--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is an awesome tragedy in this life…" description: "\"“It is an awesome tragedy in this life that, when asking what a person is and they reply doctor or lawyer or engineer, we don't say \"Well thats a nice ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/d-a-botta-50518_author_it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-th_1128751.jpg" --- # It is an awesome tragedy in this life that, when asking… ![“It is an awesome tragedy in this life that, when asking what a person is and they reply doctor or lawyer or engineer, we don't say "Well thats a nice little hobby, but why don't you take up writing or painting or music?” quote by D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/d-a-botta-50518_author_it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-th_1128751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/d-a-botta-50518_author_it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-th_1128751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/d-a-botta-50518_author_it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-th_1128751.jpg) > ““It is an awesome tragedy in this life that, when asking what a person is and they reply doctor or lawyer or engineer, we don't say "Well thats a nice little hobby, but why don't you take up writing or painting or music?”” [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society often values professions over creative hobbies, limiting personal fulfillment and artistic expression. **In simple terms:** Jobs valued over hobbies. Key Takeaway Cultivate creative pursuits alongside career. Themes career vs creativity societal expectations fulfillment Mood inspirational critical Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - education - career counseling - personal development - family life Key Concepts occupational identity artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What hobby would you pursue if free? - How can you integrate art into daily life? A Different Perspective Economic pressures may prioritize income over art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I haven't written in a week. It's like holding your breath under water. You feel an awful constriction and then the instinct to propel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/i-haven-t-written-in-a-week-it-s-like-holding-your-breath-under-water/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“I have yet to find that one perfect phrase that epitomizes all the mysteries of the universe. Luckily, I doubt to ever pen it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/i-have-yet-to-find-that-one-perfect-phrase-that-epitomizes-all-the/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“Like a father with his daughter, the writist plays peek-a-boo with the world. His aim is to evoke that sweet smile, the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/like-a-father-with-his-daughter-the-writist-plays-peek-a-boo-with-the/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“To write what you think is to think what you write. Leave those of hollow to their dust. They are but sorry things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/to-write-what-you-think-is-to-think-what-you-write-leave-those-of/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“Nothing fills the world quite as poetry does. A poet need not dwell on the pagecount of his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/nothing-fills-the-world-quite-as-poetry-does-a-poet-need-not-dwell-on/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“The trouble with a baby, for writists, is that they take away your useful melancholy, even the energy to invent some.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/the-trouble-with-a-baby-for-writists-is-that-they-take-away-your/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [You cannot discover the purpose of life by asking someone else - the only way you'll ever get the right answer is by asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-guillemets/you-cannot-discover-the-purpose-of-life-by-asking-someone-else-the/) [Terri Guillemets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-guillemets/) > [“I love you," she says. "But that doesn't mean I'm ready to give up my life for you. I don't want to pull over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/i-love-you-she-says-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-m-ready-to-give-up-my/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [My children are the focal point of my life. I was asking for a little more time to spend with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-tylo/my-children-are-the-focal-point-of-my-life-i-was-asking-for-a-little/) [Hunter Tylo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-tylo/) > [“God put us here to go through this kind of mental gymnastics, and He certainly put us here to enjoy our sexual lives. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/god-put-us-here-to-go-through-this-kind-of-mental-gymnastics-and-he/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [You know," Daddy said, "it's some that can live their whole life out without asking about it and it's others has to know why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/you-know-daddy-said-it-s-some-that-can-live-their-whole-life-out/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Who is in your life asking you the tough questions?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-henderson/who-is-in-your-life-asking-you-the-tough-questions/) [Jeff Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-henderson/) > [“I know none of this seems very believable. It probably doesn't even make sense. But for once in your life, please, I am asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/i-know-none-of-this-seems-very-believable-it-probably-doesn-t-even/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“I don't want to go through the motions I don't want to go one more day Without your all-consuming Passion inside of me I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-west/i-don-t-want-to-go-through-the-motions-i-don-t-want-to-go-one-more/) [Matthew West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-west/) > [“I wasn't never gonna run off again, no matter how bad things got. But I wasn't gonna be too scared to love the folks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-wasn-t-never-gonna-run-off-again-no-matter-how-bad-things-got-but-i/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) ## More by D.A. Botta > [“The trouble with a baby, for writists, is that they take away your useful melancholy, even the energy to invent some.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/the-trouble-with-a-baby-for-writists-is-that-they-take-away-your/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“Nothing fills the world quite as poetry does. A poet need not dwell on the pagecount of his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/nothing-fills-the-world-quite-as-poetry-does-a-poet-need-not-dwell-on/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“To write what you think is to think what you write. Leave those of hollow to their dust. They are but sorry things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/to-write-what-you-think-is-to-think-what-you-write-leave-those-of/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“Like a father with his daughter, the writist plays peek-a-boo with the world. His aim is to evoke that sweet smile, the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/like-a-father-with-his-daughter-the-writist-plays-peek-a-boo-with-the/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“I have yet to find that one perfect phrase that epitomizes all the mysteries of the universe. Luckily, I doubt to ever pen it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/i-have-yet-to-find-that-one-perfect-phrase-that-epitomizes-all-the/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) > [“I haven't written in a week. It's like holding your breath under water. You feel an awful constriction and then the instinct to propel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/i-haven-t-written-in-a-week-it-s-like-holding-your-breath-under-water/) [D.A. Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) [Explore all 7 D.A. Botta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [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/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is an awesome tragedy in this life that, when asking what a person is and they reply doctor or lawyer or engineer, we don't say \"Well thats a nice little hobby, but why don't you take up writing or painting or music?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D.A. Botta" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-that-when-asking-what-a-person/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-that-when-asking-what-a-person/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/d-a-botta-50518_author_it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-th_1128751.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/d-a-botta-50518_author_it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-th_1128751.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/d-a-botta-50518_author_it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-th_1128751.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is an awesome tragedy in this life that, when asking what a person is and they reply doctor or lawyer or…” — D.A. Botta", "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": "D.A. Botta", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-botta/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is an awesome tragedy in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-that-when-asking-what-a-person/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-botta/it-is-an-awesome-tragedy-in-this-life-that-when-asking-what-a-person/#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 } } ] } ```