--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . . . I bet I'm beginning to make some…" description: "\"“. . . I bet I'm beginning to make some parents nervous - here I am, bragging of being a dropout, and unemployable, and about to make a pitch for you t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f0/anne-lamott-188_busy-person_i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents_2123407.jpg" --- # . . . I bet I'm beginning to make some parents nervous… ![“. . . I bet I'm beginning to make some parents nervous - here I am, bragging of being a dropout, and unemployable, and about to make a pitch for you to follow your creative dreams, when what parents want is for their children to do well in their field, to make them look good, and maybe also to…” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f0/anne-lamott-188_busy-person_i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents_2123407.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f0/anne-lamott-188_busy-person_i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents_2123407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f0/anne-lamott-188_busy-person_i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents_2123407.jpg) > ““. . . I bet I'm beginning to make some parents nervous - here I am, bragging of being a dropout, and unemployable, and about to make a pitch for you to follow your creative dreams, when what parents want is for their children to do well in their field, to make them look good, and maybe also to assemble a tasteful fortune . . . But that is not your problem. Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to live it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it, and find out the truth about who you are . . . I do know you are not what you look like, or how much you weigh, or how you did in school, or whether you start a job next Monday or not. Spirit isn't what you do, it's . . . well, again, I don't actually know. They probably taught this junior year at Goucher; I should've stuck around. But I know that you feel best when you're not doing much - when you're in nature, when you're very quiet or, paradoxically, listening to music . . . We can see Spirit made visible when people are kind to one another, especially when it's a really busy person, like you, taking care of the needy, annoying, neurotic person, like you. In fact, that's often when we see Spirit most brightly . . . In my twenties I devised a school of relaxation that has unfortunately fallen out of favor in the ensuing years - it was called Prone Yoga. You just lay around as much as possible. You could read, listen to music, you could space out or sleep. But you had to be lying down. Maintaining the prone. You've graduated. You have nothing left to prove, and besides, it's a fool's game. If you agree to play, you've already lost. It's Charlie Brown and Lucy, with the football. If you keep getting back on the field, they win. There are so many great things to do right now. Write. Sing. Rest. Eat cherries. Register voters. And - oh my God - I nearly forgot the most important thing: refuse to wear uncomfortable pants, even if they make you look really thin. Promise me you'll never wear pants that bind or tug or hurt, pants that have an opinion about how much you've just eaten. The pants may be lying! There is way too much lying and scolding going on politically right now without having your pants get in on the act, too. So bless you. You've done an amazing thing. And you are loved; you're capable of lives of great joy and meaning. It's what you are made of. And it's what you're here for. Take care of yourselves; take care of one another. And give thanks, like this: Thank you.”” [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. Life is about how you spend your limited time, not meeting external expectations or appearances, but discovering authentic self through quiet, nature, and kindness. **In simple terms:** Focus on authentic living, not others' expectations. Key Takeaway Choose genuine experiences over appearances. Themes authenticity purpose self-discovery mindfulness creativity Mood contemplative inspired reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - creative projects - personal reflection - volunteering - nature retreats Key Concepts existentialism psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - What truly matters to you beyond others' judgments? - How can you balance authenticity with necessary obligations? A Different Perspective May overlook practical responsibilities while seeking authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Busy person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy-person/) [Junior year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/junior-year/) [Listening to music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening-to-music/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Precious life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-life/) ## Related quotes > [“We can see Spirit made visible when people are kind to one another, especially when it's a really busy person, like you, taking care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-can-see-spirit-made-visible-when-people-are-kind-to-one-another/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's a fine line of doing what's good for your life and what your parents want you to do, but also following your dreams.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaley-cuoco/it-s-a-fine-line-of-doing-what-s-good-for-your-life-and-what-your/) [Kaley Cuoco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaley-cuoco/) > [It's a fine line of doing what's good for your life and what your parents want you to do, but also following your dreams.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaley-cuoco/it-s-a-fine-line-of-doing-what-s-good-for-your-life-and-what-your-2/) [Kaley Cuoco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaley-cuoco/) > [I was a kid with a lot of dreams. And my parents encouraged me in every possible way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srinidhi-shetty/i-was-a-kid-with-a-lot-of-dreams-and-my-parents-encouraged-me-in/) [Srinidhi Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srinidhi-shetty/) > [I had big dreams and my parents allowed me to travel and go to these traveling teams, and to make it known to kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-larson/i-had-big-dreams-and-my-parents-allowed-me-to-travel-and-go-to-these/) [Jordan Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-larson/) > [I miss my friends, my family & my dreams. And with my parents divorce, new school, new friends & new house I can't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-miss-my-friends-my-family-my-dreams-and-with-my-parents-divorce-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nothing uniquely bad has happened to me in my personal life, but all the regular little bad things have accumulated to make me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/nothing-uniquely-bad-has-happened-to-me-in-my-personal-life-but-all/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Knowing we’re saved by grace but still living under the law makes for a spiritually neurotic person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/knowing-we-re-saved-by-grace-but-still-living-under-the-law-makes-for/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I was afraid that I would find out that I didn't work hard, that I wasn't a very good mother. I was feeling so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-schulte/i-was-afraid-that-i-would-find-out-that-i-didn-t-work-hard-that-i/) [Brigid Schulte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-schulte/) > [I'm a fairly neurotic person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-joseph/i-m-a-fairly-neurotic-person/) [Max Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-joseph/) > [I am a very neurotic person all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-kulig/i-am-a-very-neurotic-person-all-the-time/) [Joanna Kulig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-kulig/) > [Sometimes it's better to not read too much, to not listen to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelique-kerber/sometimes-it-s-better-to-not-read-too-much-to-not-listen-to-everybody/) [Angelique Kerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelique-kerber/) > [“I am