--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have noted that, barring accidents…" description: "\"I have noted that, barring accidents, artists whose powers wear best and last longest are those who have trained themselves to work under adversity. Gr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/catherine-drinker-bowen-22445_accidents_i-have-noted-that-barring-accidents-arti_3060444.jpg" --- # I have noted that, barring accidents, artists whose powers… ![“I have noted that, barring accidents, artists whose powers wear best and last longest are those who have trained themselves to work under adversity. Great artists treasure their time with a bitter and snarling miserliness.” quote by Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/catherine-drinker-bowen-22445_accidents_i-have-noted-that-barring-accidents-arti_3060444.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/catherine-drinker-bowen-22445_accidents_i-have-noted-that-barring-accidents-arti_3060444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/catherine-drinker-bowen-22445_accidents_i-have-noted-that-barring-accidents-arti_3060444.jpg) > “I have noted that, barring accidents, artists whose powers wear best and last longest are those who have trained themselves to work under adversity. Great artists treasure their time with a bitter and snarling miserliness.” [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists who thrive under hardship develop lasting skill, valuing time despite bitterness. **In simple terms:** Adversity sharpens artistic skill. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to improve art. Themes adversity craft time Mood determined reflective Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - deadline pressure - creative blocks Key Concepts resilience creative process Questions to Reflect On - How does hardship affect your work? - Can you create without pressure? A Different Perspective May romanticize suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Accidents Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents-artists-5130639/) [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-powers-5130638/) [Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Great artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-artist/) [Great Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-artists/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Snarling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snarling/) [Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treasure/) [Work Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-adversity-5130640/) ## Related quotes > [Great artists treasure their time with a bitter and snarling miserliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/great-artists-treasure-their-time-with-a-bitter-and-snarling/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [One of the marks of true genius is a quality of abundance. A rich, rollicking abundance, enough to give indigestion to ordinary people. Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/one-of-the-marks-of-true-genius-is-a-quality-of-abundance-a-rich/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [I don't care about being remembered. I'm not a wonderful writer or anything. This should be reserved for people who really did something great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-franco/i-don-t-care-about-being-remembered-i-m-not-a-wonderful-writer-or/) [Jesus Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-franco/) > [It feels like my job is to support people. I support great artists. When I worked with a symphony, I sat in the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nile-rodgers/it-feels-like-my-job-is-to-support-people-i-support-great-artists/) [Nile Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nile-rodgers/) > [I didn't want to just work within Hollywood when I started a production company. I wanted to be able to collaborate with great artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-didn-t-want-to-just-work-within-hollywood-when-i-started-a/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [Austrian public-opinion pollsters recently reported that those held in highest esteem by most of the people interviewed are neither the great artists nor the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/austrian-public-opinion-pollsters-recently-reported-that-those-held/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think we need great artists making great work - women, men, whoever. I think what's great about TV now is there are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-think-we-need-great-artists-making-great-work-women-men-whoever-i/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [All great artists and thinkers are great workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-great-artists-and-thinkers-are-great-workers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The great artists are those who impose their personal vision upon humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-great-artists-are-those-who-impose-their-personal-vision-upon/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [The bad artists imitate, the great artists steal,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/the-bad-artists-imitate-the-great-artists-steal/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [I've never been able to understand where great artists come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-ve-never-been-able-to-understand-where-great-artists-come-from/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [I really tried to work out hard to emulate the look and feel of the character, and did my best to represent the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cudmore/i-really-tried-to-work-out-hard-to-emulate-the-look-and-feel-of-the/) [Daniel Cudmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cudmore/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [There are so many great artists, I think, who kind of suffer from being icons, legends, acknowledged masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/there-are-so-many-great-artists-i-think-who-kind-of-suffer-from-being/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) ## More by Catherine Drinker Bowen > [Writing is not apart from living. Writing is a kind of double living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/writing-is-not-apart-from-living-writing-is-a-kind-of-double-living/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [A woman's biography - with about eight famous historical exceptions - so often turns out to be the story of a man and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/a-woman-s-biography-with-about-eight-famous-historical-exceptions-so/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [In writing biography, fact and fiction shouldn't be mixed. And if they are, the fictional points should be printed in red ink, the facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/in-writing-biography-fact-and-fiction-shouldn-t-be-mixed-and-if-they/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [What the writer needs is an empty day ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/what-the-writer-needs-is-an-empty-day-ahead/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [“Writing is a kind of double living. The writer experiences every thing twice. Once in reality and once in that mirror which waits always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/writing-is-a-kind-of-double-living-the-writer-experiences-every-thing/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [Will the reader turn the page?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/will-the-reader-turn-the-page/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [People who carry a musical soul about them are, I think, more receptive than others. They smile more readily. One feels in them a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/people-who-carry-a-musical-soul-about-them-are-i-think-more-receptive/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [Many a man who has known himself at ten forgets himself utterly between ten and thirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/many-a-man-who-has-known-himself-at-ten-forgets-himself-utterly/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [Writing, I think, is not apart from living. Writing is a kind of double living. The writer experiences everything twice. Once in reality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/writing-i-think-is-not-apart-from-living-writing-is-a-kind-of-double/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [All the others arts are lonely. We paint alone--my picture, my interpretation of the sky. My poem, my novel. But in music--ensemble music, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/all-the-others-arts-are-lonely-we-paint-alone-my-picture-my/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [Chamber music - a conversation between friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/chamber-music-a-conversation-between-friends/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [History is, in its essence, exciting; to present it as dull is, to my mind, stark and unforgivable misrepresentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/history-is-in-its-essence-exciting-to-present-it-as-dull-is-to-my/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [your concert-goer, though he feed upon symphony as a lamb upon milk, is no true lover if he play no instrument. Your true lover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/your-concert-goer-though-he-feed-upon-symphony-as-a-lamb-upon-milk-is/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [What pioneer ever had chart and a lighthouse to steer by?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/what-pioneer-ever-had-chart-and-a-lighthouse-to-steer-by/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) > [In early days, I tried not to give librarians any trouble, which was where I made my primary mistake. Librarians like to be given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/in-early-days-i-tried-not-to-give-librarians-any-trouble-which-was/) [Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) [Explore all 27 Catherine Drinker Bowen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/) ## More Accidents quotes > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/no-i-think-most-astronauts-recognize-that-the-space-shuttle-program/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/by-education-i-am-an-englishman-by-views-an-internationalist-by/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [I made out with a homeless guy by accident. I had no idea -- he was really tan, he had no shoes on. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-made-out-with-a-homeless-guy-by-accident-i-had-no-idea-he-was/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [Naturally I feel no shame in writing these things because of the time which separates the moment when they are written--when only I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ernaux/naturally-i-feel-no-shame-in-writing-these-things-because-of-the-time/) [Annie Ernaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ernaux/) > [In a city where you walk around, it's impossible to plan your day and your life as accidents will happen, you'll overhear things, bump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schwartzman/in-a-city-where-you-walk-around-it-s-impossible-to-plan-your-day-and/) [Jason Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schwartzman/) > [I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-don-t-think-it-s-by-accident-that-i-was-first-attracted-to/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. (As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/despite-my-mentors-advice-that-i-would-never-go-to-heaven-fishing/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [Dont stand outside in a lightning shower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padraig/dont-stand-outside-in-a-lightning-shower/) [Padraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padraig/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) [Browse all 1,971 Accidents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have noted that, barring accidents, artists whose powers wear best and last longest are those who have trained themselves to work under adversity. 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