the most important thing: when life kind of screws you over a little bit, you've got to learn from that experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-think-that-s-the-most-important-thing-when-life-kind-of-screws-you/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I've found that falling doesn't always leave you fallen for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-ve-found-that-falling-doesn-t-always-leave-you-fallen-for/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [You're gonna get thrown curve balls left and right, and that's just the way it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/you-re-gonna-get-thrown-curve-balls-left-and-right-and-that-s-just/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I try not to release songs that I'm not proud of, and even songs that I don't connect with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-try-not-to-release-songs-that-i-m-not-proud-of-and-even-songs-that/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I am lucky. I did not choose this life. It chose me. It's strange like that; not picking my path, but rather easing into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-am-lucky-i-did-not-choose-this-life-it-chose-me-it-s-strange-like/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I have found that searching for insight is more often than not a path to total darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-have-found-that-searching-for-insight-is-more-often-than-not-a-path/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [With each new day it becomes more apparent to me that everything and everyone in this world is connected in some beautiful and inexplicable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/with-each-new-day-it-becomes-more-apparent-to-me-that-everything-and/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [And when I got sick I felt confident that if it was the last thing I ever recorded before I left this earth, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/and-when-i-got-sick-i-felt-confident-that-if-it-was-the-last-thing-i/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I can say for the first time that I am not afraid, and while this is a feeling that can undoubtedly change with time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-can-say-for-the-first-time-that-i-am-not-afraid-and-while-this-is-a/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I think human beings make life beautiful. There's a lot of beauty in everything. I think what makes life beautiful is the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-think-human-beings-make-life-beautiful-there-s-a-lot-of-beauty-in/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [It's your 21st birthday... What are you doing sober at the front row of a concert? Is it your 21st birthday? By the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/it-s-your-21st-birthday-what-are-you-doing-sober-at-the-front-row-of/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [But planes land and so do I, and suns rise, melting away the grounds cool protection. I am finally free, if only for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/but-planes-land-and-so-do-i-and-suns-rise-melting-away-the-grounds/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I have a really hard time connecting to music that doesn't feel like I'm somehow solving a puzzle that applies to my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/i-have-a-really-hard-time-connecting-to-music-that-doesn-t-feel-like/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) [Explore all 41 Andrew McMahon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) ## More Average quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/) Buck Martinez > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/) [Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/) > [I really focus more to hit for average, just try to put the ball in play as much as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/i-really-focus-more-to-hit-for-average-just-try-to-put-the-ball-in/) [Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/) > [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/) [Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/) > [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/) > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/) [Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/) > [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) Browse all 2,816 Average quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a moment there I convinced myself I had my back against a wall, and suddenly the only wall I find my back against is that of a 10 by 10 writing shack in Glendale, where the summer days average between 90 and 100 and each song can be quantified in the sweat it took to write it. There is no ac in hell, and sometimes you've got to get down to get up. The train is gaining speed I should think.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew McMahon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i-had-my-back-against-a-wall/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Average" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i-had-my-back-against-a-wall/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/andrew-mcmahon-16018_average_for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i_520147.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/andrew-mcmahon-16018_average_for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i_520147.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/andrew-mcmahon-16018_average_for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i_520147.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a moment there I convinced myself I had my back against a wall, and suddenly the only wall I find my…” — Andrew McMahon", "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": "Andrew McMahon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For a moment there I convinced...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i-had-my-back-against-a-wall/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/for-a-moment-there-i-convinced-myself-i-had-my-back-against-a-wall/#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 } } ] } ```