--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let’s listen again to Dencombe: 'Our…" description: "\"“Let’s listen again to Dencombe: 'Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task.' I love the fact that he uses the word 'passion' and the word '..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/brian-morton-16723_art_let-s-listen-again-to-dencombe-our-doubt_1094781.png" --- # Let’s listen again to Dencombe: 'Our doubt is our passion… ![“Let’s listen again to Dencombe: 'Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task.' I love the fact that he uses the word 'passion' and the word 'task' in the same sentence—the one so exalted, the other so commonplace. More than this, I love that he equates them. Our passion is our task. To…” quote by Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/brian-morton-16723_art_let-s-listen-again-to-dencombe-our-doubt_1094781.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/brian-morton-16723_art_let-s-listen-again-to-dencombe-our-doubt_1094781.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/brian-morton-16723_art_let-s-listen-again-to-dencombe-our-doubt_1094781.png) > ““Let’s listen again to Dencombe: 'Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task.' I love the fact that he uses the word 'passion' and the word 'task' in the same sentence—the one so exalted, the other so commonplace. More than this, I love that he equates them. Our passion is our task. To follow the calling of art, to keep faith with it, to continue with your daily labors despite the frustrations, the distractions, and the other varieties of madness that will inevitably beset you—all this requires passion, but it also requires something else, something more down-to-earth. Call it steeliness. Call it persistence. Call it tenacity. Call it resilience. Call it devotion. Whatever you decide to call it, the ability to consecrate yourself to the daily task of art isn’t rooted in madness. As James knew, as Dencombe knew, it’s rooted in sanity.”” [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passion and task are linked; sustaining artistic work requires both inspiration and gritty perseverance. **In simple terms:** Passion fuels purpose, but steady effort is essential. Key Takeaway Cultivate both vision and disciplined practice. Themes creativity discipline resilience Mood reflective motivational Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - daily studio practice - project planning - overcoming creative blocks - long‑term career development Key Concepts Artistic purpose work ethic mental stamina Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance inspiration with routine? - What habits keep you grounded in your art? A Different Perspective Passion alone can lead to burnout without practical persistence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Resilience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resilience/) ## Related quotes > [Passion requires focused direction, and that direction must come from three other areas: your purpose, your talents, and your needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-pavlina/passion-requires-focused-direction-and-that-direction-must-come-from/) [Steve Pavlina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-pavlina/) > [“The word "passion" is from the Latin "passionem," which means "suffering, enduring." What else could the word "passion" mean? "Good times?" "Happiness?" Passion has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-blair/the-word-passion-is-from-the-latin-passionem-which-means-suffering/) Joe Blair > [“Quote of the day: Quote of the day: We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/quote-of-the-day-quote-of-the-day-we-work-in-the-dark-we-do-what-we/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/we-work-in-the-dark-we-do-what-we-can-we-give-what-we-have-our-doubt/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“The only link between my experience as an employee and that of an entrepreneur is all in one word: Passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nitya-prakash/the-only-link-between-my-experience-as-an-employee-and-that-of-an/) [Nitya Prakash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nitya-prakash/) > [I have an object, a task, let me say the word, a passion. The profession of writing is a violent and almost indestructible one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/i-have-an-object-a-task-let-me-say-the-word-a-passion-the-profession/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [“J'ai un but, une tâche, disons le mot, une passion. Le métier d'écrire en est une violente et presque indestructible." ("I have an object,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/j-ai-un-but-une-t-che-disons-le-mot-une-passion-le-m-tier-d-crire-en/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Many people think passion is a fuzzy feeling that makes taking action effortless. In fact, it's the gritty courage and tenacity to forge onward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/many-people-think-passion-is-a-fuzzy-feeling-that-makes-taking-action/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“Sometimes resilience arrives in the moment you discover your own unshakeable goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/sometimes-resilience-arrives-in-the-moment-you-discover-your-own/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [“Grits Glossary blues \\’blüz\\ n: nothing but a good man singing about hardship, sorrow, and the things he’s done wrong--but sake’s alive, they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/grits-glossary-blues-bl-z-n-nothing-but-a-good-man-singing-about/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The cognitive skills that underpin resilience, then, seem like they can indeed be learned over time, creating resilience where there was none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-konnikova/the-cognitive-skills-that-underpin-resilience-then-seem-like-they-can/) [Maria Konnikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-konnikova/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) ## More by Brian Morton > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“We wish for a symmetry of feeling, but we rarely get it. 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But to live that choice -- over the weeks and months and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/you-seize-your-freedom-in-a-spirit-of-rebelliousness-exuberance/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“She loved to return to the world of the book, a workd in which people were willing to let go of everything in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/she-loved-to-return-to-the-world-of-the-book-a-workd-in-which-people/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“So much of human life is animal life: we respond to each other as animals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/so-much-of-human-life-is-animal-life-we-respond-to-each-other-as/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“Maybe a man can change. It helps when you've been injured, when you've been dislodged from the complacent routines of your life. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. 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I love the fact that he uses the word 'passion' and the word 'task' in the same sentence—the one so exalted, the other so commonplace. More than this, I love that he equates them. Our passion is our task. To follow the calling of art, to keep faith with it, to continue with your daily labors despite the frustrations, the distractions, and the other varieties of madness that will inevitably beset you—all this requires passion, but it also requires something else, something more down-to-earth. Call it steeliness. Call it persistence. Call it tenacity. Call it resilience. Call it devotion. Whatever you decide to call it, the ability to consecrate yourself to the daily task of art isn’t rooted in madness. 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