--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I refer to \"creative living,\" I am…" description: "\"“When I refer to \"creative living,\" I am speaking more broadly. I'm talking about living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/elizabeth-gilbert-131_creativity_when-i-refer-to-creative-living-i-am-spe_381349.jpg" --- # When I refer to "creative living," I am speaking more… ![“When I refer to "creative living," I am speaking more broadly. I'm talking about living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.” quote by Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/elizabeth-gilbert-131_creativity_when-i-refer-to-creative-living-i-am-spe_381349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/elizabeth-gilbert-131_creativity_when-i-refer-to-creative-living-i-am-spe_381349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/elizabeth-gilbert-131_creativity_when-i-refer-to-creative-living-i-am-spe_381349.jpg) > ““When I refer to "creative living," I am speaking more broadly. I'm talking about living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.”” [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living creatively means letting curiosity guide choices rather than fear, fostering a life of exploration and growth. **In simple terms:** Let curiosity, not fear, drive your life. Key Takeaway Follow curiosity, reduce fear. Themes creativity courage personal growth mindset Mood reflective encouraging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career change - artistic projects - learning new skills - travel planning Key Concepts curiosity‑driven living fear reduction creative mindset Questions to Reflect On - What fear holds you back? - How can curiosity reshape a current challenge? A Different Perspective Fear can still dominate decisions despite intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“And while the paths and outcomes of creative living will vary wildly from person to person, I can guarantee you this: A creative life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-the-paths-and-outcomes-of-creative-living-will-vary-wildly/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I can't play the guitar, so the thoughts of playing one onstage at a festival makes me quiver, but I've been blabbering away in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisling-bea/i-can-t-play-the-guitar-so-the-thoughts-of-playing-one-onstage-at-a/) [Aisling Bea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisling-bea/) > [Acting is not talking, it's living off the other fellow!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanford-meisner/acting-is-not-talking-it-s-living-off-the-other-fellow/) [Sanford Meisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanford-meisner/) > [I'm talking about living life to its fullest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-m-talking-about-living-life-to-its-fullest/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“How would your life be different if you stopped talking yourself out of living the life you have dreamt of?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/how-would-your-life-be-different-if-you-stopped-talking-yourself-out/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Excess is not really something I consider a bad thing; especially when you are talking about living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-renta/excess-is-not-really-something-i-consider-a-bad-thing-especially-when/) [Oscar de la Renta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-renta/) > [What you do for a living is not be creative, what you do for a living is ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/what-you-do-for-a-living-is-not-be-creative-what-you-do-for-a-living/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The greatest satisfaction you can obtain from life is your pleasure in producing, in your own individual way, something of value to your fellowmen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-greatest-satisfaction-you-can-obtain-from-life-is-your-pleasure-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There's nothing creative about living within your means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/there-s-nothing-creative-about-living-within-your-means/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [Creative living, or the life of a creator, seems like a leap into the unknown only because "normal life" is rigid and traumatized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/creative-living-or-the-life-of-a-creator-seems-like-a-leap-into-the/) [Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/) > [“The greatest satisfaction you can obtain from life is your pleasure in producing, in your own individual way, something of value for your fellowmen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-reilly-ph-d/the-greatest-satisfaction-you-can-obtain-from-life-is-your-pleasure/) William J. Reilly, Ph.D > [I am creative in my living space - the designer in me helps that out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/i-am-creative-in-my-living-space-the-designer-in-me-helps-that-out/) [Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/) > [I want creators quitting their part-time jobs and being creative for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-conte/i-want-creators-quitting-their-part-time-jobs-and-being-creative-for/) [Jack Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-conte/) > [Tension is a prerequisite for creative living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-meyer-driscoll/tension-is-a-prerequisite-for-creative-living/) [Agnes Meyer Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-meyer-driscoll/) > [For me, it's about being at home and living a life. Taking the dog for a walk, doing the shopping, emptying the dishwasher, going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cillian-murphy/for-me-it-s-about-being-at-home-and-living-a-life-taking-the-dog-for/) [Cillian Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cillian-murphy/) ## More by Elizabeth Gilbert > [That's your friend. My husband is my best friend. He's not the mirror that holds up my flaws. He's just the guy who's like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/that-s-your-friend-my-husband-is-my-best-friend-he-s-not-the-mirror/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Not to mention that I have finally arrived at that age where a woman starts to question whether the wisest way to get over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/not-to-mention-that-i-have-finally-arrived-at-that-age-where-a-woman/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“The Buddha taught that all human suffering is rooted in desire. Don't we all know this to be true? Any of us who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-buddha-taught-that-all-human-suffering-is-rooted-in-desire-don-t/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [ “And while \[we\] do have possibilities that are vast and magnificent and almost infinite in scope, it's important to remember that our choice-rich lives… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-we-do-have-possibilities-that-are-vast-and-magnificent-and/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/learn-your-way-around-loneliness-make-a-map-of-it-sit-with-it-for/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [If we never leave our house except to drive to work, do we need to be even remotely aware of this powerful, humbling, extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/if-we-never-leave-our-house-except-to-drive-to-work-do-we-need-to-be/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I will tell you why we have these extraordinary minds and souls, Miss Whittaker," he continued, as though he had not heard her. "We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-will-tell-you-why-we-have-these-extraordinary-minds-and-souls-miss/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Both the five-year-olds looked at me with bewilderment and a bit of fearful uncertainty. I had a sudden horrifying image of the woman I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/both-the-five-year-olds-looked-at-me-with-bewilderment-and-a-bit-of/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/clearing-out-all-your-misery-gets-you-out-of-the-way-you-cease-being/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [The ingredients of both darkness and light are equally present in all of us,...The madness of this planet is largely a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-ingredients-of-both-darkness-and-light-are-equally-present-in-all/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I was full of a hot, powerful sadness and would have loved to burst into the comfort of tears, but tried hard not to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-was-full-of-a-hot-powerful-sadness-and-would-have-loved-to-burst/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“I live in nature where everything is connected, circular. The seasons are circular. The planet is circular, and so is the planet around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-live-in-nature-where-everything-is-connected-circular-the-seasons/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“His spelling was several degrees beyond arbitrary, and his punctuation brought reason to sigh with unhappiness. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/his-spelling-was-several-degrees-beyond-arbitrary-and-his-punctuation/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Before you realize this truth, say the Yogis, you will always be in despair, a notion nicely expressed in this exasperated line from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/before-you-realize-this-truth-say-the-yogis-you-will-always-be-in/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I actually have a great deal of respect for antidepressants; I think they can be enormously mighty tools toward recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect-for-antidepressants-i-think/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) [Explore all 1,156 Elizabeth Gilbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I refer to \"creative living,\" I am speaking more broadly. 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