--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is, I think, the rarest of leisure…" description: "\"“It is, I think, the rarest of leisure, hard work mixed with hard pleasure, to refine one's time of deep thought or light regard into the utterly self-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/barry-l-pez-8215_deep-thought_it-is-i-think-the-rarest-of-leisure-hard_3038199.jpg" --- # It is, I think, the rarest of leisure, hard work mixed… ![“It is, I think, the rarest of leisure, hard work mixed with hard pleasure, to refine one's time of deep thought or light regard into the utterly self-absorbed and equally and abundantly outward-seeking shape of the personal essay -- a story comprised of found fact, of analyzed emotion, of fictive…” quote by Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/barry-l-pez-8215_deep-thought_it-is-i-think-the-rarest-of-leisure-hard_3038199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/barry-l-pez-8215_deep-thought_it-is-i-think-the-rarest-of-leisure-hard_3038199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/barry-l-pez-8215_deep-thought_it-is-i-think-the-rarest-of-leisure-hard_3038199.jpg) > ““It is, I think, the rarest of leisure, hard work mixed with hard pleasure, to refine one's time of deep thought or light regard into the utterly self-absorbed and equally and abundantly outward-seeking shape of the personal essay -- a story comprised of found fact, of analyzed emotion, of fictive memory.”” [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes the personal essay as a blend of intense work and enjoyment, turning deep or light thought into a self-focused yet outward‑seeking narrative built from facts, emotions, and imagined memories. **In simple terms:** Personal essays mix effort and pleasure, turning thought into a self‑focused story. Key Takeaway Embrace both discipline and joy when writing. Themes creativity self‑reflection writing introspection Mood thoughtful inspired Type literary reflective When to use this quote - academic writing - personal journaling - creative nonfiction - storytelling Key Concepts narrative craft memory emotion Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance rigor and playfulness in your writing? - What personal experiences can you transform into universal insights? A Different Perspective Balancing deep analysis with lightness can be challenging for some writers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deep thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thought/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Personal-essay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-essay/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“Writing is an exhausting and demoralizing task that destroys human conceits. Writing an elongated series of personal essay opens a person’s mind to explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-is-an-exhausting-and-demoralizing-task-that-destroys-human/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Personal essay writing is analogous to undertaking a vision quest, a potential turning point in life taken to discover intimate personal truths, form complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/personal-essay-writing-is-analogous-to-undertaking-a-vision-quest-a/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Personal essay writing that incites the mind and instigates personal growth involves examination and re-examination, a process of noticing and reflecting upon what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/personal-essay-writing-that-incites-the-mind-and-instigates-personal/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [If you tell me, it's an essay. 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I heard Jack's chair creak.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brodi-ashton/i-decided-to-write-a-myth-have-you-figured-out-a-topic-a-moral/) [Brodi Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brodi-ashton/) > [I believe the personal essay is underrated for both writer and reader. It affords the writer great freedom: to speak personally yet invoke others'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-nemko/i-believe-the-personal-essay-is-underrated-for-both-writer-and-reader/) [Marty Nemko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-nemko/) > [“You are not a tragedy, you are a personal essay. 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That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/a-personal-essay-often-includes-some-or-a-lot-of-personal-confession/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [“The other thing you can do is write a strong personal essay which lets admissions people inside your life, your heart, and your world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mirman/the-other-thing-you-can-do-is-write-a-strong-personal-essay-which/) [Eugene Mirman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mirman/) > [“Writing and other efforts to produce an enduring piece of artwork is a gallant response to the prospect of death. Every person knows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-and-other-efforts-to-produce-an-enduring-piece-of-artwork-is/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) ## More by Barry Lopez > [“on my right Baker Creek has cut a steep-banked gash into the badlands to the west.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/on-my-right-baker-creek-has-cut-a-steep-banked-gash-into-the-badlands/) [Barry López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [If I were to offer any advice to young writers, it would be this: be discriminating and be discerning about the work you set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/if-i-were-to-offer-any-advice-to-young-writers-it-would-be-this-be/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [The wolf exerts a powerful influence on the human imagination. 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And it is the reverberations of that conversation that create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/eden-is-a-conversation-it-is-the-conversation-of-the-human-with-the/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [What does it mean to grow rich? Is it to have red-blooded adventures and to make a ‘fortune,’ which is what brought the whalers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/what-does-it-mean-to-grow-rich-is-it-to-have-red-blooded-adventures/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [Conversations are efforts toward good relations. They are an elementary form of reciprocity. They are the exercise of our love for each other. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/conversations-are-efforts-toward-good-relations-they-are-an/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/if-there-is-a-stage-at-which-an-individual-life-becomes-truly-adult/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [The cold view to take of our future is that we are therefore headed for extinction in a universe of impersonal chemical, physical, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/the-cold-view-to-take-of-our-future-is-that-we-are-therefore-headed/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [“Wilderness travel can be extremely taxing and dangerous. You can fall into a crevasse, flip your kayak, lose your way, become hypothermic, run out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/wilderness-travel-can-be-extremely-taxing-and-dangerous-you-can-fall/) [Barry López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [You can't learn anything from saguaro cactus, from ocotillo. They are just passing through; their roots, their much heralded dormancy in the dry season,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/you-can-t-learn-anything-from-saguaro-cactus-from-ocotillo-they-are/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [One of the great dreams of man must be to find some place between the extremes of nature and civilization where it is possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/one-of-the-great-dreams-of-man-must-be-to-find-some-place-between-the/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [The land retains an identity of its own, still deeper and more subtle than we can know. Our obligation toward it then becomes simple:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/the-land-retains-an-identity-of-its-own-still-deeper-and-more-subtle/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [When I sit at that typewriter, I have to be frightened of what I'm trying to do. I'm frightened by my own belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/when-i-sit-at-that-typewriter-i-have-to-be-frightened-of-what-i-m/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) [Explore all 83 Barry Lopez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) ## More Deep thought quotes > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [I had always assumed that the right way to do it was to these engineers, put them in offices by themselves with doors that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/i-had-always-assumed-that-the-right-way-to-do-it-was-to-these/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-never-knew-an-early-rising-hard-working-prudent-man-careful-of-his/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The biggest battle in life is with yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-biggest-battle-in-life-is-with-yourself/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/at-first-i-thought-if-i-were-superman-a-perfect-secret-identity-would/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Be bold in your caring, and be bold in your dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/be-bold-in-your-caring-and-be-bold-in-your-dreaming/) [George H. 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I only give out that which I wish to receive in return. 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