--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m torn between the desire to create and…" description: "\"I’m torn between the desire to create and the desire to destroy.\" — Charles M. Schulz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/charles-m-schulz-951_creativity_i-m-torn-between-the-desire-to-create-an_2755285.png" --- # I’m torn between the desire to create and the desire to… ![“I’m torn between the desire to create and the desire to destroy.” quote by Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/charles-m-schulz-951_creativity_i-m-torn-between-the-desire-to-create-an_2755285.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/charles-m-schulz-951_creativity_i-m-torn-between-the-desire-to-create-an_2755285.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/charles-m-schulz-951_creativity_i-m-torn-between-the-desire-to-create-an_2755285.png) > “I’m torn between the desire to create and the desire to destroy.” [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The tension between creation and destruction reflects an inner conflict between constructive impulses and self‑sabotaging urges. **In simple terms:** Struggling between wanting to build and wanting to tear down. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance creative and destructive drives. Themes inner conflict creativity self‑sabotage duality Mood introspective conflicted Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - artistic projects - personal habits - relationship dynamics - career choices Key Concepts psychology motivation self‑control Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your destructive urges? - How can you channel them productively? A Different Perspective Destruction can undermine progress if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ## Related quotes > [The reason I like my job is that I have this desire to create. I have this desire to create things and build things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wojcicki/the-reason-i-like-my-job-is-that-i-have-this-desire-to-create-i-have/) [Susan Wojcicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wojcicki/) > [“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/i-arise-in-the-morning-torn-between-a-desire-to-improve-the-world-and-4/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/i-arise-in-the-morning-torn-between-a-desire-to-improve-or-save-the/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [“The only way I know to pluck from the hearts of enemies their desire to destroy us is to remove from their lives the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/the-only-way-i-know-to-pluck-from-the-hearts-of-enemies-their-desire/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [Modern art was born from a desire to destroy kitsch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/modern-art-was-born-from-a-desire-to-destroy-kitsch/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [The impulse of modern art is the desire to destroy beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnett-newman/the-impulse-of-modern-art-is-the-desire-to-destroy-beauty/) [Barnett Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnett-newman/) > [The impulse of modern art was this desire to destroy beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnett-newman/the-impulse-of-modern-art-was-this-desire-to-destroy-beauty/) [Barnett Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnett-newman/) > [“Not satisfied with the life you have,then create the one you desire through clarity, focus,determination,and action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-guillaume/not-satisfied-with-the-life-you-have-then-create-the-one-you-desire/) [Marie Guillaume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-guillaume/) > [Sometimes you have to do something you dislike to create something you desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-murdock/sometimes-you-have-to-do-something-you-dislike-to-create-something/) [Mike Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-murdock/) > [“A major challenge we face today, therefore, is to create a desire in people to learn; and to foster and facilitate this desire throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryn-holmes/a-major-challenge-we-face-today-therefore-is-to-create-a-desire-in/) Bryn Holmes > [When you consider what you would love to accomplish in your life but feel ill-prepared to bring it about, picture the eighty-nine Michelangelo living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-you-consider-what-you-would-love-to-accomplish-in-your-life-but/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Turn yourself inside out. Live with absolute certainty that you have the power to create anything that you desire-anything!-because the power you need is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia/turn-yourself-inside-out-live-with-absolute-certainty-that-you-have/) [Sonia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia/) > [Dreams create desire. Desire creates determination. Determination creates distance between you and failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-charest/dreams-create-desire-desire-creates-determination-determination/) [Jean Charest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-charest/) > [In order to acquire anything in the physical universe, you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn't mean you give up your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/in-order-to-acquire-anything-in-the-physical-universe-you-have-to/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“...I knew he had something that so many of my other students were lacking... desire. Not just the desire to create because for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darian-north/i-knew-he-had-something-that-so-many-of-my-other-students-were/) Darian North ## More by Charles M. Schulz > [Never, ever, ever give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/never-ever-ever-give-up/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Charlie Brown: "Life is just too much for me... I've been confused right from the day I was born... I think the whole trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/charlie-brown-life-is-just-too-much-for-me-i-ve-been-confused-right/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [There's a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/there-s-a-difference-between-a-philosophy-and-a-bumper-sticker/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Nobody likes me!" "I wish I could like you, Charlie Brown, but I can't... If I were to like you, it would be admitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/nobody-likes-me-i-wish-i-could-like-you-charlie-brown-but-i-can-t-if/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Life is full of choices, but you never get any!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/life-is-full-of-choices-but-you-never-get-any/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Today is my grandfather's birthday." "How old is he?" "Sixty-three. It's hard to believe he was once a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/today-is-my-grandfather-s-birthday-how-old-is-he-sixty-three-it-s/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [If I were a better artist, I'd be a painter, and if I were a better writer, I'd write books.. but I'm not, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/if-i-were-a-better-artist-i-d-be-a-painter-and-if-i-were-a-better/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [No one would have been invited to dinner so often as Jesus was unless he were interesting and had a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/no-one-would-have-been-invited-to-dinner-so-often-as-jesus-was-unless/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [You can't write a term paper before breakfast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/you-can-t-write-a-term-paper-before-breakfast/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [I think I'll go over and introduce myself to that little red-haired girl. I think I'll introduce myself, and then ask her to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/i-think-i-ll-go-over-and-introduce-myself-to-that-little-red-haired/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [The world is filled with unmarried marriage counselors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/the-world-is-filled-with-unmarried-marriage-counselors/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [I wonder if there's such a thing as a spiritual dentist? I think my whole personality is full of cavities!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/i-wonder-if-there-s-such-a-thing-as-a-spiritual-dentist-i-think-my/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Going to our school is an education in itself which is not to be confused with actually getting an education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/going-to-our-school-is-an-education-in-itself-which-is-not-to-be/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [“Sometimes I lie awake ay night, and I wonder, "is life like golf or is it more like baseball?" Then a voice comes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/sometimes-i-lie-awake-ay-night-and-i-wonder-is-life-like-golf-or-is/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Schroeder, do you think I'm beautiful?" "I think you're the most beautiful girl the world has ever known..." "You hate me, don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/schroeder-do-you-think-i-m-beautiful-i-think-you-re-the-most/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) [Explore all 320 Charles M. Schulz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. 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/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I’m torn between the desire to create and the desire to destroy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles M. 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