---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't like abrasion while I'm working…"
description: "\"I don't like abrasion while I'm working. I don't thrive on chaos. I enjoy what I'm doing, and it seems to work better when I am enjoying it.\" — Harold ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/harold-prince-9151_better_i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working_1964614.jpg"
---

#  I don't like abrasion while I'm working. I don't thrive on…

![“I don't like abrasion while I'm working. I don't thrive on chaos. I enjoy what I'm doing, and it seems to work better when I am enjoying it.” quote by Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/harold-prince-9151_better_i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working_1964614.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/harold-prince-9151_better_i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working_1964614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/harold-prince-9151_better_i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working_1964614.jpg)

> “I don't like abrasion while I'm working. I don't thrive on chaos. I enjoy what I'm doing, and it seems to work better when I am enjoying it.”

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Prefers stable, enjoyable work environments over chaotic ones, believing enjoyment improves performance.

**In simple terms:** Enjoy work, avoid chaos.

Key Takeaway

Seek work you enjoy.

Themes

productivity work environment performance

Mood

content focused

Type

motivational practical

When to use this quote

- career planning
- team management
- creative projects

Key Concepts

Flow intrinsic motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- What tasks make you feel most engaged?
- How can you introduce stability without stifling creativity?

A Different Perspective

Chaos can spark innovation for some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [“I’ve decided to cut back on my sugar intake by applying it externally, as a dermal abrasion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-ve-decided-to-cut-back-on-my-sugar-intake-by-applying-it-externally/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I'm doing work in the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-yoba/i-m-doing-work-in-the-community/)

[Malik Yoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-yoba/)

> [“The one who is doing his work and getting satisfaction from it is not the one the poverty is hard on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-one-who-is-doing-his-work-and-getting-satisfaction-from-it-is-not-2/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [My philosophy is that the people around us are there doing as much work if not more work behind the scenes and they're the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/my-philosophy-is-that-the-people-around-us-are-there-doing-as-much/)

[Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/)

> [What matters is how well we do in trying to make people's lives better. That's why I'm doing this. That's why I work the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-holmes/what-matters-is-how-well-we-do-in-trying-to-make-people-s-lives/)

[Elizabeth Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-holmes/)

> [I'm doing my work in an environment that's ultimately about dollars and cents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-moreau/i-m-doing-my-work-in-an-environment-that-s-ultimately-about-dollars/)

[Marguerite Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-moreau/)

> [There's not anyone in particular I'd like to work with. I just want to continue doing work that I have a passion for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tye-sheridan/there-s-not-anyone-in-particular-i-d-like-to-work-with-i-just-want-to/)

[Tye Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tye-sheridan/)

> [I'm based in L.A., mainly. I'm pretty much there a lot of the time doing work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodi-smit-mcphee/i-m-based-in-l-a-mainly-i-m-pretty-much-there-a-lot-of-the-time-doing/)

[Kodi Smit-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodi-smit-mcphee/)

> [What really matters is the work. And what matters to me is doing the work. I'm not looking at the back end: "What am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/what-really-matters-is-the-work-and-what-matters-to-me-is-doing-the/)

[Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/)

> [I am a morning person and start work, whether composing, rehearsing, preparing syllabi/tests, or proofing an article or manuscript, early in the morning before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/i-am-a-morning-person-and-start-work-whether-composing-rehearsing/)

[Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/)

> [It's not about working anymore, its about doing work I can be proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-walker/it-s-not-about-working-anymore-its-about-doing-work-i-can-be-proud-of/)

[Paul Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-walker/)

> [I don't think there's any thrill in the world like doing work you're good at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-thrill-in-the-world-like-doing-work-you-re/)

[Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/)

> [The one who is doing his work and getting satisfaction from it is not the one the poverty bothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-one-who-is-doing-his-work-and-getting-satisfaction-from-it-is-not/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [Hustle is simple - it's doing the work. A lot of people like to talk about it, a lot of people have ideas, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-carter/hustle-is-simple-it-s-doing-the-work-a-lot-of-people-like-to-talk/)

[Troy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-carter/)

> [It is only when I am doing my work that I feel truly alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/it-is-only-when-i-am-doing-my-work-that-i-feel-truly-alive/)

[Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/)

