--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never had a lot of ideas. I always have…" description: "\"I never had a lot of ideas. I always have exactly one that is the next project; the idea of a project beyond that project is ludicrous.\" — Annie Baker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/annie-baker-21880_idea_i-never-had-a-lot-of-ideas-i-always-have_2520794.png" --- # I never had a lot of ideas. I always have exactly one that… ![“I never had a lot of ideas. I always have exactly one that is the next project; the idea of a project beyond that project is ludicrous.” quote by Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/annie-baker-21880_idea_i-never-had-a-lot-of-ideas-i-always-have_2520794.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/annie-baker-21880_idea_i-never-had-a-lot-of-ideas-i-always-have_2520794.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/annie-baker-21880_idea_i-never-had-a-lot-of-ideas-i-always-have_2520794.png) > “I never had a lot of ideas. I always have exactly one that is the next project; the idea of a project beyond that project is ludicrous.” [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative focus is often limited to one project at a time, making broader ideas seem absurd. **In simple terms:** People tend to concentrate on one idea, dismissing larger visions. Key Takeaway Allow space for multiple ideas to develop. Themes creativity focus project management imagination Mood reflective pragmatic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - writing - business planning - research - personal development Key Concepts single‑task focus idea generation creative limits Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance focus with broader thinking? - What strategies help integrate multiple ideas? A Different Perspective May underestimate the value of long‑term vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Idea Project](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-project-1247552/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Exactly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-exactly-1247554/) [Lot Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot-ideas-1247553/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Project Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/project-idea-794693/) [Projects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projects/) ## Related quotes > [I want another idea, another project, but you can't make them up. They show up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-want-another-idea-another-project-but-you-can-t-make-them-up-they/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [To project your idea, you have to use new technology. It's not like the '70s or the '80s; you have an image that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-charles-de-castelbajac/to-project-your-idea-you-have-to-use-new-technology-it-s-not-like-the/) [Jean-Charles de Castelbajac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-charles-de-castelbajac/) > [I have no idea what the next project will be and if there's a next project. I don't even know if we're all going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-moverman/i-have-no-idea-what-the-next-project-will-be-and-if-there-s-a-next/) [Oren Moverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-moverman/) > [I think as a director you have to make it your own. It'd be a mistake to approach a project with the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-think-as-a-director-you-have-to-make-it-your-own-it-d-be-a-mistake/) [Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/) > [“Your brain will come up with a lot of ideas, that doesn't mean you have to go along with the very first one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-l-strytler/your-brain-will-come-up-with-a-lot-of-ideas-that-doesn-t-mean-you/) [G. L. Strytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-l-strytler/) > [I get a lot of ideas living in a huge family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-cruikshank/i-get-a-lot-of-ideas-living-in-a-huge-family/) [Lucas Cruikshank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-cruikshank/) > [“The best way to get a good idea is to get a Lot of ideas. —LINUS PAULING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kelley/the-best-way-to-get-a-good-idea-is-to-get-a-lot-of-ideas-linus-pauling/) [Thomas Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kelley/) > [If, then, you wish to insure the interest of your pupils, there is only one way to do it; and that is to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/if-then-you-wish-to-insure-the-interest-of-your-pupils-there-is-only/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Sometimes, when I have a lot of ideas and I want to do a lot of things, or when I'm traveling, I lose energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjork/sometimes-when-i-have-a-lot-of-ideas-and-i-want-to-do-a-lot-of-things/) [Bjork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjork/) > [But I've got a lot of ideas, I bought me a ranch in Florida and I still have my farm in Ashland City, Tennessee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-tillis/but-i-ve-got-a-lot-of-ideas-i-bought-me-a-ranch-in-florida-and-i/) [Mel Tillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-tillis/) > [I think a lot about how ideas spread, how information spreads, why is it that something you're really proud of and you spend a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-peretti/i-think-a-lot-about-how-ideas-spread-how-information-spreads-why-is-2/) [Jonah Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-peretti/) > [The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-best-way-to-have-a-good-idea-is-to-have-a-lot-of-ideas/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [Sometimes I do that quite a lot, go back and forth a lot between ideas. Try things out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/sometimes-i-do-that-quite-a-lot-go-back-and-forth-a-lot-between-ideas/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [I have a lot of ideas for art. And it is really - I don't really have time to do them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-have-a-lot-of-ideas-for-art-and-it-is-really-i-don-t-really-have/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [I'm used to being in creative environments where people throw out a lot of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-armstrong/i-m-used-to-being-in-creative-environments-where-people-throw-out-a/) [Tim Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-armstrong/) ## More by Annie Baker > [There are certain early plays of mine that I really don't like, but I can't imagine going back and fixing them. I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/there-are-certain-early-plays-of-mine-that-i-really-don-t-like-but-i/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [If I think back to every rehearsal process for every play I've ever worked on, there's just so much crying at home. I barely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/if-i-think-back-to-every-rehearsal-process-for-every-play-i-ve-ever/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [Film can express things that computers never will. Film is a series of photographs separated by split seconds of darkness. Film is light and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/film-can-express-things-that-computers-never-will-film-is-a-series-of/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [“Lauren: Like how many people you're...like how many times your life is gonna totally change and then, like, start all over again? And you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/lauren-like-how-many-people-you-re-like-how-many-times-your-life-is/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [“I will say that meeting him was like walking out of a dark wood. He's not perfect and I'm not perfect and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-will-say-that-meeting-him-was-like-walking-out-of-a-dark-wood-he-s/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I feel like there's an obsession with pace right now in theater, with things being very fast and very witty and very loud, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-feel-like-there-s-an-obsession-with-pace-right-now-in-theater-with/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I don't enjoy hearing the sound of my voice. The most important things for me are impossible to articulate extemporaneously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-don-t-enjoy-hearing-the-sound-of-my-voice-the-most-important-things/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I think growing up in a small town, the kind of people I met in my small town, they still haunt me. I find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-think-growing-up-in-a-small-town-the-kind-of-people-i-met-in-my/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I feel with writing, so much of the time, I don't know how to tap in and be spontaneous and alive on a daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-feel-with-writing-so-much-of-the-time-i-don-t-know-how-to-tap-in/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I ended up becoming a playwright because you can be grammatically incorrect: people speaking in bad poetry or people attempting to speak well and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-ended-up-becoming-a-playwright-because-you-can-be-grammatically/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I was 22 and stopped writing plays, and I didn't start again until I was 25. I was writing badly. In college, I attempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-was-22-and-stopped-writing-plays-and-i-didn-t-start-again-until-i/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [Writing is my primary way of expressing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/writing-is-my-primary-way-of-expressing-myself/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [For me, being a good creative writing teacher is actually kind of being a good therapist. The line is very porous - you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/for-me-being-a-good-creative-writing-teacher-is-actually-kind-of/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I'm really trying to stop setting my plays in this one fictional town in Vermont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/i-m-really-trying-to-stop-setting-my-plays-in-this-one-fictional-town/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [Yeah, I have the detail-obsessed, controlling personality of a novelist, but I somehow ended up writing plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/yeah-i-have-the-detail-obsessed-controlling-personality-of-a-novelist/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) [Explore all 28 Annie Baker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) ## More Idea quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [I had an idea for a technologically advanced luxury watch. I got involved in digital art and neon painting and put on shows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/i-had-an-idea-for-a-technologically-advanced-luxury-watch-i-got/) [Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/) > [Everybody has a good idea, but nothing goes as planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/everybody-has-a-good-idea-but-nothing-goes-as-planned/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [The idea with a collection is sort of to begin with a kind of bang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/the-idea-with-a-collection-is-sort-of-to-begin-with-a-kind-of-bang/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [When there's a firestorm going on around you, you have very little idea of what's next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-quest/when-there-s-a-firestorm-going-on-around-you-you-have-very-little/) [Richard Quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-quest/) > [The idea is not to copy nature, but to give a feeling of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-oudolf/the-idea-is-not-to-copy-nature-but-to-give-a-feeling-of-nature/) [Piet Oudolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-oudolf/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [My mom had no idea she was having twins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-bella/my-mom-had-no-idea-she-was-having-twins/) [Brie Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-bella/) > [When I was 12 years old, I went to Natchitoches, La.; it was summer vacation with my family. We visited a plantation, Melrose. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/when-i-was-12-years-old-i-went-to-natchitoches-la-it-was-summer/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [I get worked up over an 'idea' or the ethos of an idea. I follow dreams, take notes on travels, and engage in research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/i-get-worked-up-over-an-idea-or-the-ethos-of-an-idea-i-follow-dreams/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) [Browse all 4,953 Idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never had a lot of ideas. 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