--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real payoff is the writing itself…" description: "\"The real payoff is the writing itself, that a day when you have gotten your work done is a good day, that total dedication is the point.\" — Anne Lamott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anne-lamott-188_dedication_the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-th_2980598.png" --- # The real payoff is the writing itself, that a day when you… ![“The real payoff is the writing itself, that a day when you have gotten your work done is a good day, that total dedication is the point.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anne-lamott-188_dedication_the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-th_2980598.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anne-lamott-188_dedication_the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-th_2980598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anne-lamott-188_dedication_the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-th_2980598.png) > “The real payoff is the writing itself, that a day when you have gotten your work done is a good day, that total dedication is the point.” [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. The true reward lies in the act of writing itself; completing work marks a good day and reflects total dedication. **In simple terms:** Writing itself is the reward; finishing a piece feels fulfilling. Key Takeaway Value the process and celebrate completed work. Themes writing dedication fulfillment Mood reflective motivational Type creative inspirational When to use this quote - daily writing - project completion - author’s block - creative retreats Key Concepts creative process self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - How does finishing a piece affect your motivation? - What habits sustain dedication in writing? A Different Perspective Focusing only on outcomes can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dedication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dedication/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It is a little out of touch to presume that someone wants to follow your every observation and insight over the course of hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/it-is-a-little-out-of-touch-to-presume-that-someone-wants-to-follow/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) > [The only real payoff for leadership is eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-only-real-payoff-for-leadership-is-eternal/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [“Becoming a better writer is going to help you become a better reader, and that is the real payoff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/becoming-a-better-writer-is-going-to-help-you-become-a-better-reader/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Whatever tasks are entrusted to us, we should carry them out to the best of our abilities, with total dedication and commitment, without expecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajendra-b-aklekar/whatever-tasks-are-entrusted-to-us-we-should-carry-them-out-to-the/) [Rajendra B. 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Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [No art, however minor, demands less than total dedication if you want to excel in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-battista-alberti/no-art-however-minor-demands-less-than-total-dedication-if-you-want/) [Leon Battista Alberti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-battista-alberti/) > [I was an insecure young man. So my need for total dedication from the people I was working with was very great. Those things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-was-an-insecure-young-man-so-my-need-for-total-dedication-from-the/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The Lord did not make me impossible of error. 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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 Dedication quotes > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Erase from your mind that your preparation must be perfect. Hard work + dedication = a shot at your dreams. Keep believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-goucher/erase-from-your-mind-that-your-preparation-must-be-perfect-hard-work/) [Kara Goucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-goucher/) > [If you're going to preach dedication, work ethic, teamwork, unselfishness, and being part of a team to accomplish a common goal, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mullin/if-you-re-going-to-preach-dedication-work-ethic-teamwork/) [Chris Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mullin/) > [In many traditions, hawks are sacred: Apollo's messengers for the Greeks, sun symbols for the ancient Egyptians and, in the case of the Lakota…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnside/in-many-traditions-hawks-are-sacred-apollo-s-messengers-for-the/) [John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnside/) > [You'll know you're amazing when you get devoted to making other people amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-ll-know-you-re-amazing-when-you-get-devoted-to-making-other/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) Chris Kirubi > [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [I probably should've listened to Michael a year ago when he said that Charles will never win a championship because he doesn't show any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scottie-pippen/i-probably-should-ve-listened-to-michael-a-year-ago-when-he-said-that/) [Scottie Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scottie-pippen/) > [To be an entrepreneur, it just takes a lot of persistence, dedication, and drive. No matter what happens, you have to be wiling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeet-banerjee/to-be-an-entrepreneur-it-just-takes-a-lot-of-persistence-dedication/) [Jeet Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeet-banerjee/) > [U cant expect every1 to have as much dedication as u have..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/u-cant-expect-every1-to-have-as-much-dedication-as-u-have/) Hemantsmarty > [Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee, and to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/now-it-is-time-to-sit-quiet-face-to-face-with-thee-and-to-sing/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“To move forward, one need only take the first step,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-neill/to-move-forward-one-need-only-take-the-first-step/) Chase Neill > [Natural talent only determines the limits of your athletic potential. It's dedication and a willingness to discipline your life that makes you great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-jean-king/natural-talent-only-determines-the-limits-of-your-athletic-potential/) [Billie Jean King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-jean-king/) > [I was at Mount Tamalpais near San Francisco hiking when a boulder came hurling down the mountainside and smashed my left hand. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-casals/i-was-at-mount-tamalpais-near-san-francisco-hiking-when-a-boulder/) [Pablo Casals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-casals/) > [“Everything on this earth belongs to God and therefore the more your dedication draws you closer to him, the more you will draw closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/everything-on-this-earth-belongs-to-god-and-therefore-the-more-your/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) [Browse all 1,006 Dedication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dedication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The real payoff is the writing itself, that a day when you have gotten your work done is a good day, that total dedication is the point.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Lamott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-that-a-day-when-you-have-gotten/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dedication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-that-a-day-when-you-have-gotten/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anne-lamott-188_dedication_the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-th_2980598.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anne-lamott-188_dedication_the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-th_2980598.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anne-lamott-188_dedication_the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-th_2980598.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The real payoff is the writing itself, that a day when you have gotten your work done is a good day, that…” — 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": "The real payoff is the writing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-that-a-day-when-you-have-gotten/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-real-payoff-is-the-writing-itself-that-a-day-when-you-have-gotten/#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 } } ] } ```