--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art - I had never thought of that as a…" description: "\"Art - I had never thought of that as a career because it was like something I did so naturally, and it was fluid, and it is. And even though I still ad..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/david-small-15837_admire_art-i-had-never-thought-of-that-as-a-car_3109990.jpg" --- # Art - I had never thought of that as a career because it… ![“Art - I had never thought of that as a career because it was like something I did so naturally, and it was fluid, and it is. And even though I still admire literature as the superior art form, I have to admit that art, for me, that's it; that's what I'm good at, and that's what I should be…” quote by David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/david-small-15837_admire_art-i-had-never-thought-of-that-as-a-car_3109990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/david-small-15837_admire_art-i-had-never-thought-of-that-as-a-car_3109990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/david-small-15837_admire_art-i-had-never-thought-of-that-as-a-car_3109990.jpg) > “Art - I had never thought of that as a career because it was like something I did so naturally, and it was fluid, and it is. And even though I still admire literature as the superior art form, I have to admit that art, for me, that's it; that's what I'm good at, and that's what I should be concentrating on.” [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker realizes that natural talent and passion should guide career focus, even if it differs from traditionally esteemed fields. **In simple terms:** Follow your natural talent for work. Key Takeaway Prioritize what you excel at. Themes career talent self‑discovery Mood reflective determined Type advice personal insight When to use this quote - choosing a profession - educational decisions - personal branding - career transitions Key Concepts authenticity passion skill alignment Questions to Reflect On - What talents have you ignored? - How can you balance passion with practicality? A Different Perspective May overlook broader opportunities or interdisciplinary growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) [Admire Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire-literature-4408253/) [Admit Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admit-art-5428693/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Art Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-thought-1295734/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Superior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-superior-5428694/) ## Related quotes > [Mathematics to me is like a language I don’t speak though I admire its literature in translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/mathematics-to-me-is-like-a-language-i-don-t-speak-though-i-admire/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [The number one problem in academia today is not ignorant students but ignorant professors, who have substituted narrow "expertise" and "theoretical sophistication" (a preposterous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-number-one-problem-in-academia-today-is-not-ignorant-students-but/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I have always wanted to make art that I thought was a conversation starter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-have-always-wanted-to-make-art-that-i-thought-was-a-conversation/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [The new school of art and thought does indeed wear an air of audacity, and breaks out everywhere into blasphemies, as if it required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-new-school-of-art-and-thought-does-indeed-wear-an-air-of-audacity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She had never seen me draw–because not drawing and forgetting everything I knew about art, I thought, was the magic key to my becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/she-had-never-seen-me-draw-because-not-drawing-and-forgetting/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was born into a world of art. I always thought that in life, you breathe, you eat, you go to sleep and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paloma-picasso/i-was-born-into-a-world-of-art-i-always-thought-that-in-life-you/) [Paloma Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paloma-picasso/) > [“Art is your thought leaping. Art is your mind dancing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/art-is-your-thought-leaping-art-is-your-mind-dancing/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian-freud/i-remember-francis-bacon-would-say-that-he-felt-he-was-giving-art/) [Lucian Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian-freud/) > [Most of the criticism of my work was pretty good, but occasionally it would not be. And I just sort of felt that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/most-of-the-criticism-of-my-work-was-pretty-good-but-occasionally-it/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [To me, literature is a calling, even a kind of salvation. It connects me with an enterprise that is over 2,000 years old. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/to-me-literature-is-a-calling-even-a-kind-of-salvation-it-connects-me/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [If you follow the process of a thought - any thought, not just about art - the thought changes. It has to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-bleckner/if-you-follow-the-process-of-a-thought-any-thought-not-just-about-art/) [Ross Bleckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-bleckner/) > [“...an acquaintance with the great works of art and thought is the only real insurance against the barbarism of the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-wilson/an-acquaintance-with-the-great-works-of-art-and-thought-is-the-only/) [Edmund Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-wilson/) > [To me the most important thing in a piece of art is the thought. Technique is totally secondary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/to-me-the-most-important-thing-in-a-piece-of-art-is-the-thought/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [If art doesn't require an audience, can an intimate conversation be a work of art? Can a thought be a work of art? Maybe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/if-art-doesn-t-require-an-audience-can-an-intimate-conversation-be-a/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [A great friendship was like a great work of art, he thought. It took time and attention, and a spark of something that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elise-broach/a-great-friendship-was-like-a-great-work-of-art-he-thought-it-took/) [Elise Broach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elise-broach/) ## More by David Small > [Even though I have this solid career in picture books, I've not only been thinking about kids - because I don't think that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/even-though-i-have-this-solid-career-in-picture-books-i-ve-not-only/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I open journal, I look at the picture and I remember where I was. And I remember the time of day, the temperature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-open-journal-i-look-at-the-picture-and-i-remember-where-i-was-and-i/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I don't like my parents; I never will. I didn't cry at either of their funerals. I haven't missed them for five seconds. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-don-t-like-my-parents-i-never-will-i-didn-t-cry-at-either-of-their/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [Humanization and coming to understand somebody as a human being is about as good a kind of forgiveness as you can get, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/humanization-and-coming-to-understand-somebody-as-a-human-being-is/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I feel sorry for kids nowadays, because in the majority of schools across the country, the arts have been eliminated from the curriculum. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-feel-sorry-for-kids-nowadays-because-in-the-majority-of-schools/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I do keep up at night. I try not to let my mind go to extremes in the middle of the night because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-do-keep-up-at-night-i-try-not-to-let-my-mind-go-to-extremes-in-the/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I think all kids feel that their lives are tough, and that they've, been given an unfair shake for one reason or another. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-think-all-kids-feel-that-their-lives-are-tough-and-that-they-ve/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [Writing stories, adopting other characters, making up fantastic stories and tales, this is a way of perhaps enhancing who I am. Writing stories takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/writing-stories-adopting-other-characters-making-up-fantastic-stories/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I found great value in teaching students from the outset of their studies how to draw very realistically. Otherwise, you're starting deep into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-found-great-value-in-teaching-students-from-the-outset-of-their/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I used to teach on a college level, and I've taught in schools where kids just wanted to be artists, and I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-used-to-teach-on-a-college-level-and-i-ve-taught-in-schools-where/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I'm not a writer. I know a lot of writers; I know a handful of really excellent, great ones, and I know what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-m-not-a-writer-i-know-a-lot-of-writers-i-know-a-handful-of-really/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [Mama had her little cough. Once or twice, some quiet sobbing, out of sight... Or the slamming of kitchen cupboard doors. That was her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/mama-had-her-little-cough-once-or-twice-some-quiet-sobbing-out-of/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [By the time that book So You Want to Be President? came along, we had already had enough presidents that had shown us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/by-the-time-that-book-so-you-want-to-be-president-came-along-we-had/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I've always been interested in a certain kind of sophistication in children's literature. I loved Roald Dahl; I loved the underlying nastiness of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-a-certain-kind-of-sophistication-in/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [Leaders of the world, my message to you is simple: to achieve universal peace and understanding on this planet you have only to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/leaders-of-the-world-my-message-to-you-is-simple-to-achieve-universal/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) [Explore all 40 David Small quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) ## More Admire quotes > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/) [Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/) [Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Art - I had never thought of that as a career because it was like something I did so naturally, and it was fluid, and it is. 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