--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The challenge is always to find the…" description: "\"The challenge is always to find the ultimate in the ordinary horseshit.\" — James Tate" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df1/james-tate-31013_challenge_the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ulti_2647219.jpg" --- # The challenge is always to find the ultimate in the… ![“The challenge is always to find the ultimate in the ordinary horseshit.” quote by James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df1/james-tate-31013_challenge_the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ulti_2647219.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df1/james-tate-31013_challenge_the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ulti_2647219.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df1/james-tate-31013_challenge_the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ulti_2647219.jpg) > “The challenge is always to find the ultimate in the ordinary horseshit.” [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests that even in the mundane, there is a quest to discover something profound, urging us to seek depth beyond surface trivialities. **In simple terms:** Seek depth in the mundane. Key Takeaway Look for meaning in everyday trivialities. Themes meaning depth mundane Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily routine - creative work - critical thinking - spiritual practice Key Concepts existential search ordinary transcendence Questions to Reflect On - How do you find significance in routine tasks? - What limits the search for depth in everyday life? A Different Perspective The pursuit may be futile if the ordinary lacks substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Horseshit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horseshit/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [Starting off in Madison Square Garden is the ultimate. It's the ultimate challenge, it's the ultimate environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-carlisle/starting-off-in-madison-square-garden-is-the-ultimate-it-s-the/) [Rick Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-carlisle/) > [You can't let any team awe you. If you do, you'll wind up a horseshit player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-appling/you-can-t-let-any-team-awe-you-if-you-do-you-ll-wind-up-a-horseshit/) [Luke Appling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-appling/) > [If you were seeing a lot of horseshit, there had to be a pony in the vicinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-were-seeing-a-lot-of-horseshit-there-had-to-be-a-pony-in-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I'd rather marry lump of steaming horseshit than you." Lucy jutted her chin out."Smells better too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-ayers/i-d-rather-marry-lump-of-steaming-horseshit-than-you-lucy-jutted-her/) Sidney Ayers > [I was no suffragette, but I was pretty sure the he-can’t-control-himself defense was a big, stinky load of horseshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/i-was-no-suffragette-but-i-was-pretty-sure-the-he-can-t-control/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“Mrs. Gruber said that happiness was not something she aspired to, that when we had seen as much of the world as she had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/mrs-gruber-said-that-happiness-was-not-something-she-aspired-to-that/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I wanted to say something about the universe. There's God, angels, plants... and horseshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zero-mostel/i-wanted-to-say-something-about-the-universe-there-s-god-angels/) [Zero Mostel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zero-mostel/) > [Human lives are hard, even those of health and privilege, and don't make much sense. This is the message of the Book of Job:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/human-lives-are-hard-even-those-of-health-and-privilege-and-don-t/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [... I have developed, over the years, some sense of the difference between real horseshit that you can step in and Ideal Platonic Horseshit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-have-developed-over-the-years-some-sense-of-the-difference-between/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Even the implication that The Lord of the Rings is a mythic story about Western, white supremacy - regardless of the political leanings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/even-the-implication-that-the-lord-of-the-rings-is-a-mythic-story/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [You realize, of course, that everything I say is horseshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-realize-of-course-that-everything-i-say-is-horseshit/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You can speak with a twang and still not say a thang.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/you-can-speak-with-a-twang-and-still-not-say-a-thang/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“VIOLET: Oh, horseshit, horeshit, let's all say horseshit. Say horseshit, Bill. BILL: Horseshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-letts/violet-oh-horseshit-horeshit-let-s-all-say-horseshit-say-horseshit/) [Tracy Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-letts/) > [“can’t digest food unless it has some E. coli in it for flavor. All this nutrition nonsense is horseshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-shaw/can-t-digest-food-unless-it-has-some-e-coli-in-it-for-flavor-all-this/) [Johnny Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-shaw/) > [“You can beat your brains out for her, and she’ll hand you horseshit on a platter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/you-can-beat-your-brains-out-for-her-and-she-ll-hand-you-horseshit-on/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) ## More by James Tate > [“When one is highly alert to language, then nearly everything begs to be a poem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/when-one-is-highly-alert-to-language-then-nearly-everything-begs-to/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [William Waltz will take me through 'the buzz and clamor in a forest of hearts.' Adventures in the Lost Interiors of America is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/william-waltz-will-take-me-through-the-buzz-and-clamor-in-a-forest-of/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“He is being nibbled to death by ducks. --More Later, Less the Same”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/he-is-being-nibbled-to-death-by-ducks-more-later-less-the-same/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“I