--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The point about working is not to produce…" description: "\"The point about working is not to produce great stuff all the time, but to remain ready for when you can.\" — Brian Eno" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/brian-eno-776_inspirational_the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produc_2742606.jpg" --- # The point about working is not to produce great stuff all… ![“The point about working is not to produce great stuff all the time, but to remain ready for when you can.” quote by Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/brian-eno-776_inspirational_the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produc_2742606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/brian-eno-776_inspirational_the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produc_2742606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/brian-eno-776_inspirational_the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produc_2742606.jpg) > “The point about working is not to produce great stuff all the time, but to remain ready for when you can.” [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Readiness is more valuable than constant brilliance; stay prepared for occasional peaks. **In simple terms:** Be ready for occasional great work. Key Takeaway Cultivate a mindset of preparedness. Themes productivity creativity readiness Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career growth - artistic projects - innovation - periodic high performance Key Concepts Opportunity skill development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance constant effort with periods of rest? - What practices keep you prepared for sudden opportunities? A Different Perspective Being always ready can cause burnout if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Point Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-working-704924/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Produce Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce-great-272676/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Remain Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remain-ready-1017366/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Working Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-produce-3038263/) ## Related quotes > [Together, we will remain the most ready and capable military force in the world, which is what our nation expects and deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-esper/together-we-will-remain-the-most-ready-and-capable-military-force-in/) [Mark Esper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-esper/) > [“They would remain ready to use for no more than six”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-jenkins/they-would-remain-ready-to-use-for-no-more-than-six/) [Brian Michael Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-jenkins/) > [Only great and general battles can produce great results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/only-great-and-general-battles-can-produce-great-results/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [No man can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself, who would not exchange the finest show for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/no-man-can-produce-great-things-who-is-not-thoroughly-sincere-in/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Great countries are those that produce great people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/great-countries-are-those-that-produce-great-people/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“The point of working isn't to make money; you work to justify life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baraka/the-point-of-working-isn-t-to-make-money-you-work-to-justify-life/) [David Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baraka/) > [I don't see the point in working just to be working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-cornish/i-don-t-see-the-point-in-working-just-to-be-working/) [Abbie Cornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbie-cornish/) > [You have to have a high conception, not of what you are doing, but of what you may do one day: without that, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/you-have-to-have-a-high-conception-not-of-what-you-are-doing-but-of/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [What is the point of working all your life and then stopping?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-the-point-of-working-all-your-life-and-then-stopping/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've worked in many companies, and I think that, number one, if you are going to have a great environment, you produce great work...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/i-ve-worked-in-many-companies-and-i-think-that-number-one-if-you-are/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-reynolds/a-mere-copier-of-nature-can-never-produce-anything-great/) [Joshua Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-reynolds/) > [The instinct to produce great work doesn't require a fancy notebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-instinct-to-produce-great-work-doesn-t-require-a-fancy-notebook/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“The passion to produce is very great. One man, who has not yet been assigned his little garden plot, is hopefully watering a jimson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/the-passion-to-produce-is-very-great-one-man-who-has-not-yet-been/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [No man can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/no-man-can-produce-great-things-who-is-not-thoroughly-sincere-in-2/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Tests with India always produce some great finishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/tests-with-india-always-produce-some-great-finishes/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) ## More by Brian Eno > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [The lyrics are constructed as empirically as the music. I don't set out to say anything very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-lyrics-are-constructed-as-empirically-as-the-music-i-don-t-set/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Admirers can be a tremendous force for conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/admirers-can-be-a-tremendous-force-for-conservatism/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [The whole history of pop music had rested on the first person singular, with occasional intrusions of the second person singular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-whole-history-of-pop-music-had-rested-on-the-first-person/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [You can't really imagine music without technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/you-can-t-really-imagine-music-without-technology/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Robert Fripp and I will be recording another LP very soon. It should be even more monotonous than the first one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/robert-fripp-and-i-will-be-recording-another-lp-very-soon-it-should/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I despise computers in many ways. I think they’re hopelessly underevolved and overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-despise-computers-in-many-ways-i-think-they-re-hopelessly/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I think very often producers are really trying to repeat things. When they hear something in the new songs that they recognize as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-think-very-often-producers-are-really-trying-to-repeat-things-when/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I think that's very significant that we're so attached to the idea now of - it was something I advocated for years, that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-think-that-s-very-significant-that-we-re-so-attached-to-the-idea/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [If you watch any good player, they're using different parts of their body and working with instruments that respond to those movements. They're moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/if-you-watch-any-good-player-they-re-using-different-parts-of-their/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Songs that don't depend on composition depend instead on performance - so the fire has to be there in the playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/songs-that-don-t-depend-on-composition-depend-instead-on-performance/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I can see the use and value of religion, just as I can see the use of mud wrestling, yoga, astronomy and sadomasochism. but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-can-see-the-use-and-value-of-religion-just-as-i-can-see-the-use-of/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I wanted to get rid of the element that had been considered essential in pop music: the voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-wanted-to-get-rid-of-the-element-that-had-been-considered-essential/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [At the beginning of the 20th century, the ambition of the great painters was to make paintings that were like music, which was then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/at-the-beginning-of-the-20th-century-the-ambition-of-the-great/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I had an interesting day. I was in the studio with a group of musicians, who shall remain nameless, and I said to them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-had-an-interesting-day-i-was-in-the-studio-with-a-group-of/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) [Explore all 373 Brian Eno quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The point about working is not to produce great stuff all the time, but to remain ready for when you can.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Eno" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produce-great-stuff-all-the-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produce-great-stuff-all-the-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/brian-eno-776_inspirational_the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produc_2742606.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/brian-eno-776_inspirational_the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produc_2742606.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/brian-eno-776_inspirational_the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produc_2742606.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The point about working is not to produce great stuff all the time, but to remain ready for when you can.” — Brian Eno", "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": "Brian Eno", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The point about working is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produce-great-stuff-all-the-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-point-about-working-is-not-to-produce-great-stuff-all-the-time/#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 } } ] } ```