--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing helped to have jobs that involved…" description: "\"Writing helped to have jobs that involved running around, pushing things like dish carts and wheelbarrows. It would be hard to sit at a desk all day, a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/david-sedaris-333_abandon_writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involve_3153273.png" --- # Writing helped to have jobs that involved running around… ![“Writing helped to have jobs that involved running around, pushing things like dish carts and wheelbarrows. It would be hard to sit at a desk all day, and then come to sit at another desk. Also, it helps to abandon hope. If I sit at my computer, determined to write a New Yorker story I won't get…” quote by David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/david-sedaris-333_abandon_writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involve_3153273.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/david-sedaris-333_abandon_writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involve_3153273.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/david-sedaris-333_abandon_writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involve_3153273.png) > “Writing helped to have jobs that involved running around, pushing things like dish carts and wheelbarrows. It would be hard to sit at a desk all day, and then come to sit at another desk. Also, it helps to abandon hope. If I sit at my computer, determined to write a New Yorker story I won't get beyond the first sentence. It's better to put no pressure on it. What would happen if I followed the previous sentence with this one, I'll think. If the eighth draft is torture, the first should be fun. At least if you're writing humor.” [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing can be a physical, restless activity that feels more natural than sedentary desk work, and low pressure encourages creativity. **In simple terms:** Writing feels like movement; low pressure helps creativity. Key Takeaway Embrace low‑pressure, active writing. Themes creativity work pressure humor Mood reflective playful Type advice personal When to use this quote - writing a humor piece - drafting a story - overcoming writer’s block - working in a dynamic environment Key Concepts flow self‑discipline process fun Questions to Reflect On - How does movement affect your writing flow? - What pressure level yields your best work? A Different Perspective If pressure is too low, output may lack polish. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon/) [Carts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carts/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Desks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desks/) [Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Dishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishes/) [Eighth Draft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighth-draft-5669728/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [New yorkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-yorkers/) [No pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-pressure/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Pushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pushing/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [Wheelbarrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheelbarrows/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) [Write New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-new/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Helped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-helped-2062623/) [Writing humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-humor/) [Yorker Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yorker-story-1803795/) ## Related quotes > [I wasn't aware I'd write the novel when I wrote the New Yorker story either. And the narration of their construction in 10:04 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-wasn-t-aware-i-d-write-the-novel-when-i-wrote-the-new-yorker-story/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“The truth, however, was that there was very little greatness. It was almost nonexistent, invisible. But you could be sure that the worst writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-truth-however-was-that-there-was-very-little-greatness-it-was/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [ \[Writing\] has helped me meet people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-harvey/writing-has-helped-me-meet-people/) [PJ Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pj-harvey/) > [Writing has always helped me to make sense of difficult things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prager/writing-has-always-helped-me-to-make-sense-of-difficult-things/) [Joshua Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prager/) > [“As a boy, reading was my religion. It helped me to discover my soul. Later, writing helped me to record its journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/as-a-boy-reading-was-my-religion-it-helped-me-to-discover-my-soul/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [Some people have written that my writing has helped them go on. It has helped me too. The writing, the roses, the 9 cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/some-people-have-written-that-my-writing-has-helped-them-go-on-it-has/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“writing it helped me to believe it. It staked some claim on the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lindhout/writing-it-helped-me-to-believe-it-it-staked-some-claim-on-the-truth/) [Amanda Lindhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lindhout/) > [“Writing had always helped her, before. It always clarified her feelings and her thoughts, and she never felt like she could understand something fully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-scottoline/writing-had-always-helped-her-before-it-always-clarified-her-feelings/) [Lisa Scottoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-scottoline/) > [Writing helped me understand what I was thinking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/writing-helped-me-understand-what-i-was-thinking-about/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [And, you know, I liked writing humor. Well, I should say, I wanted to write seriously, but it kept turning funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/and-you-know-i-liked-writing-humor-well-i-should-say-i-wanted-to/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [I regard the writing of humor as a supreme artistic challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-wouk/i-regard-the-writing-of-humor-as-a-supreme-artistic-challenge/) [Herman Wouk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-wouk/) > [Writing humor for me is more like a watchful-ness. You have to watch. When you say something funny, or someone else does, it's more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-frazier/writing-humor-for-me-is-more-like-a-watchful-ness-you-have-to-watch/) [Ian Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-frazier/) > [Writing humor is not something every single person can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-rivenbark/writing-humor-is-not-something-every-single-person-can-do/) [Celia Rivenbark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-rivenbark/) > [“...I have this one nasty habit. Makes me hard to live with. I write... ...writing is antisocial. It's as solitary as masturbation. Disturb a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-this-one-nasty-habit-makes-me-hard-to-live-with-i-write/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Being