told by people all the time that they simply do not have time to read and listen to all the material they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-s-kennedy-2/i-am-told-by-people-all-the-time-that-they-simply-do-not-have-time-to/) Dan S. Kennedy > [If it entertains you, cool - read it, listen to it, watch it. But if it horrifies or disgusts you or scares you, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-reifert/if-it-entertains-you-cool-read-it-listen-to-it-watch-it-but-if-it/) [Chris Reifert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-reifert/) ## 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 Busy person quotes > [No matter how busy a person is, if they really care, they will always find time for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-busy-a-person-is-if-they-really-care-they-will-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a busy person, my time is precious, so I don't have time for bullshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-a-busy-person-my-time-is-precious-so-i-don-t-have-time-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm busier than a busy person. People aren't scared to play this raucous, harsh music over radio speakers, so I think it's the perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-newsted/i-m-busier-than-a-busy-person-people-aren-t-scared-to-play-this/) [Jason Newsted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-newsted/) > [“We all know that the way to get something done is to give it to a busy person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-putnam/we-all-know-that-the-way-to-get-something-done-is-to-give-it-to-a/) [Robert D. Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-putnam/) > [The more you do, the more you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-more-you-do-the-more-you-can-do/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“I ended up choosing her preschool party based on the fact that it was the closest to our house and would cause me the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muffy-mead-ferro/i-ended-up-choosing-her-preschool-party-based-on-the-fact-that-it-was/) [Muffy Mead-Ferro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muffy-mead-ferro/) > [If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/if-you-want-something-done-ask-a-busy-person-to-do-it-the-more-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [“Dallas pointed out to me once that there is a world of difference between being busy and being hurried. Being busy is an outward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/dallas-pointed-out-to-me-once-that-there-is-a-world-of-difference/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Keep busy at something: a busy person never has time to be unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/keep-busy-at-something-a-busy-person-never-has-time-to-be-unhappy/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Be a busy person. People who are active are often much more at peace with themselves than those who are inactive and inert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-a-busy-person-people-who-are-active-are-often-much-more-at-peace/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [I'm normally the least busy person I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/i-m-normally-the-least-busy-person-i-know/) [Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/) > [No matter what how busy a person's day maybe, If they REALLY CARE ,they'll always find time for you. absolutely you are still the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorelyn-pontilla-and-my-dream/no-matter-what-how-busy-a-person-s-day-maybe-if-they-really-care-they/) [Jorelyn Pontilla And My Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorelyn-pontilla-and-my-dream/) > [No matter how busy a person's day is, if she/he will do anything to get hold of you by any means, then you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/showa-nina/no-matter-how-busy-a-person-s-day-is-if-she-he-will-do-anything-to/) [Showa Nina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/showa-nina/) > [A busy person is usually the most efficient because they know how to manage their time. That's something I learned through dancing all through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-arnold/a-busy-person-is-usually-the-most-efficient-because-they-know-how-to/) Lindsay Arnold > [Keep yourself busy with something or the other because a busy person never has the time to be unhappy.!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tufail-mehraj/keep-yourself-busy-with-something-or-the-other-because-a-busy-person/) [Tufail Mehraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tufail-mehraj/) [Browse all 44 Busy person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy-person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“. . . I bet I'm beginning to make some parents nervous - here I am, bragging of being a dropout, and unemployable, and about to make a pitch for you to follow your creative dreams, when what parents want is for their children to do well in their field, to make them look good, and maybe also to assemble a tasteful fortune . . . But that is not your problem. Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to live it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it, and find out the truth about who you are . . . I do know you are not what you look like, or how much you weigh, or how you did in school, or whether you start a job next Monday or not. Spirit isn't what you do, it's . . . well, again, I don't actually know. They probably taught this junior year at Goucher; I should've stuck around. But I know that you feel best when you're not doing much - when you're in nature, when you're very quiet or, paradoxically, listening to music . . . We can see Spirit made visible when people are kind to one another, especially when it's a really busy person, like you, taking care of the needy, annoying, neurotic person, like you. In fact, that's often when we see Spirit most brightly . . . In my twenties I devised a school of relaxation that has unfortunately fallen out of favor in the ensuing years - it was called Prone Yoga. You just lay around as much as possible. You could read, listen to music, you could space out or sleep. But you had to be lying down. Maintaining the prone. You've graduated. You have nothing left to prove, and besides, it's a fool's game. If you agree to play, you've already lost. It's Charlie Brown and Lucy, with the football. If you keep getting back on the field, they win. There are so many great things to do right now. Write. Sing. Rest. Eat cherries. Register voters. And - oh my God - I nearly forgot the most important thing: refuse to wear uncomfortable pants, even if they make you look really thin. Promise me you'll never wear pants that bind or tug or hurt, pants that have an opinion about how much you've just eaten. The pants may be lying! There is way too much lying and scolding going on politically right now without having your pants get in on the act, too. So bless you. You've done an amazing thing. And you are loved; you're capable of lives of great joy and meaning. It's what you are made of. And it's what you're here for. Take care of yourselves; take care of one another. And give thanks, like this: Thank you.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Lamott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents-nervous-here-i-am-bragging/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Busy person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents-nervous-here-i-am-bragging/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f0/anne-lamott-188_busy-person_i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents_2123407.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f0/anne-lamott-188_busy-person_i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents_2123407.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f0/anne-lamott-188_busy-person_i-bet-i-m-beginning-to-make-some-parents_2123407.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“. . . I bet I'm beginning to make some parents nervous - here I am, bragging of being a dropout, and…” — Anne Lamott", "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": "Anne Lamott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“. . . 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