--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To create great work, here's how you must…" description: "\"To create great work, here's how you must spend your time: 1% Inspiration 9% Perspiration 90% Justification\" — George Lois" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/george-lois-21482_creativity_to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must_820995.png" --- # To create great work, here's how you must spend your time… ![“To create great work, here's how you must spend your time: 1% Inspiration 9% Perspiration 90% Justification” quote by George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/george-lois-21482_creativity_to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must_820995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/george-lois-21482_creativity_to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must_820995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/george-lois-21482_creativity_to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must_820995.png) > “To create great work, here's how you must spend your time: 1% Inspiration 9% Perspiration 90% Justification” [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great work requires mostly effort and justification, with minimal inspiration. **In simple terms:** Hard work and justification dominate creation. Key Takeaway Focus on effort and justification. Themes creativity effort justification Mood determined pragmatic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - project development - artistic practice - business planning Key Concepts productivity discipline validation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance inspiration with effort? - What justification steps ensure quality? A Different Perspective Inspiration is still needed to spark direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Create Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-great-451778/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Great work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-work/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Inspiration Perspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration-perspiration-221832/) [Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justification/) [Perspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspiration/) [Spend time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spend-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-inspiration-473921/) ## Related quotes > [I think there is less of inspiration and more of perspiration in the music industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-roshan/i-think-there-is-less-of-inspiration-and-more-of-perspiration-in-the/) [Rajesh Roshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-roshan/) > [Inspiration without perspiration leads to frustration and stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/inspiration-without-perspiration-leads-to-frustration-and-stagnation/) [Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/) > [Genius is not inspired. Inspiration is perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/genius-is-not-inspired-inspiration-is-perspiration/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Innovation = Inspiration + Perspiration + Perseverance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-roman-riquelme/innovation-inspiration-perspiration-perseverance/) [Juan Roman Riquelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-roman-riquelme/) > [Excellence isn't achieved without inspiration and perspiration. You've got to have both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/excellence-isn-t-achieved-without-inspiration-and-perspiration-you-ve/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) > [We get new ideas from God every hour of our day when we put our trust in Him -- but we have to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-e-cliffe/we-get-new-ideas-from-god-every-hour-of-our-day-when-we-put-our-trust/) [Albert E Cliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-e-cliffe/) > [There are three things that make a person a writer: inspiration, perspiration and desperation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/there-are-three-things-that-make-a-person-a-writer-inspiration/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [If you can shoot well, all you need is a disposable, toy camera or a camera phone to create great work. If you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-rockwell/if-you-can-shoot-well-all-you-need-is-a-disposable-toy-camera-or-a/) [Ken Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-rockwell/) > [On what high-performing companies should be striving to create: A great place for great people to do great work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-c-nelson/on-what-high-performing-companies-should-be-striving-to-create-a/) [Marilyn C. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-c-nelson/) > [You have to have a good script. You have to have compelling and complicated characters that you want to hang out with. Also, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesli-linka-glatter/you-have-to-have-a-good-script-you-have-to-have-compelling-and/) [Lesli Linka Glatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesli-linka-glatter/) > [“Life is three hours journey; childhood, adulthood & old-hood; filled with inspiration, perspiration and desperation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/life-is-three-hours-journey-childhood-adulthood-old-hood-filled-with/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [Working hard and doing doing great work is as imperative as breathing. Creating great work warms the heart and enriches the soul. Those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/working-hard-and-doing-doing-great-work-is-as-imperative-as-breathing/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [I'm very ambitious, musically - I want to create great things, not mediocre work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-vincent-mcmorrow/i-m-very-ambitious-musically-i-want-to-create-great-things-not/) [James Vincent McMorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-vincent-mcmorrow/) > [Great people create great acts of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/great-people-create-great-acts-of-kindness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [The ability of our people to think quickly and create great products in this whole new world of Internet open standards is not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-ability-of-our-people-to-think-quickly-and-create-great-products/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by George Lois > [The more creative you are the more trouble you're in. You have to be courageous!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/the-more-creative-you-are-the-more-trouble-you-re-in-you-have-to-be/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Follow your bliss. That which you love you must spend your life doing, as passionately and as perfectly as your heart, mind and instincts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/follow-your-bliss-that-which-you-love-you-must-spend-your-life-doing/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [In any creative industry, the fact that others are moving in a certain direction is always proof positive, at least to me, that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/in-any-creative-industry-the-fact-that-others-are-moving-in-a-certain/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Onwards and upwards, and never give your failures a second thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/onwards-and-upwards-and-never-give-your-failures-a-second-thought/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Most people work at keeping their job, rather than doing a good job. If you're the former, you're leading a meaningless life. If you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/most-people-work-at-keeping-their-job-rather-than-doing-a-good-job-if/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Creativity can solve almost any problem,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/creativity-can-solve-almost-any-problem/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Nothing comes from nothing. You must continuously feed the inner beast that sparks and inspires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/nothing-comes-from-nothing-you-must-continuously-feed-the-inner-beast/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Only with absolute fearlessness can we slay the dragons of mediocrity that invade our gardens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/only-with-absolute-fearlessness-can-we-slay-the-dragons-of-mediocrity/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Advertising, an art, is constantly besieged and compromised by logicians and technocrats, the scientists of our profession who wildly miss the main point about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/advertising-an-art-is-constantly-besieged-and-compromised-by/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [The accurate measure of a human being is what he or she actually gets done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/the-accurate-measure-of-a-human-being-is-what-he-or-she-actually-gets/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [If you don't burn out at the end of each day, you're a bum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/if-you-don-t-burn-out-at-the-end-of-each-day-you-re-a-bum/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Museums are custodians of epiphanies, and these epiphanies enter the central nervous system and deep recesses of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/museums-are-custodians-of-epiphanies-and-these-epiphanies-enter-the/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Never listen to music when you're trying go come up with a Big Idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/never-listen-to-music-when-you-re-trying-go-come-up-with-a-big-idea/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/creativity-can-solve-almost-any-problem-the-creative-act-the-defeat/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Working hard and doing doing great work is as imperative as breathing. Creating great work warms the heart and enriches the soul. Those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/working-hard-and-doing-doing-great-work-is-as-imperative-as-breathing/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) [Explore all 29 George Lois quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "To create great work, here's how you must spend your time: 1% Inspiration 9% Perspiration 90% Justification", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Lois" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must-spend-your-time-1/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must-spend-your-time-1/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/george-lois-21482_creativity_to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must_820995.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/george-lois-21482_creativity_to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must_820995.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/george-lois-21482_creativity_to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must_820995.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To create great work, here's how you must spend your time: 1% Inspiration 9% Perspiration 90% Justification” — George Lois", "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": "George Lois", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To create great work, here's how...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must-spend-your-time-1/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/to-create-great-work-here-s-how-you-must-spend-your-time-1/#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 } } ] } ```