--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The small flame in my chest flickers for…" description: "\"“The small flame in my chest flickers for a few hours, waiting for more firewood. If I feed it, the interest continues. If I starve it, the interest wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/660/francesca-zappia-3158_motivation_the-small-flame-in-my-chest-flickers-for_1737284.jpg" --- # The small flame in my chest flickers for a few hours… ![“The small flame in my chest flickers for a few hours, waiting for more firewood. If I feed it, the interest continues. If I starve it, the interest wanes. If you want the motivation back, you must feed it. Feed it everything. Books, television, movies, paintings, stage plays, real-life experience…” quote by Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/660/francesca-zappia-3158_motivation_the-small-flame-in-my-chest-flickers-for_1737284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/660/francesca-zappia-3158_motivation_the-small-flame-in-my-chest-flickers-for_1737284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/660/francesca-zappia-3158_motivation_the-small-flame-in-my-chest-flickers-for_1737284.jpg) > ““The small flame in my chest flickers for a few hours, waiting for more firewood. If I feed it, the interest continues. If I starve it, the interest wanes. If you want the motivation back, you must feed it. Feed it everything. Books, television, movies, paintings, stage plays, real-life experience. Sometimes feeding simply means working, working through nonmotivation, working even when you hate it" -Olivia Kane”” [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Motivation is a flame that must be fed with varied experiences; neglect causes it to die. **In simple terms:** Feed your drive with diverse inputs. Key Takeaway Continuously nurture interests. Themes motivation creativity growth Mood energetic thoughtful Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - career development - artistic projects - learning new skills Key Concepts psychology habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your motivation? - How do you sustain it during low periods? A Different Perspective Over‑stimulating can lead to burnout if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience Feeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-feeding-1486555/) [Feed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feed/) [Feed Feed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feed-feed-837687/) [Feeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeding/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Motivation Feed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation-feed-1486556/) ## Related quotes > [“If you want the motivation back, you must feed it Feed it everything. Books, television, movies, paintings, stage plays, real-life experience. Sometimes feeding simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/if-you-want-the-motivation-back-you-must-feed-it-feed-it-everything/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-it-will-feed-nothing-else-it-will-feed-my-revenge/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“... if i die what will become of them? ... What will become of them? ... Who would feed it and who would feed them all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/if-i-die-what-will-become-of-them-what-will-become-of-them-who-would/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“Hiding the truth is as evil as feeding the lie grow tough muscles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/hiding-the-truth-is-as-evil-as-feeding-the-lie-grow-tough-muscles/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“My mama is my feeding bottle... She never goes empty no matter how deep I sip! Thank you mum!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/my-mama-is-my-feeding-bottle-she-never-goes-empty-no-matter-how-deep/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“I'm like a stray cat. If you feed me, I don't leave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-m-pillow/i-m-like-a-stray-cat-if-you-feed-me-i-don-t-leave/) [Michelle M. Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-m-pillow/) > [Chefs are at the end of a long chain of individuals who work hard to feed people. Farmers, beekeepers, bakers, scientists, fishermen, grocers, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/chefs-are-at-the-end-of-a-long-chain-of-individuals-who-work-hard-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But motivation doesn’t come from nowhere. Like any good monster, you have to feed it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/but-motivation-doesn-t-come-from-nowhere-like-any-good-monster-you/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [I definitely feed off of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-baldwin/i-definitely-feed-off-of-people/) [Brooke Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-baldwin/) > [I love the pigeons. I just raise them, period, and feed them. Pigeons go away, and they always come back. You get a touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/i-love-the-pigeons-i-just-raise-them-period-and-feed-them-pigeons-go/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) > [I love to feed people, and I like to cook food they want to eat and food that will be good for them. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/i-love-to-feed-people-and-i-like-to-cook-food-they-want-to-eat-and/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [I would ask my mum to feed my dolls and make sure they were tucked in when I went to school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-rankin/i-would-ask-my-mum-to-feed-my-dolls-and-make-sure-they-were-tucked-in/) [Gayle Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-rankin/) > [Feed me hip-hop and I start tremblin'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/feed-me-hip-hop-and-i-start-tremblin/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Nobody ever wants to see a guy get hurt, because this is how we feed our families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-amore/nobody-ever-wants-to-see-a-guy-get-hurt-because-this-is-how-we-feed/) [Enzo Amore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-amore/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) ## More by Francesca Zappia > [“You found me in a constellation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/you-found-me-in-a-constellation/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“Creating art is a lonely task, which is why we introverts revel in it,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/creating-art-is-a-lonely-task-which-is-why-we-introverts-revel-in-it/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“Broken people don't hide from their monsters. Broken people let themselves be eaten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/broken-people-don-t-hide-from-their-monsters-broken-people-let/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“Eliza, your worth as a person is not dependent on the art you create or what other people think of it" -Dr.