--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At some point I started getting…" description: "\"At some point I started getting published, and experienced a meager knock-kneed standing in the literary world, and I started to get almost everything ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/anne-lamott-188_anxiety_at-some-point-i-started-getting-publishe_2834394.png" --- # At some point I started getting published, and experienced… ![“At some point I started getting published, and experienced a meager knock-kneed standing in the literary world, and I started to get almost everything that many of you graduates are hoping for--except for the money. I got a lot of things that society had promised would make me whole and…” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/anne-lamott-188_anxiety_at-some-point-i-started-getting-publishe_2834394.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/anne-lamott-188_anxiety_at-some-point-i-started-getting-publishe_2834394.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/anne-lamott-188_anxiety_at-some-point-i-started-getting-publishe_2834394.png) > “At some point I started getting published, and experienced a meager knock-kneed standing in the literary world, and I started to get almost everything that many of you graduates are hoping for--except for the money. I got a lot of things that society had promised would make me whole and fulfilled--all the things that the culture tells you, from preschool on, will quiet the throbbing anxiety inside you. I got some stature, the respect of other writers, even a low-grade fame. The culture says these things will save you, as long as you also manage to keep your weight down. But the culture lies.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal promises of success and fulfillment often overlook the deeper need for authentic purpose beyond external achievements. **In simple terms:** Society sells fulfillment through fame and status, but true wholeness comes from inner purpose. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond external validation. Themes society fulfillment authenticity career mental health purpose Mood contemplative hopeful serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - therapy - creative writing - financial planning - well‑being Key Concepts existentialism cultural critique self-actualization Questions to Reflect On - What does authentic fulfillment look like for you? - How can you balance external goals with inner purpose? A Different Perspective External achievements can still provide genuine satisfaction when aligned with personal values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-lies-1234725/) [Culture Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-says-925412/) [Culture Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-tells-546646/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Fulfilled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilled/) [Getting Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-published-712206/) [Grades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grades/) [Graduates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduates/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Manage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manage/) [Preschool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preschool/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing/) [Stature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stature/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) [Weight Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight-culture-3680610/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [But the ground of a man's culture lies in his nature, not in his calling. His powers are to be unfolded on account of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/but-the-ground-of-a-man-s-culture-lies-in-his-nature-not-in-his/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Mistaking Palestinian military weakness for moral innocence seems to further amplify the inattention of journalists to the culture of lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/mistaking-palestinian-military-weakness-for-moral-innocence-seems-to/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [You are going to have to give and give and give, or there's no reason for you to be writing. You have to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-are-going-to-have-to-give-and-give-and-give-or-there-s-no-reason-2/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I tell my students that the odds of their getting published and of it bringing them financial security, peace of mind, and even joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-tell-my-students-that-the-odds-of-their-getting-published-and-of-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Crime takes the pulse of a culture. It tells us the truth about us as a species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/crime-takes-the-pulse-of-a-culture-it-tells-us-the-truth-about-us-as/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [“Our culture tells us to want sex, pleasure, and instant gratification. Every hit song raves about it. Consumerism tells us that we need it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-heil/our-culture-tells-us-to-want-sex-pleasure-and-instant-gratification/) [Michael J Heil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-heil/) > [Popular culture tells you that schools and parents don't know what's going on, the police are dogs, politicians are all liars and scum, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/popular-culture-tells-you-that-schools-and-parents-don-t-know-what-s/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/language-is-the-road-map-of-a-culture-it-tells-you-where-its-people/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [Money is like a mirror to our culture. What we see tells us who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-needleman/money-is-like-a-mirror-to-our-culture-what-we-see-tells-us-who-we-are/) [Jacob Needleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-needleman/) > [We live in a culture that discourages empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principal goal in life is to be rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-live-in-a-culture-that-discourages-empathy-a-culture-that-too/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I got a lot of things that society had promised would make me whole and fulfilled - all the things that the culture tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-got-a-lot-of-things-that-society-had-promised-would-make-me-whole/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Our culture says Status is more important than Wealth, but we teach the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-woodward/our-culture-says-status-is-more-important-than-wealth-but-we-teach/) [Orrin Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-woodward/) > [We need to have a culture that says 'the less energy you can use to be comfortable, the better off you are and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roscoe-bartlett/we-need-to-have-a-culture-that-says-the-less-energy-you-can-use-to-be/) [Roscoe Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roscoe-bartlett/) > [We are a culture that relies on technology over community, a society in which spoken and written words are cheap, easy to come by,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/we-are-a-culture-that-relies-on-technology-over-community-a-society/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [The status quo is a product of our culture or our culture is a product of the status quo - I'm sure which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-anderson/the-status-quo-is-a-product-of-our-culture-or-our-culture-is-a/) [Ray Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-anderson/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) [Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/) > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At some point I started getting published, and experienced a meager knock-kneed standing in the literary world, and I started to get almost everything that many of you graduates are hoping for--except for the money. 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