--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: First of all there is always that…" description: "\"First of all there is always that artistic challenge of creating something. Or the particular experience to take slum life in that period and make some..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/frank-mccourt-2576_art_first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artist_1136315.png" --- # First of all there is always that artistic challenge of… ![“First of all there is always that artistic challenge of creating something. Or the particular experience to take slum life in that period and make something out of it in the form of a book. And then I felt some kind of responsibility to my family.” quote by Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/frank-mccourt-2576_art_first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artist_1136315.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/frank-mccourt-2576_art_first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artist_1136315.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/frank-mccourt-2576_art_first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artist_1136315.png) > “First of all there is always that artistic challenge of creating something. Or the particular experience to take slum life in that period and make something out of it in the form of a book. And then I felt some kind of responsibility to my family.” [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author feels an artistic duty to portray slum life authentically, driven by personal and familial responsibility. **In simple terms:** Art can portray harsh realities responsibly. Key Takeaway Create honest work that honors one’s roots. Themes artistic integrity social responsibility family legacy Mood reflective empathetic Type memoir inspirational When to use this quote - writing memoirs - documentary filmmaking - social advocacy Key Concepts Narrative ethics cultural representation Questions to Reflect On - How can artists responsibly depict marginalized communities? - What role does family play in creative motivation? A Different Perspective Artistic representation may risk exploitation if not careful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Artistic Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic-challenge-2701071/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-felt-1691337/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Experience Slum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-slum-3147258/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Slum Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slum-life-1669164/) ## Related quotes > [The daily lesson of slum life, visualised, reiterated, of low standards, vile living, obscenity, profanity, impurity, is bound tobe dwarfing and debasing to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albion-fellows-bacon/the-daily-lesson-of-slum-life-visualised-reiterated-of-low-standards/) [Albion Fellows Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albion-fellows-bacon/) > [Growing up in Kenya, slum life was not far away. I had family that lived in slums, so I visited them often, and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/growing-up-in-kenya-slum-life-was-not-far-away-i-had-family-that/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [With each film, i need an artistic challenge so I don't get bored! I like to tackle challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/with-each-film-i-need-an-artistic-challenge-so-i-don-t-get-bored-i/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [For designers, the rigidity of an alphabet presents a never-ending artistic challenge: How do you do something new and still preserve the letters' essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/for-designers-the-rigidity-of-an-alphabet-presents-a-never-ending/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [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/) > [I had begun to write novels because of a fierce, self-serving impulse in my own heart. I had not considered the potential in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-had-begun-to-write-novels-because-of-a-fierce-self-serving-impulse/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Steadily, the room shrank, till the book thief could touch the shelves within a few small steps. She ran the back of her hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/steadily-the-room-shrank-till-the-book-thief-could-touch-the-shelves/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“...on those days when he could not spend half an hour in the company of a good book, he felt deprived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/on-those-days-when-he-could-not-spend-half-an-hour-in-the-company-of/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“The book felt wonderful in my hands. I held it up to my nose and drank in its aroma. I think I'm addicted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syrie-james/the-book-felt-wonderful-in-my-hands-i-held-it-up-to-my-nose-and-drank/) [Syrie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syrie-james/) > [Books, books, books had found the secret of a garret-room piled high with cases in my father's name; Piled high, packed large, where, creeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/books-books-books-had-found-the-secret-of-a-garret-room-piled-high/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Many women have told me they remember where they were when they read the book, and how they felt suddenly that what they really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-gilligan/many-women-have-told-me-they-remember-where-they-were-when-they-read/) [Carol Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-gilligan/) > [The Catcher in the Rye had such a deep impact on me, because it felt like it was just Holden and me. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-blanchard/the-catcher-in-the-rye-had-such-a-deep-impact-on-me-because-it-felt/) [Rowan Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-blanchard/) > [I cut hundreds of pages from my book because I felt myself being reiterative or redundant. Sometimes I wanted to leave just hints of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-cut-hundreds-of-pages-from-my-book-because-i-felt-myself-being/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [“This particular book felt familiar, like an old friend. The characters drew me into their world, and I blocked out mine for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-raisin/this-particular-book-felt-familiar-like-an-old-friend-the-characters/) [Rebecca Raisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-raisin/) > [And most of all, books. They were, in and of themselves, reasons to stay alive. Every book written is the product of a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/and-most-of-all-books-they-were-in-and-of-themselves-reasons-to-stay/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) ## More by Frank McCourt > [I'm not one of those James Joyce intellectuals who can stand back and look at the whole edifice... It was a slow process for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-m-not-one-of-those-james-joyce-intellectuals-who-can-stand-back-and/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I admire certain priests and nuns who go off on their own and do God's work on their own, who help in the ghettos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-admire-certain-priests-and-nuns-who-go-off-on-their-own-and-do-god/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [When I act tough they listen politely till the spasm passes. They know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-i-act-tough-they-listen-politely-till-the-spasm-passes-they-know/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Just luxuriate in a certain memory, and the details will come. It's like a magnet attracting steel filings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/just-luxuriate-in-a-certain-memory-and-the-details-will-come-it-s/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Sing your song. Dance your dance. Tell your tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/sing-your-song-dance-your-dance-tell-your-tale/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [They all went into the bar business. Which was a mistake, because they began to sip at the merchandise and it set them back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/they-all-went-into-the-bar-business-which-was-a-mistake-because-they/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-childhood-here-was-very-limited-so-it-was-a-long-long-time-before/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [We never really had any kind of a Christmas. This is one part where my memory fails me completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/we-never-really-had-any-kind-of-a-christmas-this-is-one-part-where-my/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [A lot of people say writers start losing their powers after 60 or 65. But I look at the best-seller list and see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/a-lot-of-people-say-writers-start-losing-their-powers-after-60-or-65/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [“When the dark clouds flutter like bats in my head I wish I could open a window and release them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-the-dark-clouds-flutter-like-bats-in-my-head-i-wish-i-could-open/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Shakespeare is like mashed potatoes, you can never get enough of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/shakespeare-is-like-mashed-potatoes-you-can-never-get-enough-of-him/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I just have to proceed as usual. No matter what happens, nothing helps with the writing of the next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-just-have-to-proceed-as-usual-no-matter-what-happens-nothing-helps/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Worse than the ordinary, miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/worse-than-the-ordinary-miserable-childhood-is-the-miserable-irish/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [It's not enough to be American. You always have to be something else, Irish-American, German-American, and you'd wonder how they'd get along if someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/it-s-not-enough-to-be-american-you-always-have-to-be-something-else/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I had to get rid of any idea of hell or any idea of the afterlife. That's what held me, kept me down. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-had-to-get-rid-of-any-idea-of-hell-or-any-idea-of-the-afterlife/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) [Explore all 159 Frank McCourt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [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/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "First of all there is always that artistic challenge of creating something. Or the particular experience to take slum life in that period and make something out of it in the form of a book. And then I felt some kind of responsibility to my family.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank McCourt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artistic-challenge-of-creating/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artistic-challenge-of-creating/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/frank-mccourt-2576_art_first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artist_1136315.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/frank-mccourt-2576_art_first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artist_1136315.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/frank-mccourt-2576_art_first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artist_1136315.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“First of all there is always that artistic challenge of creating something. Or the particular experience to…” — Frank McCourt", "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": "Frank McCourt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "First of all there is always...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artistic-challenge-of-creating/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/first-of-all-there-is-always-that-artistic-challenge-of-creating/#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 } } ] } ```