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/eliza-your-worth-as-a-person-is-not-dependent-on-the-art-you-create/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“It looks so peaceful.” “Peaceful, huh? Haven't you heard? There are monsters in the sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/it-looks-so-peaceful-peaceful-huh-haven-t-you-heard-there-are/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“I am Eliza Mirk, daughter and sister and friend. I am Eliza Mirk, mother of a fandom. I am Eliza Mirk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/i-am-eliza-mirk-daughter-and-sister-and-friend-i-am-eliza-mirk-mother/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“...the characters themselves. The struggles they have to go through, and when you really love them, how much they affect you. When the characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/the-characters-themselves-the-struggles-they-have-to-go-through-and/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“She drew so many monsters that she became a monster herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/she-drew-so-many-monsters-that-she-became-a-monster-herself/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“Honey, your father’s just saying that, you know, this is the first time you’ve really hung out with a boy, and we should think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/honey-your-father-s-just-saying-that-you-know-this-is-the-first-time/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“A text comes from Wallace. An actual text too, not a message through the forum app. I gave him my number awhile back, before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/a-text-comes-from-wallace-an-actual-text-too-not-a-message-through/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“small monster in my brain that controls my doubt. The doubt itself is a stupid thing, without sense or feeling, blind and straining at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/small-monster-in-my-brain-that-controls-my-doubt-the-doubt-itself-is/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“I think you might be surprised how thin the lines between art and sports really are - some artists consider their craft a sport,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/i-think-you-might-be-surprised-how-thin-the-lines-between-art-and/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“I’ve never met a real live fan before. I didn’t think about it until now, and it’s a strange thing. All these people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/i-ve-never-met-a-real-live-fan-before-i-didn-t-think-about-it-until/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“I have to try, because I’m doing it again—I’m shutting everything out because I’m frustrated and tired and because the real world is difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/i-have-to-try-because-i-m-doing-it-again-i-m-shutting-everything-out/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“...so I turn my face to the empty space beside me whenever I need to breath. I learned years ago that it's okay to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/so-i-turn-my-face-to-the-empty-space-beside-me-whenever-i-need-to/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) [Explore all 137 Francesca Zappia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) ## More Feed quotes > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [Nobody ever wants to see a guy get hurt, because this is how we feed our families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-amore/nobody-ever-wants-to-see-a-guy-get-hurt-because-this-is-how-we-feed/) [Enzo Amore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-amore/) > [Feed me hip-hop and I start tremblin'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/feed-me-hip-hop-and-i-start-tremblin/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [I would ask my mum to feed my dolls and make sure they were tucked in when I went to school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-rankin/i-would-ask-my-mum-to-feed-my-dolls-and-make-sure-they-were-tucked-in/) [Gayle Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-rankin/) > [I love to feed people, and I like to cook food they want to eat and food that will be good for them. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/i-love-to-feed-people-and-i-like-to-cook-food-they-want-to-eat-and/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [I love the pigeons. I just raise them, period, and feed them. Pigeons go away, and they always come back. You get a touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/i-love-the-pigeons-i-just-raise-them-period-and-feed-them-pigeons-go/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) > [I definitely feed off of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-baldwin/i-definitely-feed-off-of-people/) [Brooke Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-baldwin/) > [The first information I consume in the morning is probably 'The New York Times' and then my Twitter feed. I think Twitter is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/the-first-information-i-consume-in-the-morning-is-probably-the-new/) [Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/) > [Ask any guitar player - it's hard to feed yourself when you're picking for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-cale/ask-any-guitar-player-it-s-hard-to-feed-yourself-when-you-re-picking/) [J. J. Cale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-cale/) > [I try to feed my hunger rather than my appetite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginger-rogers/i-try-to-feed-my-hunger-rather-than-my-appetite/) [Ginger Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginger-rogers/) > [Give a man a fish, feed home for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed for a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/give-a-man-a-fish-feed-home-for-a-day-teach-a-man-to-fish-feed-for-a/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“Your realm is an insane place. In Volaria, no-one goes hungry, slaves are no use when they starve. Those freeborn too lazy or lacking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ryan/your-realm-is-an-insane-place-in-volaria-no-one-goes-hungry-slaves/) [Anthony Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ryan/) > [I have a family to feed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latrell-sprewell/i-have-a-family-to-feed/) [Latrell Sprewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latrell-sprewell/) > [We have been fed so many false narratives, many of them racialized to deliberately feed a racist agenda. It's important to address and dig…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/we-have-been-fed-so-many-false-narratives-many-of-them-racialized-to/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [“What you feed your mind, will lead your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-sogunle/what-you-feed-your-mind-will-lead-your-life/) [Kemi Sogunle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-sogunle/) [Browse all 448 Feed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The small flame in my chest flickers for a few hours, waiting for more firewood. If I feed it, the interest continues. If I starve it, the interest wanes. If you want the motivation back, you must feed it. Feed it everything. Books, television, movies, paintings, stage plays, real-life experience. 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