--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The desire to do different things was the…" description: "\"The desire to do different things was the main motivator that made me leave late night because I'd been there seven years. The combination of an entrep..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/andy-richter-15816_attention_the-desire-to-do-different-things-was-th_2046023.jpg" --- # The desire to do different things was the main motivator… ![“The desire to do different things was the main motivator that made me leave late night because I'd been there seven years. The combination of an entrepreneurial desire to see how far I could push my success and a short attention span. But now I've done other things. And I'm sort of ready to sit…” quote by Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/andy-richter-15816_attention_the-desire-to-do-different-things-was-th_2046023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/andy-richter-15816_attention_the-desire-to-do-different-things-was-th_2046023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/andy-richter-15816_attention_the-desire-to-do-different-things-was-th_2046023.jpg) > “The desire to do different things was the main motivator that made me leave late night because I'd been there seven years. The combination of an entrepreneurial desire to see how far I could push my success and a short attention span. But now I've done other things. And I'm sort of ready to sit somewhere and sit in the same place for a while.” [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He was driven by novelty and entrepreneurship, but now seeks stability after years of restless work. **In simple terms:** Seeking new challenges then craving steadiness. Key Takeaway Balance ambition with rest. Themes career entrepreneurship focus stability Mood reflective determined Type personal development career advice When to use this quote - Job change - Creative projects - Personal growth - Long‑term planning Key Concepts Motivation Attention span Life transition Questions to Reflect On - What does stability look like for you? - How can you channel entrepreneurial energy into steady work? A Different Perspective Sustaining focus can be harder than starting new ventures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention span](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-span/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Combination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combination/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-different-722125/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-things/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Entrepreneurial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurial/) [Entrepreneurial Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurial-desire-3831440/) [Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [How far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how-far/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Late night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late-night/) [Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave/) [Leave Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave-late-3056828/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main/) [Main Motivator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-motivator-3831441/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Motivator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivator/) [Motivator Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivator-leave-3831442/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Push](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/push/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short/) [Sit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit/) [Somewhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhere/) [Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort/) [Span](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/span/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Packing makes me feel vaguely sick - I leave it too late and rush it at the end and then think, 'Oh, I must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-lipman/packing-makes-me-feel-vaguely-sick-i-leave-it-too-late-and-rush-it-at/) [Maureen Lipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-lipman/) > [“Don’t leave it too late to achieve your desired priorities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/don-t-leave-it-too-late-to-achieve-your-desired-priorities/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“I’ll make Chad to you. By that I mean I’ll leave late and come early.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-ll-make-chad-to-you-by-that-i-mean-i-ll-leave-late-and-come-early/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“There's a chasm between envy and desire. Envy is like wanting something that's not yours. But desire is different. Desire comes out of wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michka-assayas/there-s-a-chasm-between-envy-and-desire-envy-is-like-wanting/) [Michka Assayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michka-assayas/) > [What happens when a female writer invokes a female muse? Does something else happen? With Sappho's figures of desire, we have a different lesbian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/what-happens-when-a-female-writer-invokes-a-female-muse-does/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [The desire to be different from the people we live with is sometimes the result of our rejection- real or imagined- by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-desire-to-be-different-from-the-people-we-live-with-is-sometimes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [EVERY intense desire is perhaps basically a desire to be different from what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/every-intense-desire-is-perhaps-basically-a-desire-to-be-different/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Being in New York has definitely intensified my desire to be different and individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-berk/being-in-new-york-has-definitely-intensified-my-desire-to-be/) [Bobby Berk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-berk/) > [Every intense desire is perhaps a desire to be different from what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/every-intense-desire-is-perhaps-a-desire-to-be-different-from-what-we/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [As an actor, my desire was always to be different, there was a desire to associate yourself with projects that bring about the contemporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-kapur/as-an-actor-my-desire-was-always-to-be-different-there-was-a-desire/) [Pankaj Kapur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-kapur/) > [There's an audience out there for all these different types of things. Whether it's comedy, motion-picture drama, family movie or a cool, cutting-edge indie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-macchio/there-s-an-audience-out-there-for-all-these-different-types-of-things/) [Ralph Macchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-macchio/) > [I think, first of all, you know, Washington has a bad habit of a very short attention span.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-think-first-of-all-you-know-washington-has-a-bad-habit-of-a-very/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [When you get a typical injury, you're given a time frame; you're gradually working towards getting back. With concussions, there is not generally a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-crosby/when-you-get-a-typical-injury-you-re-given-a-time-frame-you-re/) [Sidney Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-crosby/) > [From the time I went into baseball, I have always been handicapped by my hands, which are too small. I never saw the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pud-galvin/from-the-time-i-went-into-baseball-i-have-always-been-handicapped-by/) [Pud Galvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pud-galvin/) > [What we know for sure from our work and from others' is that mice have a life span of 1,000 days, dogs have 5,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/what-we-know-for-sure-from-our-work-and-from-others-is-that-mice-have/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) ## More by Andy Richter > [At a very basic level, I think television exists for game shows, and I think it always will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/at-a-very-basic-level-i-think-television-exists-for-game-shows-and-i/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [If you start to just aim for what the audience wants to hear, you're already hamstrung because you don't have any freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/if-you-start-to-just-aim-for-what-the-audience-wants-to-hear-you-re/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [I'm not that professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/i-m-not-that-professional/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [I think the people that are best at something, they don't think about it much. That's the whole key to being good at anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/i-think-the-people-that-are-best-at-something-they-don-t-think-about/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [When I would work freelance in production in Chicago, there were a lot of times when I was working for cheap, bad people, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/when-i-would-work-freelance-in-production-in-chicago-there-were-a-lot/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [I want to get back and figure out how we're going to make 'The Tonight Show' funny and good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/i-want-to-get-back-and-figure-out-how-we-re-going-to-make-the-tonight/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [If somebody's looking at pictures of naked people and you go, 'Oh I don't want to see that,' you're lying. Cause naked people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/if-somebody-s-looking-at-pictures-of-naked-people-and-you-go-oh-i-don/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [Because homecoming came first, and there was the homecoming court. The five guys on homecoming court were disqualified from being in the prom court.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/because-homecoming-came-first-and-there-was-the-homecoming-court-the/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [Outside from with my older brother - and this would have stopped about age 12 - I haven't been in a physical fight in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/outside-from-with-my-older-brother-and-this-would-have-stopped-about/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [My ability to notice that kind of thing, the sanctity of the bubble that you create, has not been so good in a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/my-ability-to-notice-that-kind-of-thing-the-sanctity-of-the-bubble/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [I mean, I'll say the filthiest things in the world, but when it comes down to it, I'm kind of a prude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/i-mean-i-ll-say-the-filthiest-things-in-the-world-but-when-it-comes/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [It's a very nice thing to have a baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/it-s-a-very-nice-thing-to-have-a-baby/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [Since she got a cause and stopped being funny. I think she's real funny, but lately it's all been hearts and flowers and tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/since-she-got-a-cause-and-stopped-being-funny-i-think-she-s-real/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [The people on 'Quintuplets' were great, but I wasn't a producer on that show, and it wasn't exactly my taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/the-people-on-quintuplets-were-great-but-i-wasn-t-a-producer-on-that/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [Anything that I read, I read because I'm interested in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/anything-that-i-read-i-read-because-i-m-interested-in-it/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) [Explore all 42 Andy Richter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The desire to do different things was the main motivator that made me leave late night because I'd been there seven years. 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