an author of a book is like being a mother of a debutante in the Middle Ages. You have to present your baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvira-baryakina/being-an-author-of-a-book-is-like-being-a-mother-of-a-debutante-in/) [Elvira Baryakina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvira-baryakina/) ## More by David Sedaris > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“never fall asleep in a Dumpster, never underestimate a bee, never drive a convertible behind a flatbed truck, never get old, never get drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/never-fall-asleep-in-a-dumpster-never-underestimate-a-bee-never-drive/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“It was a father, one hand resting teapot-style on his hip, and the other - what would be the spout - formed into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-was-a-father-one-hand-resting-teapot-style-on-his-hip-and-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“A Japanese woman we’d met in Paris came to the apartment yesterday and spent several hours explaining our appliances. The microwave, the water kettle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/a-japanese-woman-we-d-met-in-paris-came-to-the-apartment-yesterday/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [One thing I like about the United States, and I kind of miss about the United States, is there's an election coming up here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/one-thing-i-like-about-the-united-states-and-i-kind-of-miss-about-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [When you read comic material and people aren't laughing how do you know they're listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/when-you-read-comic-material-and-people-aren-t-laughing-how-do-you/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“You have how many children in your family?" the teacher would ask. "I'm guessing you must be Catholic, am I right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-have-how-many-children-in-your-family-the-teacher-would-ask-i-m/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“Like most seasoned phonies, I roundly suspect that everyone is as disingenuous as I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/like-most-seasoned-phonies-i-roundly-suspect-that-everyone-is-as/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [As a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/as-a-child-i-assumed-that-when-i-reached-adulthood-i-would-have-grown/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“You just take and take don´t you? Out there with your thumb in the air—not a care in the world, just grabbing whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-just-take-and-take-don-t-you-out-there-with-your-thumb-in-the-air/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [In other parts of the country people tried to stay together for the sake of the children. In New York they tried to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-other-parts-of-the-country-people-tried-to-stay-together-for-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [My boyfriend got me a computer three years ago. I'll admit it does make things a lot easier. When I was working on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/my-boyfriend-got-me-a-computer-three-years-ago-i-ll-admit-it-does/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I spent months searching for some secret code before I realized that common sense has nothing to do with it. Hysteria, psychosis, torture, depression:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-spent-months-searching-for-some-secret-code-before-i-realized-that/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I hated leaving a hole in the smoking world, and so I recruited someone to take my place. People have given me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hated-leaving-a-hole-in-the-smoking-world-and-so-i-recruited/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/write-relentlessly-until-you-find-your-voice-then-use-it/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) [Explore all 667 David Sedaris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## More Abandon quotes > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) [Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/) > [The purpose of a spirit filled life is to demonstrate the supernatural power of our living God so that the unsaved multitudes will abandon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-osborn/the-purpose-of-a-spirit-filled-life-is-to-demonstrate-the/) [T.L. Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-osborn/) > [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I would leave at once, but it would be cruel to abandon a lady in a foreign land with a maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-would-leave-at-once-but-it-would-be-cruel-to-abandon-a-lady-in-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Every great thing starts with an idea, followed by a doubt and finally a resolve to abandon or pursue. Victory is a treacherous journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/every-great-thing-starts-with-an-idea-followed-by-a-doubt-and-finally/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't give up because things are hard, but work harder, when you think of giving up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/don-t-give-up-because-things-are-hard-but-work-harder-when-you-think/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I care so deeply about this matter that I'm willing to take on the legal penalties, to sit in this prison cell, to sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-care-so-deeply-about-this-matter-that-i-m-willing-to-take-on-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) [Browse all 1,142 Abandon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing helped to have jobs that involved running around, pushing things like dish carts and wheelbarrows. It would be hard to sit at a desk all day, and then come to sit at another desk. Also, it helps to abandon hope. If I sit at my computer, determined to write a New Yorker story I won't get beyond the first sentence. It's better to put no pressure on it. What would happen if I followed the previous sentence with this one, I'll think. If the eighth draft is torture, the first should be fun. At least if you're writing humor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Sedaris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involved-running-around-pushing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abandon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involved-running-around-pushing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/david-sedaris-333_abandon_writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involve_3153273.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/david-sedaris-333_abandon_writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involve_3153273.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/david-sedaris-333_abandon_writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involve_3153273.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing helped to have jobs that involved running around, pushing things like dish carts and wheelbarrows…” — David Sedaris", "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": "David Sedaris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing helped to have jobs that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involved-running-around-pushing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/writing-helped-to-have-jobs-that-involved-running-around-pushing/#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 } } ] } ```