couldn’t even picture Mavis’s face anymore. It was sad. She was being erased. I wanted to put my finger on her forehead, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/i-couldn-t-even-picture-mavis-s-face-anymore-it-was-sad-she-was-being/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“They didn't have much trouble teaching the ape to write poems: first they strapped him into a chair, then tied the pencil around his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/they-didn-t-have-much-trouble-teaching-the-ape-to-write-poems-first/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“I was outside St. Cecelia's Rectory smoking a cigarette when a goat appeared beside me. It was mostly black and white, with a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/i-was-outside-st-cecelia-s-rectory-smoking-a-cigarette-when-a-goat/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“for my father, 1922-1944 Your face did not rot like the others--the co-pilot, for example, I saw him yesterday. His face is corn- mush:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/for-my-father-1922-1944-your-face-did-not-rot-like-the-others-the-co/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“almost exquisite, the slight madness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/almost-exquisite-the-slight-madness/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“Having gray hair doesn't matter but having gray matter matters. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/having-gray-hair-doesn-t-matter-but-having-gray-matter-matters/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“I am not a part of this home any longer. I am a tiny thing created by indifferent scientists. I am an experiment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/i-am-not-a-part-of-this-home-any-longer-i-am-a-tiny-thing-created-by/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [Poetry is everywhere; it just needs editing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editing/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“Everybody who was anybody seemed to be going to a meeting, the glowworm, who was a solipsist, the lemur who was not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/everybody-who-was-anybody-seemed-to-be-going-to-a-meeting-the/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“Jesus got up one day a little later than usual. He had been dreaming so deep there was nothing left in his head. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/jesus-got-up-one-day-a-little-later-than-usual-he-had-been-dreaming/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [In You Are Not Dead Wendy Xu breaks all the old rules that have never done us any favors anyway. She writes beautifully, noticing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/in-you-are-not-dead-wendy-xu-breaks-all-the-old-rules-that-have-never/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“A Knock On The Door They ask me if I've ever thought about the end of the world, and I say, "Come in, come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/a-knock-on-the-door-they-ask-me-if-i-ve-ever-thought-about-the-end-of/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) [Explore all 17 James Tate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) ## More Challenge quotes > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [After 'Pink,' I wanted to do something that would challenge me further as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirti-kulhari/after-pink-i-wanted-to-do-something-that-would-challenge-me-further/) [Kirti Kulhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirti-kulhari/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Our whole thing was that we wanted to challenge ourselves and go out of the box that everyone else was doing, and even what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-real/our-whole-thing-was-that-we-wanted-to-challenge-ourselves-and-go-out/) [B-Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-real/) > [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/) [Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/) > [I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/i-don-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-world-but-i-know-in-our-region/) [Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/) > [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [LMS is like PMS but totally different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lms-is-like-pms-but-totally-different/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do not underestimate the difficulty of the challenge that global climate change presents to us. It will take a significant effort and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-pena/i-do-not-underestimate-the-difficulty-of-the-challenge-that-global/) [Federico Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-pena/) > [I never back down from a challenge or oppenent!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-back-down-from-a-challenge-or-oppenent/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) > [Creating something new is easy, creating something that lasts is the challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-braun/creating-something-new-is-easy-creating-something-that-lasts-is-the/) [Adam Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-braun/) [Browse all 2,839 Challenge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The challenge is always to find the ultimate in the ordinary horseshit.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Tate" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ultimate-in-the-ordinary-horseshit/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Challenge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ultimate-in-the-ordinary-horseshit/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df1/james-tate-31013_challenge_the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ulti_2647219.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df1/james-tate-31013_challenge_the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ulti_2647219.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df1/james-tate-31013_challenge_the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ulti_2647219.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The challenge is always to find the ultimate in the ordinary horseshit.” — James Tate", "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": "James Tate", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The challenge is always to find...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ultimate-in-the-ordinary-horseshit/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ultimate-in-the-ordinary-horseshit/#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 } } ] } ```