--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trick is not to look back, but keep…" description: "\"The trick is not to look back, but keep on expressing where I'm at now. It's challenging to create something new, so it's crucial to dwell in the prese..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/eric-drooker-12664_challenges_the-trick-is-not-to-look-back-but-keep-o_451690.jpg" --- # The trick is not to look back, but keep on expressing… ![“The trick is not to look back, but keep on expressing where I'm at now. It's challenging to create something new, so it's crucial to dwell in the present moment.” quote by Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/eric-drooker-12664_challenges_the-trick-is-not-to-look-back-but-keep-o_451690.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/eric-drooker-12664_challenges_the-trick-is-not-to-look-back-but-keep-o_451690.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/eric-drooker-12664_challenges_the-trick-is-not-to-look-back-but-keep-o_451690.jpg) > “The trick is not to look back, but keep on expressing where I'm at now. It's challenging to create something new, so it's crucial to dwell in the present moment.” [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on present expression rather than past retrospection to foster innovation. **In simple terms:** Stay present to create new work. Key Takeaway Embrace current moment. Themes creativity mindfulness innovation Mood reflective determined Type motivational creative When to use this quote - writing sessions - studio practice - daily journaling - mindful meditation Key Concepts present focus self‑expression creative block Questions to Reflect On - What holds you back from expressing now? - How does present focus spark new ideas? 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I just like to keep moving forward, because life is short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-ballas/i-don-t-dwell-i-m-not-a-dweller-i-just-like-to-keep-moving-forward/) [Shirley Ballas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-ballas/) > [I'm not going to sit here and dwell on whether or not I am going to the Hall of Fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-payton/i-m-not-going-to-sit-here-and-dwell-on-whether-or-not-i-am-going-to/) [Gary Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-payton/) > [Tennis is like, it gives you a lot of chances, but if you don't take those chances, it takes a lot of chances away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sania-mirza/tennis-is-like-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-chances-but-if-you-don-t-take/) [Sania Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sania-mirza/) > [I've come to the conclusion that life is for the taking and just too short to dwell on the negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/i-ve-come-to-the-conclusion-that-life-is-for-the-taking-and-just-too/) [Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/) > [“We all have things we regret…decisions we make that we have to live with. 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Personally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/if-a-candidate-for-president-said-he-believed-that-space-aliens-dwell/) [Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/) > [“You mustn't dwell on the inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-mustn-t-dwell-on-the-inevitable/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The point, however, is not where you reside but where you dwell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-d-mignolo/the-point-however-is-not-where-you-reside-but-where-you-dwell/) [Walter D. Mignolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-d-mignolo/) > [But when you dwell in a house you mislike, you will look out of a window a deal more than those that are content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/but-when-you-dwell-in-a-house-you-mislike-you-will-look-out-of-a/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [I get a little tired of people telling me what might have been. I think I've done OK. I don't dwell on what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/i-get-a-little-tired-of-people-telling-me-what-might-have-been-i/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [I'm not one to dwell on rehearsal or preparation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-m-not-one-to-dwell-on-rehearsal-or-preparation/) [Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/) ## More by Eric Drooker > [Everyone wants to be part of the 99%, even the cops are like, "No, no, man. I'm part of the 99% too." No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/everyone-wants-to-be-part-of-the-99-even-the-cops-are-like-no-no-man/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [I think for an artist there are so many things to make pictures of now, that everyone else may be suffering, but at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/i-think-for-an-artist-there-are-so-many-things-to-make-pictures-of/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [In the U.S., ironically, people work longer hours in the U.S. than they do in Europe or in any other industrialized country. They seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/in-the-u-s-ironically-people-work-longer-hours-in-the-u-s-than-they/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Americans didn't really have any experience with something as basic as "community."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/americans-didn-t-really-have-any-experience-with-something-as-basic/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Street posters allowed you to have the last word. If you put them up in your neighborhood, you were speaking to your neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/street-posters-allowed-you-to-have-the-last-word-if-you-put-them-up/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Art makes people do a double take and then, if they're looking at the picture, maybe they'll read the text under it that says,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/art-makes-people-do-a-double-take-and-then-if-they-re-looking-at-the/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [There's so much tragedy in people that we see every day that we don't have to make anything up. We don't have to invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/there-s-so-much-tragedy-in-people-that-we-see-every-day-that-we-don-t/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [The unusual thing about doing street poster art - or something with a conscious social critique in it - is that the artist thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/the-unusual-thing-about-doing-street-poster-art-or-something-with-a/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Everything you do is political, even if it's abstract. You're making a political statement even if it's unwittingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/everything-you-do-is-political-even-if-it-s-abstract-you-re-making-a/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [By the time I was in my early-twenties and was living there on the Lower East Side, I was so surrounded by tragedy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/by-the-time-i-was-in-my-early-twenties-and-was-living-there-on-the/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Street art is about as religious as I get - that's my faith, that even if people screen it out and didn't think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/street-art-is-about-as-religious-as-i-get-that-s-my-faith-that-even/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Illustrators are usually illustrating something big or commercial if not outright advertising. It's a form of prostitution, but that's cool because we don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/illustrators-are-usually-illustrating-something-big-or-commercial-if/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [The problem with prostitution in my experience is that it's often unsatisfying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/the-problem-with-prostitution-in-my-experience-is-that-it-s-often/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [There's the fact that animation is extremely time-consuming, tedious, labor-intensive, and therefore, extremely expensive as an art form to really do it right, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/there-s-the-fact-that-animation-is-extremely-time-consuming-tedious/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [The client isn't quite satisfied and then the prostitute is always unsatisfied but is doing it just to make ends meet. And if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/the-client-isn-t-quite-satisfied-and-then-the-prostitute-is-always/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) [Explore all 54 Eric Drooker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. 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It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) [Whitney Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-gaskell/) > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The trick is not to look back, but keep on expressing where I'm at now. 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