--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Looking back upon my career, I see myself…" description: "\"“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and sterility of the o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/henry-miller-179_career_looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself_50635.jpg" --- # Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person… ![“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and sterility of the other outlets which drove me to desperation. I demanded a realm in which I should be both master and slave at the same time: the world of art is the…” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/henry-miller-179_career_looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself_50635.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/henry-miller-179_career_looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself_50635.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/henry-miller-179_career_looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself_50635.jpg) > ““Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and sterility of the other outlets which drove me to desperation. I demanded a realm in which I should be both master and slave at the same time: the world of art is the only such realm. I entered it without any apparent talent, a thorough novice, incapable, awkward, tongue-tied, almost paralyzed by fear and apprehensiveness. I had to lay one brick on another, set millions of words to paper before writing one real, authentic word dragged up from my own guts. The facility of speech which I possessed was a handicap; I had all the vices of the educated man. I had to learn to think, feel, and see in a totally new fashion, in an uneducated way, in my own way, which is the hardest thing in the world.”” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## 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 reflects on his artistic journey, describing how he abandoned conventional, sterile work for the chaotic freedom of art, learning to think and feel in a raw, personal way despite initial fear and lack of talent. **In simple terms:** Art forces personal reinvention through struggle. Key Takeaway True mastery demands vulnerability and self‑redefinition. Themes self‑discovery creative struggle artistic freedom personal transformation learning by doing Mood introspective determined hopeful Type personal manifesto reflective essay When to use this quote - career change - overcoming creative block - starting a new artistic practice - transition from academia to art Key Concepts authentic expression overcoming fear skill acquisition identity reshaping Practical Applications - creative writing workshops - personal development programs Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be both master and slave to your craft? - How can embracing discomfort accelerate artistic growth? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Educated man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated-man/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) ## Related quotes > [All have the gift of speech, but few are possessed of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/all-have-the-gift-of-speech-but-few-are-possessed-of-wisdom/) [Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/) > [I demanded a realm in which I should be both master and slave at the same time: The world of art is the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-demanded-a-realm-in-which-i-should-be-both-master-and-slave-at-the/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Your son at five is your master, at ten your slave, at fifteen your double, and after that, your friend or foe, depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasdai-ibn-shaprut/your-son-at-five-is-your-master-at-ten-your-slave-at-fifteen-your/) Hasdai ibn Shaprut > [“Slavery is as much about the psychological control of the master over the slave as of the physical domination, cruelty and exploitation which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/slavery-is-as-much-about-the-psychological-control-of-the-master-over/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [To be one's own master is to be the slave of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-clifford-barney/to-be-one-s-own-master-is-to-be-the-slave-of-self/) [Natalie Clifford Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-clifford-barney/) > [The master is a slave when he fears those whom he rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/the-master-is-a-slave-when-he-fears-those-whom-he-rules/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Sleep and dream is all I crave, I travel far across the Milky Way. To my master I become a slave 'til we meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-halen/sleep-and-dream-is-all-i-crave-i-travel-far-across-the-milky-way-to/) [Van Halen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-halen/) > [Money is a new form of slavery, and distinguishable from the old simply by the fact that it is impersonal - that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/money-is-a-new-form-of-slavery-and-distinguishable-from-the-old/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Whatever you do, do it as a master, not as a slave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/whatever-you-do-do-it-as-a-master-not-as-a-slave/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Be your money's master, not its slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/be-your-money-s-master-not-its-slave/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [“The game was sinful, But she was more playful. She needs to be taught, With every drop of the wax dot. With my every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delicious-david/the-game-was-sinful-but-she-was-more-playful-she-needs-to-be-taught/) [Delicious David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delicious-david/) > [He is sometimes slave who should be master; and sometimes master who should be slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/he-is-sometimes-slave-who-should-be-master-and-sometimes-master-who/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“True freedom is in not having a master, but in making the master your slave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/true-freedom-is-in-not-having-a-master-but-in-making-the-master-your/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-whole-commerce-between-master-and-slave-is-a-perpetual-exercise/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Money, as it increases, becomes either the master or the slave of ts owner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/money-as-it-increases-becomes-either-the-master-or-the-slave-of-ts/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [To live without killing is a thought which could electrify the world, if men were only capable of staying awake long enough to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/to-live-without-killing-is-a-thought-which-could-electrify-the-world/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Career quotes > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [There are so many things you can do with your life, you can go to school and study toward your career, you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/there-are-so-many-things-you-can-do-with-your-life-you-can-go-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-am-a-very-big-fan-of-brian-eno-of-his-work-as-an-artist-and-making/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [If I can beat a proven champion like Canelo, that will take my career to a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/if-i-can-beat-a-proven-champion-like-canelo-that-will-take-my-career/) [Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“The vocation of a man lies in his vision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-vocation-of-a-man-lies-in-his-vision/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [You can have a career and kids who love you. But you have to nurture yourself and find a way to be fulfilled so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-reitman/you-can-have-a-career-and-kids-who-love-you-but-you-have-to-nurture/) [Catherine Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reitman/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Even though I'm already successful and have a career, it is always good to have your eggs in more than one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/even-though-i-m-already-successful-and-have-a-career-it-is-always/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) [Browse all 11,387 Career quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and sterility of the other outlets which drove me to desperation. I demanded a realm in which I should be both master and slave at the same time: the world of art is the only such realm. I entered it without any apparent talent, a thorough novice, incapable, awkward, tongue-tied, almost paralyzed by fear and apprehensiveness. I had to lay one brick on another, set millions of words to paper before writing one real, authentic word dragged up from my own guts. The facility of speech which I possessed was a handicap; I had all the vices of the educated man. I had to learn to think, feel, and see in a totally new fashion, in an uneducated way, in my own way, which is the hardest thing in the world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Miller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Career" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/henry-miller-179_career_looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself_50635.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/henry-miller-179_career_looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself_50635.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/henry-miller-179_career_looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself_50635.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation…” — Henry Miller", "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": "Henry Miller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Looking back upon my career, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/#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 } } ] } ```