--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: First, the ability to monomaniacally and…" description: "\"“First, the ability to monomaniacally and obsessively focus on one thing and one thing only, at the expense of everything else in life. I”\" — Antonio G..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_focus-on-one-thing_first-the-ability-to-monomaniacally-and_2887981.jpg" --- # First, the ability to monomaniacally and obsessively focus… ![“First, the ability to monomaniacally and obsessively focus on one thing and one thing only, at the expense of everything else in life. I” quote by Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_focus-on-one-thing_first-the-ability-to-monomaniacally-and_2887981.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_focus-on-one-thing_first-the-ability-to-monomaniacally-and_2887981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_focus-on-one-thing_first-the-ability-to-monomaniacally-and_2887981.jpg) > ““First, the ability to monomaniacally and obsessively focus on one thing and one thing only, at the expense of everything else in life. I”” [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intense, single‑minded focus can drive achievement but may sacrifice balance in other life areas. **In simple terms:** Focus can be obsessive. Key Takeaway Balance focus with life. Themes productivity obsession life balance Mood intense reflective Type professional personal When to use this quote - startup development - creative projects - personal health Key Concepts attention economy goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What areas are being neglected? - How can you set healthy boundaries? A Different Perspective Obsessive focus can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability Monomaniacally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-monomaniacally-4040064/) [Focus on one thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus-on-one-thing/) [Focus Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus-thing-488627/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Monomaniacally Obsessively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monomaniacally-obsessively-4040063/) [Obsessively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessively/) [Obsessively Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessively-focus-2449321/) ## Related quotes > [The more obsessively we focus on what a particular food is going to do for us, the less healthy we've become. Simple pleasures become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/the-more-obsessively-we-focus-on-what-a-particular-food-is-going-to/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [I just want to focus on one thing at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-silver/i-just-want-to-focus-on-one-thing-at-a-time/) [Josh Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-silver/) > [Focus on one thing and do one thing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-knowles/focus-on-one-thing-and-do-one-thing-well/) [Mathew Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathew-knowles/) > [You try to break it down to weeks at a time otherwise you sort of make yourself crazy spinning out going from one…you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/you-try-to-break-it-down-to-weeks-at-a-time-otherwise-you-sort-of/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I'm the kind of person who likes to focus on one thing at a time. I'll focus on my skiing and then when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-goepper/i-m-the-kind-of-person-who-likes-to-focus-on-one-thing-at-a-time-i-ll/) [Nick Goepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-goepper/) > [I don't focus on one thing. I play guitar and bass and keyboards and drums, but I never stay on anything long enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-don-t-focus-on-one-thing-i-play-guitar-and-bass-and-keyboards-and/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [Focus on one thing. Make it your priority and Stick at it until you succeed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-housham/focus-on-one-thing-make-it-your-priority-and-stick-at-it-until-you/) [RICARDO HOUSHAM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-housham/) > [Focus on one thing, make it your priority, and stick with it no matter what!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/focus-on-one-thing-make-it-your-priority-and-stick-with-it-no-matter/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [“Let’s break the problem down into smaller parts. That way we can focus on one thing at a time, combining our strengths and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyra-brave/let-s-break-the-problem-down-into-smaller-parts-that-way-we-can-focus/) [Lyra Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyra-brave/) > [I am always able to keep a laser focus on one thing at a time without getting distracted. It helps that I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-am-always-able-to-keep-a-laser-focus-on-one-thing-at-a-time-without/) [Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/) > [I've just been trying to improve - it's a not a deliberate thing to focus on one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-ve-just-been-trying-to-improve-it-s-a-not-a-deliberate-thing-to/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [I have got to do something that makes me focus on one thing, and so I will sit and listen to music, or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-feherty/i-have-got-to-do-something-that-makes-me-focus-on-one-thing-and-so-i/) [David Feherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-feherty/) > [“The world is a busy, hectic place and the need to slow down and focus on one thing and one thing only has never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-de-la-mora/the-world-is-a-busy-hectic-place-and-the-need-to-slow-down-and-focus/) [Sergio de la Mora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-de-la-mora/) > [You got to be interested in other things. If you focus on one thing, you're going to eventually - like, you're going to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-cauley-stein/you-got-to-be-interested-in-other-things-if-you-focus-on-one-thing/) [Willie Cauley-Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-cauley-stein/) > [I focus on one thing and one thing only - that's trying to win as many championships as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/i-focus-on-one-thing-and-one-thing-only-that-s-trying-to-win-as-many/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) ## More by Antonio Garcia Martinez > [If you're a small startup considering selling your company, there's definitely far worse places to work than Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/if-you-re-a-small-startup-considering-selling-your-company-there-s/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [Cubans can be as conversant as any Netflix-and-chill American about popular shows like 'House of Cards' or 'Black Mirror', and they drop allusions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/cubans-can-be-as-conversant-as-any-netflix-and-chill-american-about/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“An empty pageant; a stage play; flocks of sheep, herds of cattle; a bone flung among a pack of dogs; a crumb tossed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/an-empty-pageant-a-stage-play-flocks-of-sheep-herds-of-cattle-a-bone/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [You don't realise it, but we're in a race between technology and politics, and technologists are winning. They're way ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/you-don-t-realise-it-but-we-re-in-a-race-between-technology-and/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“All ambitious men want either to please their fathers or to punch them in the goddamned face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/all-ambitious-men-want-either-to-please-their-fathers-or-to-punch/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Don’t work for the survivors or architects of massacres. You’ll live just long enough to regret it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/don-t-work-for-the-survivors-or-architects-of-massacres-you-ll-live/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Cynicism is the last refuge of the shiftless. