--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’ve discovered that my best work comes…" description: "\"I’ve discovered that my best work comes from the uncomfortable but fruitful feeling of not having a clue – of being worried, secretly afraid, even conv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/dani-shapiro-2273_best-work_i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes_3197900.png" --- # I’ve discovered that my best work comes from the… ![“I’ve discovered that my best work comes from the uncomfortable but fruitful feeling of not having a clue – of being worried, secretly afraid, even convinced that I’m on the wrong track.” quote by Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/dani-shapiro-2273_best-work_i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes_3197900.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/dani-shapiro-2273_best-work_i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes_3197900.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/dani-shapiro-2273_best-work_i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes_3197900.png) > “I’ve discovered that my best work comes from the uncomfortable but fruitful feeling of not having a clue – of being worried, secretly afraid, even convinced that I’m on the wrong track.” [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative breakthroughs often arise from uncertainty and fear, turning discomfort into productivity. **In simple terms:** Uncertainty fuels creativity. Key Takeaway Embrace the unknown. Themes creativity uncertainty growth Mood inspired hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - writing - artistic projects - career pivots Key Concepts fear productive discomfort Questions to Reflect On - When has fear helped you create? - How do you manage anxiety while working? A Different Perspective Fear can also paralyze; not all discomfort is beneficial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-convinced-5925182/) [Best work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-work/) [Clue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clue/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Secretly Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secretly-afraid-406868/) [Track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/track/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) [Worried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried/) [Worried Secretly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried-secretly-5925181/) ## Related quotes > [I am secretly afraid of animals… I think it is because of the usness in their eyes, with the underlying not-usness which beliesit, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/i-am-secretly-afraid-of-animals-i-think-it-is-because-of-the-usness/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [I'm secretly afraid of clowns. But it's not a secret now...dang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-williams/i-m-secretly-afraid-of-clowns-but-it-s-not-a-secret-now-dang/) [Hayley Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-williams/) > [Everyone aspires to love unreservedly yet are secretly afraid they may not have it in their hearts to make such a commitment. They may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786-correction-by-jacobusmaximus/everyone-aspires-to-love-unreservedly-yet-are-secretly-afraid-they/) [Mak\_786 Correction By Jacobusmaximus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786-correction-by-jacobusmaximus/) > [Most of us try to do too much because we are secretly afraid we will not be able to do anything at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-aster/most-of-us-try-to-do-too-much-because-we-are-secretly-afraid-we-will/) [Rick Aster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-aster/) > [What I meant when I say that the media are bots, I don't want anybody misunderstand this. I'm watching CNN and one of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/what-i-meant-when-i-say-that-the-media-are-bots-i-don-t-want-anybody/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Hope for the best and work for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/hope-for-the-best-and-work-for-it/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [There's no way a director can communicate with every single person on the set and yet they need to motivate and instill an ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-kennedy/there-s-no-way-a-director-can-communicate-with-every-single-person-on/) [Kathleen Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-kennedy/) > [You and I are stymied in our own creativity. We can only create as sub-creators, and even then our best work is only sub-creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/you-and-i-are-stymied-in-our-own-creativity-we-can-only-create-as-sub/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [We enjoy what we do and, for me, playing football is the best work in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-moutinho/we-enjoy-what-we-do-and-for-me-playing-football-is-the-best-work-in/) [Joao Moutinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-moutinho/) > [I know some people say it's not the best to work with your family, but I have never understood that because it's always worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/i-know-some-people-say-it-s-not-the-best-to-work-with-your-family-but/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/to-not-be-modest-about-it-you-ll-find-that-with-only-a-couple-of/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“One's best work comes when we are fully alive, happy, and inspired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schiffer/one-s-best-work-comes-when-we-are-fully-alive-happy-and-inspired/) [Eric Schiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schiffer/) > [The books we enjoy as children stay with us forever -- they have a special impact. Paragraph after paragraph and page after page, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sid-fleischman/the-books-we-enjoy-as-children-stay-with-us-forever-they-have-a/) [Sid Fleischman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sid-fleischman/) > [The only features I've done have been on the lower-budget end, for what they were. It's really all about getting the best people aboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-garris/the-only-features-i-ve-done-have-been-on-the-lower-budget-end-for/) [Mick Garris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-garris/) > [I do my best work when I am in pain and turmoil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-do-my-best-work-when-i-am-in-pain-and-turmoil/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) ## More by Dani Shapiro > [“The writer’s life requires courage, patience, empathy, openness. It requires the ability to be alone with oneself. Gentle with oneself. To be disciplined, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-writer-s-life-requires-courage-patience-empathy-openness-it/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never troll for material. It simply presents itself, and is always unmistakable. This is why I want to roll my eyes when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-troll-for-material-it-simply-presents-itself-and-is-always/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [When I near the end of a book, it feels as if the entire universe meets me more than halfway and supports me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-i-near-the-end-of-a-book-it-feels-as-if-the-entire-universe/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything you need to know about life can be learned from a genuine and ongoing attempt to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-you-need-to-know-about-life-can-be-learned-from-a-genuine/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We don't choose what's going to wake us up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-don-t-choose-what-s-going-to-wake-us-up/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything changes. The more I try to hold