---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creativity is achieved in the doing, it's…"
description: "\"Creativity is achieved in the doing, it's not achieved in the thinking.\" — Dan Fante"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1c/dan-fante-37433_creativity_creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s_177330.png"
---

#  Creativity is achieved in the doing, it's not achieved in…

![“Creativity is achieved in the doing, it's not achieved in the thinking.” quote by Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1c/dan-fante-37433_creativity_creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s_177330.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1c/dan-fante-37433_creativity_creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s_177330.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1c/dan-fante-37433_creativity_creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s_177330.png)

> “Creativity is achieved in the doing, it's not achieved in the thinking.”

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Creativity emerges through active execution, not merely contemplation.

**In simple terms:** Doing creates creativity, not just thinking.

Key Takeaway

Engage in doing to unlock creativity.

Themes

creativity action productivity

Mood

energetic motivational

Type

practical inspirational

When to use this quote

- art projects
- writing
- problem solving
- hands‑on workshops

Key Concepts

Experiential learning flow state

Questions to Reflect On

- What activity can you start now to spark creativity?
- How does action reshape your ideas?

A Different Perspective

Thinking alone can stall progress without tangible steps.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [You share things with people and I think information, and art, and ideas should be shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/you-share-things-with-people-and-i-think-information-and-art-and/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [I don't think that a company should own a studio and the network, and program for their own network. It hurts the creativity -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bakula/i-don-t-think-that-a-company-should-own-a-studio-and-the-network-and/)

[Scott Bakula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bakula/)

> [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/)

> [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/)

Christoph Niemann

> [“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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [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 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [“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

> [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 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/)

## More by Dan Fante

> [The passion has never left me. I live as two people - myself, Dan Fante, and Bruno Dante or Mickey Di Salvo, or whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/the-passion-has-never-left-me-i-live-as-two-people-myself-dan-fante/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“All American politicians are bought and paid for by American lobbyists. We no longer have representative government here. We breed monsters like Kissinger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/all-american-politicians-are-bought-and-paid-for-by-american/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“...man can survive ...he can kill and be twisted and broken and desperate and insane and fuck barnyard pets in the dark and wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/man-can-survive-he-can-kill-and-be-twisted-and-broken-and-desperate/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“The British are civilized. People still read and some conversations can be interesting. By contrast American are fat and stupid and so thoroughly brain-blurred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/the-british-are-civilized-people-still-read-and-some-conversations/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“We're fat, we're greedy, and we don't give a shit. Our religion is TV. Our saviour is Bill Gates. We've learned our lessons well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/we-re-fat-we-re-greedy-and-we-don-t-give-a-shit-our-religion-is-tv/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [Stay in the present. And that's not a glib answer. The way to stay in the present is to have a love for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/stay-in-the-present-and-that-s-not-a-glib-answer-the-way-to-stay-in/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“I think my strength comes from being an insane drunk. Near death. Wanting death like a lover every day for years. My talent comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/i-think-my-strength-comes-from-being-an-insane-drunk-near-death/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“Organized religion is horseshit. Spirituality -- the spirituality that I've come to know and experience -- has nothing to do with religion. Were it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/organized-religion-is-horseshit-spirituality-the-spirituality-that-i/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“My secret weapon is my anger. That's what stimulates me as an artist. I want change. I want it yesterday. I'm pissed off at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/my-secret-weapon-is-my-anger-that-s-what-stimulates-me-as-an-artist-i/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [“no wonder i let queers suck my cock”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/no-wonder-i-let-queers-suck-my-cock/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

> [I think we create our own reality by the thoughts we have. Recovery for me has been learning how to choose my thoughts, learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/i-think-we-create-our-own-reality-by-the-thoughts-we-have-recovery/)

[Dan Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

[Explore all 12 Dan Fante quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/)

## 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": "Creativity is achieved in the doing, it's not achieved in the thinking.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dan Fante"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s-not-achieved-in-the-thinking/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Creativity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s-not-achieved-in-the-thinking/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1c/dan-fante-37433_creativity_creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s_177330.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1c/dan-fante-37433_creativity_creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s_177330.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1c/dan-fante-37433_creativity_creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s_177330.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Creativity is achieved in the doing, it's not achieved in the thinking.” — Dan Fante",
                "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": "Dan Fante",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fante/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Creativity is achieved in the doing,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s-not-achieved-in-the-thinking/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fante/creativity-is-achieved-in-the-doing-it-s-not-achieved-in-the-thinking/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
