---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The one thing that I appear to have been…"
description: "\"The one thing that I appear to have been given, bearing in mind that I am capable of being very, very scatty and extremely lazy, is the ability to conc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/daniel-day-lewis-3575_ability_the-one-thing-that-i-appear-to-have-been_2480678.jpg"
---

#  The one thing that I appear to have been given, bearing in…

![“The one thing that I appear to have been given, bearing in mind that I am capable of being very, very scatty and extremely lazy, is the ability to concentrate on something I choose to give my time to.” quote by Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/daniel-day-lewis-3575_ability_the-one-thing-that-i-appear-to-have-been_2480678.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/daniel-day-lewis-3575_ability_the-one-thing-that-i-appear-to-have-been_2480678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/daniel-day-lewis-3575_ability_the-one-thing-that-i-appear-to-have-been_2480678.jpg)

> “The one thing that I appear to have been given, bearing in mind that I am capable of being very, very scatty and extremely lazy, is the ability to concentrate on something I choose to give my time to.”

[Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/)

## About This Quote

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

Concentration is a skill that can be directed to chosen pursuits despite distraction.

**In simple terms:** Focus is a trainable ability.

Key Takeaway

Choose what to focus on and train it.

Themes

focus discipline creativity

Mood

determined thoughtful

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- artistic projects
- academic study
- entrepreneurial ventures
- personal hobbies

Key Concepts

attention self‑regulation

Questions to Reflect On

- What tasks deserve your focus?
- How to guard against laziness?

A Different Perspective

Requires strong self‑motivation; easy to lose focus.

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[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

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