on to the moment, the more it slips through my fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-changes-the-more-i-try-to-hold-on-to-the-moment-the-more/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [There is no end to the promotion. There is no end to the possibilities. You can continue to promote a book for years, literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/there-is-no-end-to-the-promotion-there-is-no-end-to-the-possibilities/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We can't protect ourselves from pain and heartache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-can-t-protect-ourselves-from-pain-and-heartache/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [A writer with her work needs to be like a dog with a bone all the time. She needs to know where she's hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/a-writer-with-her-work-needs-to-be-like-a-dog-with-a-bone-all-the/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [“Oh, child! Somewhere inside you, your future has already unfurled like one of those coiled-up party streamers, once shiny, shaken loose, floating gracefully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/oh-child-somewhere-inside-you-your-future-has-already-unfurled-like/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never feel so alive as when I'm writing and the work is going well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-feel-so-alive-as-when-i-m-writing-and-the-work-is-going-well/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I do strongly identify with being Jewish. I was raised Orthodox and had a childhood complicated by the fact that my father was deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-do-strongly-identify-with-being-jewish-i-was-raised-orthodox-and/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [The fact is that most husbands, regardless of religion - it's an old-fashioned gender divide where the husband wants to stay home and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-fact-is-that-most-husbands-regardless-of-religion-it-s-an-old/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. I'm not really a short story writer, nor do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/novels-are-my-favorite-to-write-and-read-i-do-like-writing-personal/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Explore all 175 Dani Shapiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## More Best work quotes > [I do my best work when I am in pain and turmoil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-do-my-best-work-when-i-am-in-pain-and-turmoil/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [The only features I've done have been on the lower-budget end, for what they were. It's really all about getting the best people aboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-garris/the-only-features-i-ve-done-have-been-on-the-lower-budget-end-for/) [Mick Garris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-garris/) > [The books we enjoy as children stay with us forever -- they have a special impact. Paragraph after paragraph and page after page, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sid-fleischman/the-books-we-enjoy-as-children-stay-with-us-forever-they-have-a/) [Sid Fleischman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sid-fleischman/) > [“One's best work comes when we are fully alive, happy, and inspired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schiffer/one-s-best-work-comes-when-we-are-fully-alive-happy-and-inspired/) [Eric Schiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schiffer/) > [To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/to-not-be-modest-about-it-you-ll-find-that-with-only-a-couple-of/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I know some people say it's not the best to work with your family, but I have never understood that because it's always worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/i-know-some-people-say-it-s-not-the-best-to-work-with-your-family-but/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [We enjoy what we do and, for me, playing football is the best work in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-moutinho/we-enjoy-what-we-do-and-for-me-playing-football-is-the-best-work-in/) [Joao Moutinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-moutinho/) > [You and I are stymied in our own creativity. We can only create as sub-creators, and even then our best work is only sub-creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/you-and-i-are-stymied-in-our-own-creativity-we-can-only-create-as-sub/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [There's no way a director can communicate with every single person on the set and yet they need to motivate and instill an ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-kennedy/there-s-no-way-a-director-can-communicate-with-every-single-person-on/) [Kathleen Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-kennedy/) > [Hope for the best and work for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/hope-for-the-best-and-work-for-it/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [All I can do is focus on doing my best work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ryder/all-i-can-do-is-focus-on-doing-my-best-work/) [Sam Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ryder/) > [I was wondering if the best was behind me, had the high point of my career already happened. Then I saw what Manolo had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cox/i-was-wondering-if-the-best-was-behind-me-had-the-high-point-of-my/) [Patrick Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cox/) > [The only thing I can do is wipe my arse, brush my teeth, turn up and do the best work I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hardy/the-only-thing-i-can-do-is-wipe-my-arse-brush-my-teeth-turn-up-and-do/) [Tom Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hardy/) > [The best work for creative folks on the team is when the problem is big and the solution escapes everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sinofsky/the-best-work-for-creative-folks-on-the-team-is-when-the-problem-is/) [Steven Sinofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sinofsky/) > [There should always be that leeway because if you think of your character as sort of absolutely fixed, then you just try and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-abrahamson/there-should-always-be-that-leeway-because-if-you-think-of-your/) [Lenny Abrahamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-abrahamson/) [Browse all 403 Best work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I’ve discovered that my best work comes from the uncomfortable but fruitful feeling of not having a clue – of being worried, secretly afraid, even convinced that I’m on the wrong track.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dani Shapiro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes-from-the-uncomfortable-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes-from-the-uncomfortable-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/dani-shapiro-2273_best-work_i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes_3197900.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/dani-shapiro-2273_best-work_i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes_3197900.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/dani-shapiro-2273_best-work_i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes_3197900.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I’ve discovered that my best work comes from the uncomfortable but fruitful feeling of not having a clue –…” — Dani Shapiro", "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": "Dani Shapiro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I’ve discovered that my best work...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes-from-the-uncomfortable-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-ve-discovered-that-my-best-work-comes-from-the-uncomfortable-but/#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 } } ] } ```