--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a…" description: "\"Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional peaks amongst the valleys, but th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/dave-stevens-230945_able_well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-h_39361.png" --- # Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic… ![“Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional peaks amongst the valleys, but the peaks are so few-things like genuine flashes of virtuoso brush inking, like I've never executed before or since-I can count on one hand the…” quote by Dave Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/dave-stevens-230945_able_well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-h_39361.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/dave-stevens-230945_able_well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-h_39361.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/dave-stevens-230945_able_well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-h_39361.png) > “Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional peaks amongst the valleys, but the peaks are so few-things like genuine flashes of virtuoso brush inking, like I've never executed before or since-I can count on one hand the number of jobs where I've been able to hit that mark. The same with penciling. Sometimes it just flows, but more often than not, it's pure physical and spiritual torment just to get something decent on paper. I often get very discouraged with the whole creative process.” Dave Stevens ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work involves cycles of brilliance and struggle; peaks are rare and often painful to achieve. **In simple terms:** Creativity is a painful, uneven process. Key Takeaway Embrace the struggle. Themes creativity art process perfection self‑critique growth Mood determined introspective Type statement When to use this quote - artist workshops - personal journaling - mental health support Key Concepts psychology of creativity artistic temperament mindset resilience Questions to Reflect On - How to balance self‑critique with confidence? - What sustains motivation during valleys? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torment/) [Virtuoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtuoso/) ## Related quotes > [All of the penciling was consistently done by one person and the inking was whoever could finish on time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-kane/all-of-the-penciling-was-consistently-done-by-one-person-and-the/) [Gil Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-kane/) > [When I sit down to begin penciling a page, most of the hard work for me is done. I can concentrate solely on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raina-telgemeier/when-i-sit-down-to-begin-penciling-a-page-most-of-the-hard-work-for/) [Raina Telgemeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raina-telgemeier/) > [“Inking is meditation in liquid form...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-everett/inking-is-meditation-in-liquid-form/) J.H. Everett > [I still do some inking here and there and I've actually got a book that I'm going to ink entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-mcfarlane/i-still-do-some-inking-here-and-there-and-i-ve-actually-got-a-book/) [Todd McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-mcfarlane/) > [First of all there was a guy named Charles Nicholas, who used to do all of the inking that Jack and Simon didn't do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-kane/first-of-all-there-was-a-guy-named-charles-nicholas-who-used-to-do/) [Gil Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-kane/) > [When you have a brush in your hand, inking a beautiful woman is a lot like running your hands over her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/when-you-have-a-brush-in-your-hand-inking-a-beautiful-woman-is-a-lot/) [Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/) > [I write separately from the inking up. I'm sure this varies from cartoonist to cartoonist; I find that the writing is the hard part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-write-separately-from-the-inking-up-i-m-sure-this-varies-from/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Well, Mozart is extraordinary not only in that he became virtuoso along the lines of his father, but that he had that compositional gift,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/well-mozart-is-extraordinary-not-only-in-that-he-became-virtuoso/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [The great piano virtuoso Paderewski was once playing before an audience of the rich and the royal. After a brilliant performance, an elegant lady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-great-piano-virtuoso-paderewski-was-once-playing-before-an/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [“Virtuoso? Are you serious? What kind of code name is that? Who's assigning code names these days? They should be shot. How can anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bevarly/virtuoso-are-you-serious-what-kind-of-code-name-is-that-who-s/) [Elizabeth Bevarly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bevarly/) > [“Provocative. Striking. Rachel Resnick is a virtuoso on the page. Her fearless examination of the desperate thirst to find love is guaranteed to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-dunn/provocative-striking-rachel-resnick-is-a-virtuoso-on-the-page-her/) Samantha Dunn > [When a pianist sits down and does a virtuoso performance he is in a technical sense transmitting more information to a machine than any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moog/when-a-pianist-sits-down-and-does-a-virtuoso-performance-he-is-in-a/) [Robert Moog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moog/) > [I have never learned to read or write music so I am not a virtuoso musician like the others you mentioned. I am completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hensley/i-have-never-learned-to-read-or-write-music-so-i-am-not-a-virtuoso/) [Ken Hensley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-hensley/) > [It is one thing to be a virtuoso, but a different thing to play with compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/it-is-one-thing-to-be-a-virtuoso-but-a-different-thing-to-play-with/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [Trombone virtuoso and innovative composer, Papo combines the best of jazz and Latin music to create a genre that is unique and wild. He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brecker/trombone-virtuoso-and-innovative-composer-papo-combines-the-best-of/) Michael Brecker ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional peaks amongst the valleys, but the peaks are so few-things like genuine flashes of virtuoso brush inking, like I've never executed before or since-I can count on one hand the number of jobs where I've been able to hit that mark. The same with penciling. 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