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/cynicism-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-shiftless-i/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Incidentally, it helps to have enemies. While love is a beautiful emotion, far more empires have been built, books written, wrongs righted, fights won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/incidentally-it-helps-to-have-enemies-while-love-is-a-beautiful/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“To make an analogy, a capped note is like having to seduce five women one after the other, while an equity round is having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/to-make-an-analogy-a-capped-note-is-like-having-to-seduce-five-women/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“In all my experience in both startups and large companies, including and especially at Facebook, I would always prefer - a hundred times prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/in-all-my-experience-in-both-startups-and-large-companies-including/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Despite the fact that the entire continent was unable to itself produce even a single consumer Internet company of global scope, Europe did reserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/despite-the-fact-that-the-entire-continent-was-unable-to-itself/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“As a Facebook product manager, you resembled an Afghan warlord or a pirate captain: fearsome in appearance to any outsiders, the scourge of entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/as-a-facebook-product-manager-you-resembled-an-afghan-warlord-or-a/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Managing a combined deal between Facebook and Twitter was like trying to engineer simultaneous orgasm between a premature ejaculator and a frigid woman: nigh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/managing-a-combined-deal-between-facebook-and-twitter-was-like-trying/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [In the early days, a Georgia college kid named Chris Putnam created a virus that made your Facebook profile resemble MySpace, then the social-media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/in-the-early-days-a-georgia-college-kid-named-chris-putnam-created-a/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Most managers are incompetent and maintain their jobs via inertia and politics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/most-managers-are-incompetent-and-maintain-their-jobs-via-inertia-and/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) [Explore all 61 Antonio Garcia Martinez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) ## More Focus on one thing quotes > [If you're alone with your thoughts for too long, bad things can happen. I start to think about something and make something out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruel/if-you-re-alone-with-your-thoughts-for-too-long-bad-things-can-happen/) [Ruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruel/) > [I just want to focus on one thing at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-silver/i-just-want-to-focus-on-one-thing-at-a-time/) [Josh Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-silver/) > [That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slow, endures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/that-which-grows-fast-withers-as-rapidly-that-which-grows-slow-endures/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [You got to be interested in other things. If you focus on one thing, you're going to eventually - like, you're going to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-cauley-stein/you-got-to-be-interested-in-other-things-if-you-focus-on-one-thing/) [Willie Cauley-Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-cauley-stein/) > [“The world is a busy, hectic place and the need to slow down and focus on one thing and one thing only has never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-de-la-mora/the-world-is-a-busy-hectic-place-and-the-need-to-slow-down-and-focus/) [Sergio de la Mora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-de-la-mora/) > [I have got to do something that makes me focus on one thing, and so I will sit and listen to music, or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-feherty/i-have-got-to-do-something-that-makes-me-focus-on-one-thing-and-so-i/) [David Feherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-feherty/) > [I've just been trying to improve - it's a not a deliberate thing to focus on one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-ve-just-been-trying-to-improve-it-s-a-not-a-deliberate-thing-to/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [I am always able to keep a laser focus on one thing at a time without getting distracted. It helps that I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-von-ahn/i-am-always-able-to-keep-a-laser-focus-on-one-thing-at-a-time-without/) [Luis von Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-von-ahn/) > [Multi-tasking is merely the opportunity to screw up more than one thing at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-w-keller/multi-tasking-is-merely-the-opportunity-to-screw-up-more-than-one/) [Gary W. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-w-keller/) > [I work using the Brian Eno school of thinking: limit your tools, focus on one thing and just make it work… You become very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-corbijn/i-work-using-the-brian-eno-school-of-thinking-limit-your-tools-focus/) [Anton Corbijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-corbijn/) > [Don't go for the options in business and focus on one thing. You will loose every option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khawaja-rafaqat-hussain/don-t-go-for-the-options-in-business-and-focus-on-one-thing-you-will/) [Khawaja Rafaqat Hussain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khawaja-rafaqat-hussain/) > [Meditation is hard. You are constantly trying to focus on one thing, usually your breath, and your mind is going to go berserk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harris/meditation-is-hard-you-are-constantly-trying-to-focus-on-one-thing/) [Dan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harris/) > [“Let’s break the problem down into smaller parts. That way we can focus on one thing at a time, combining our strengths and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyra-brave/let-s-break-the-problem-down-into-smaller-parts-that-way-we-can-focus/) [Lyra Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyra-brave/) > [It is important and vital is to keep that education for critical consciousness around intersectionalities, so that people are able to not focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/it-is-important-and-vital-is-to-keep-that-education-for-critical/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [I don't really listen to music when I work. I really have to focus on one thing at a time. I like a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahzia-sikander/i-don-t-really-listen-to-music-when-i-work-i-really-have-to-focus-on/) [Shahzia Sikander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahzia-sikander/) [Browse all 49 Focus on one thing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus-on-one-thing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“First, the ability to monomaniacally and obsessively focus on one thing and one thing only, at the expense of everything else in life. 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