## More by Harold Prince

> [I like to do everything you can possibly do before you go into rehearsal, because once we are in rehearsal or on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-like-to-do-everything-you-can-possibly-do-before-you-go-into/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [It's a terrible shame if you're born the brightest guy in your class. If you're not, then you have to hustle-and that's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/it-s-a-terrible-shame-if-you-re-born-the-brightest-guy-in-your-class/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [I've never been able to understand where great artists come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-ve-never-been-able-to-understand-where-great-artists-come-from/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [I feel so much more comfortable when I'm working on material which makes other people scratch their heads and ask, 'You're going to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-feel-so-much-more-comfortable-when-i-m-working-on-material-which/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [One thing is certain: We can't go back. The musical will never be the same as it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/one-thing-is-certain-we-can-t-go-back-the-musical-will-never-be-the/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [The truth of the matter is that I have lasted a long time, and with it comes both good and bad things. One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/the-truth-of-the-matter-is-that-i-have-lasted-a-long-time-and-with-it/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [I was nine. I saw Orson Welles in 'Julius Caesar.' It was involving, emotional, imaginative. I've never forgotten it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-was-nine-i-saw-orson-welles-in-julius-caesar-it-was-involving/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [Criticism is valuable... and self-congratulatory experiences are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/criticism-is-valuable-and-self-congratulatory-experiences-are-not/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [I'm a pragmatic man. I'll veer on the dangerous side, because I love dangerous subjects, but I won't shoot a show in the foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-m-a-pragmatic-man-i-ll-veer-on-the-dangerous-side-because-i-love/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [Everything can't be a postage-stamp-sized project. Everything can't be a chamber piece. Musicals aren't even meant to be that, or identified with it... It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/everything-can-t-be-a-postage-stamp-sized-project-everything-can-t-be/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [I don't look back. I look forward and plan new shows. That's really feeding the most important part of working in the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-don-t-look-back-i-look-forward-and-plan-new-shows-that-s-really/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [Collaboration is just, really, a group of people getting in a room with their eye on a very similar prize and wanting to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/collaboration-is-just-really-a-group-of-people-getting-in-a-room-with/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [I would like to see more new productions of new material by new composers/lyricists/book writers. I would like to see people take more chances.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-would-like-to-see-more-new-productions-of-new-material-by-new/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [When I was a 25-year-old kid, I raised $260,000 for my first show, 'The Pajama Game,' in such a homemade, pathetic, endearing way -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/when-i-was-a-25-year-old-kid-i-raised-260-000-for-my-first-show-the/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [I don't know why the guys with the big money don't find five terrific young producers and give each of them enough to commission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-don-t-know-why-the-guys-with-the-big-money-don-t-find-five-terrific/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

[Explore all 75 Harold Prince quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

## More Better quotes

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. I would get to my choir class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/everybody-has-their-cliques-and-i-was-very-shy-i-m-still-very-shy/)

[Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/)

> [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/)

[Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [The Little you Give !! The Better it Gets !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-stanyer/the-little-you-give-the-better-it-gets/)

[Mario Stanyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-stanyer/)

> [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/)

[Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/)

> [In my first 100 days as Ontario's Minister of Transportation, I found a willing municipal partner in the City of Toronto that shares our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-mulroney/in-my-first-100-days-as-ontario-s-minister-of-transportation-i-found/)

[Caroline Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-mulroney/)

> [It hasn't been a conscious thing, like, 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of dudes,' but I genuinely like music by women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/it-hasn-t-been-a-conscious-thing-like-i-don-t-want-to-listen-to-a/)

[Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/)

> [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

> [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/)

[Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/)

> [Cara Delevingne and I took an eyebrow selfie. We both have prominent eyebrows, but hers are much better than mine. Maybe we should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/cara-delevingne-and-i-took-an-eyebrow-selfie-we-both-have-prominent/)

[Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/)

> [I never really look at it past one year. I look at last year and my whole goal is to be a better player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-williams/i-never-really-look-at-it-past-one-year-i-look-at-last-year-and-my/)

[Trent Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-williams/)

Browse all 17,085 Better quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't like abrasion while I'm working. I don't thrive on chaos. I enjoy what I'm doing, and it seems to work better when I am enjoying it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Harold Prince"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working-i-don-t-thrive-on-chaos-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Better"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working-i-don-t-thrive-on-chaos-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/harold-prince-9151_better_i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working_1964614.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/harold-prince-9151_better_i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working_1964614.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/harold-prince-9151_better_i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working_1964614.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't like abrasion while I'm working. I don't thrive on chaos. I enjoy what I'm doing, and it seems to…” — Harold Prince",
                "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": "Harold Prince",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't like abrasion while I'm...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working-i-don-t-thrive-on-chaos-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-don-t-like-abrasion-while-i-m-working-i-don-t-thrive-on-chaos-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
