--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But maybe it’s the laboring that gives…" description: "\"“But maybe it’s the laboring that gives you shape. Might the most fulfilling times be those spent solo at your tasks, literally immersed or not, when y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/chang-rae-lee-3318_fulfillment_but-maybe-it-s-the-laboring-that-gives-y_1236264.png" --- # But maybe it’s the laboring that gives you shape. Might… ![“But maybe it’s the laboring that gives you shape. Might the most fulfilling times be those spent solo at your tasks, literally immersed or not, when you are able to uncover the smallest surprises and unlikely details of some process or operation that in turn exposes your proclivities and…” quote by Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/chang-rae-lee-3318_fulfillment_but-maybe-it-s-the-laboring-that-gives-y_1236264.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/chang-rae-lee-3318_fulfillment_but-maybe-it-s-the-laboring-that-gives-y_1236264.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/chang-rae-lee-3318_fulfillment_but-maybe-it-s-the-laboring-that-gives-y_1236264.png) > ““But maybe it’s the laboring that gives you shape. Might the most fulfilling times be those spent solo at your tasks, literally immersed or not, when you are able to uncover the smallest surprises and unlikely details of some process or operation that in turn exposes your proclivities and prejudices both?”” [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solitary, deep work reveals hidden details and personal biases, shaping personal fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Working alone can uncover surprising insights about yourself. Key Takeaway Embrace focused solo work. Themes solitude self‑discovery creativity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research projects - creative writing - problem solving Key Concepts introspection detail orientation Questions to Reflect On - What tasks benefit from solitary focus? - How do you balance solo work with collaboration? A Different Perspective Too much isolation may limit collaborative growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Self reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-reflection/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“She understood now that knowing when to walk away and when to hunker down and refuse to leave were equally difficult decisions to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-kennedy/she-understood-now-that-knowing-when-to-walk-away-and-when-to-hunker/) [Holly Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-kennedy/) > [“If you are ready to make a difference and shine, then you must be ready to pay the price by laboring rightly with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/if-you-are-ready-to-make-a-difference-and-shine-then-you-must-be/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The laboring classes constitute the main part of our population. They should be protected in their efforts peaceably to assert their rights when endangered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/the-laboring-classes-constitute-the-main-part-of-our-population-they/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [“The laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men; his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-laboring-man-has-not-leisure-for-a-true-integrity-day-by-day-he/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ In laboring to be concise, I become obscure. \[Lat., Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/in-laboring-to-be-concise-i-become-obscure-lat-brevis-esse-laboro/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon/the-sleep-of-a-laboring-man-is-sweet/) [Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon/) > [“Nearly every person you meet is aiming at a situation in which he will be exempted from the drudgery of laboring with his hands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-alcott/nearly-every-person-you-meet-is-aiming-at-a-situation-in-which-he/) William A. Alcott > [For about a year, I just didn't know what to do. I did laboring jobs, working in the docks, construction sites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/for-about-a-year-i-just-didn-t-know-what-to-do-i-did-laboring-jobs/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations tomen; his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/actually-the-laboring-man-has-not-leisure-for-a-true-integrity-day-by/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-laboring-man-has-not-leisure-for-a-true-integrity-day-by-day/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When you are laboring for others, let it be with the same zeal as if it were for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/when-you-are-laboring-for-others-let-it-be-with-the-same-zeal-as-if/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/most-men-even-in-this-comparatively-free-country-through-mere-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Laboring men can perform for themselves the office of becoming their own employers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-stanford/laboring-men-can-perform-for-themselves-the-office-of-becoming-their/) [Leland Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-stanford/) > [Labor will hurt. Probably a lot. But whether this is negative is another matter... A laboring woman can be in a great deal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henci-goer/labor-will-hurt-probably-a-lot-but-whether-this-is-negative-is/) [Henci Goer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henci-goer/) > [It's certain there is no fine thing Since Adam's fall but needs much laboring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/it-s-certain-there-is-no-fine-thing-since-adam-s-fall-but-needs-much/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) ## More by Chang-rae Lee > [The truth, finally, is who can tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-truth-finally-is-who-can-tell-it/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-think-my-parents-recognised-that-i-d-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Some writers are writing one great, big book and just taking all these different avenues towards it. They might seem on the outside to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/some-writers-are-writing-one-great-big-book-and-just-taking-all-these/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-try-to-be-aware-of-what-i-m-concerned-about-aware-of-how-i-feel/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“Behold a fire from the opposite shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/behold-a-fire-from-the-opposite-shore/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“I would give most anything to hear my father's talk again, the crash and bang and stop of his language, always hurtling by. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-would-give-most-anything-to-hear-my-father-s-talk-again-the-crash/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [We have hopes and make plans, and if they are dashed or waylaid, we naturally rationalize and redraw the map to locate ourselves anew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-have-hopes-and-make-plans-and-if-they-are-dashed-or-waylaid-we/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-in-art-classes-i-hated-following-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [The past, as you suggest, is absolutely present at all times and the present is born from the past. I wouldn't want to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-past-as-you-suggest-is-absolutely-present-at-all-times-and-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Most people don't think about race as much as I do. They don't have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/most-people-don-t-think-about-race-as-much-as-i-do-they-don-t-have-to/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Not to any really influential effect, but certainly there have been comments that have surprised me. It's surprising sometimes to get particular perspectives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/not-to-any-really-influential-effect-but-certainly-there-have-been/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [My family immigrated when I was 3, and our predecessors inhabited the Korean Peninsula for as long as can be recalled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/my-family-immigrated-when-i-was-3-and-our-predecessors-inhabited-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [After college, I was living in New York and wrote furiously, a huge novel that I knew was a failure. I hoped that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/after-college-i-was-living-in-new-york-and-wrote-furiously-a-huge/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Usually, when you're talking about work with other writers it's because something seriously bad is going on with your work and you've absolutely thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/usually-when-you-re-talking-about-work-with-other-writers-it-s/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [ I had a visceral connection to the period \[of Korean War\]. By visceral I suppose I mean emotional. But every fiction requires so much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-had-a-visceral-connection-to-the-period-of-korean-war-by-visceral-i/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) [Explore all 133 Chang-rae Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## More Fulfillment quotes > [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/) Harold McGee > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [If you devote yourself entirely to a pursuit, there is no way you cannot find beauty and fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gillies/if-you-devote-yourself-entirely-to-a-pursuit-there-is-no-way-you/) [Daniel Gillies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gillies/) > [“If you aren't happy for what you already have then what makes you think you will be happy with more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddy-malhotra/if-you-aren-t-happy-for-what-you-already-have-then-what-makes-you/) [Maddy Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddy-malhotra/) > [God's dream still remains unfulfilled. It was not fulfilled 2,000 years ago, or in the home of any religious leader or any American home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/god-s-dream-still-remains-unfulfilled-it-was-not-fulfilled-2-000/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) > [If you want to find greater happiness and fulfillment in your life, you must begin to understand and live in harmony with the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/if-you-want-to-find-greater-happiness-and-fulfillment-in-your-life/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [Never be tired of a dream, if not fulfilled. Fear of failure should not deter you from your path of self belief. Your belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/never-be-tired-of-a-dream-if-not-fulfilled-fear-of-failure-should-not/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [“Curiosity improved the cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-nankivell/curiosity-improved-the-cat/) Brandon Nankivell > [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If a person measures his spiritual fulfillment in terms of cosmic visions, surpassing peace of mind, or ecstasy, then he is not likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/if-a-person-measures-his-spiritual-fulfillment-in-terms-of-cosmic/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [What we are only now beginning to fully realize is that in seeking material pleasure too constantly, the capacity for enjoyment or fulfillment decreases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-campbell/what-we-are-only-now-beginning-to-fully-realize-is-that-in-seeking/) [Alex Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-campbell/) > [Those who are more willing to take risks and capitalize on opportunities, experience the highest index of life satisfaction and fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/those-who-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and-capitalize-on/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [It is not necessary to have an extravagant food budget in order to serve things with variety and tastefully cooked. It is not necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/it-is-not-necessary-to-have-an-extravagant-food-budget-in-order-to/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) > [The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/the-more-intensely-we-feel-about-an-idea-or-a-goal-the-more-assuredly/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [There is nothing more appalling than the wholesale way in which unthinking people plead to the Almighty the richest and most spiritual of His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-drummond/there-is-nothing-more-appalling-than-the-wholesale-way-in-which/) [William Henry Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-drummond/) [Browse all 1,361 Fulfillment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But maybe it’s the laboring that gives you shape. 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