---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I drew pictures rapidly and with few…"
description: "\"I drew pictures rapidly and with few lines, because I had to write most of the pieces, too, and couldn't monkey long with the drawings. The divine urge..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/james-thurber-1534_artist_i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lin_1402438.png"
---

#  I drew pictures rapidly and with few lines, because I had…

![“I drew pictures rapidly and with few lines, because I had to write most of the pieces, too, and couldn't monkey long with the drawings. The divine urge was no higher than that.” quote by James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/james-thurber-1534_artist_i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lin_1402438.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/james-thurber-1534_artist_i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lin_1402438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/james-thurber-1534_artist_i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lin_1402438.png)

> “I drew pictures rapidly and with few lines, because I had to write most of the pieces, too, and couldn't monkey long with the drawings. The divine urge was no higher than that.”

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

## About This Quote

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

He sketches quickly, prioritizing writing, feeling the creative impulse is modest.

**In simple terms:** He draws fast, writes more, sees urge as modest.

Key Takeaway

Balance writing and drawing efficiently.

Themes

creativity discipline artistic process

Mood

reflective pragmatic

Type

process artistical

When to use this quote

- writing deadlines
- art projects
- time management
- creative blocks

Key Concepts

minimalism creative constraint productivity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you allocate time between ideas?
- What tasks feel less urgent?

A Different Perspective

May limit depth of visual detail.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine Urge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-urge-4919333/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Drawings Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawings-divine-4919331/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Drawings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-drawings-4919332/) [Monkeys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkeys/) [Pictures Rapidly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pictures-rapidly-4919335/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Rapidly Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapidly-lines-4919334/) [Urges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urges/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Be virtuous in thought and in deed. God has planted in you, for a purpose, a divine urge which may be easily subverted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/be-virtuous-in-thought-and-in-deed-god-has-planted-in-you-for-a/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of its behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stilwell/the-higher-a-monkey-climbs-the-more-you-see-of-its-behind/)

[Joseph Stilwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stilwell/)

> [People said that he was very nice, but I confess that his utter grotesqueness made me uneasy; perhaps in the same way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-said-that-he-was-very-nice-but-i-confess-that-his-utter/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The philosophic spirit of inquiry may be traced to brute curiosity, and that to the habit of examining all things in search of food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-winwood-reade/the-philosophic-spirit-of-inquiry-may-be-traced-to-brute-curiosity/)

[William Winwood Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-winwood-reade/)

> [Roses are red violets are blue monkeys like you should be in the zoo dont worry ull find me there too not in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue-monkeys-like-you-should-be-in-the-zoo/)

[Lena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena/)

> [But then, after all, we are all alike, for we are all derived from the monkey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/but-then-after-all-we-are-all-alike-for-we-are-all-derived-from-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Culture is roughly anything we do and the monkeys don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-raglan/culture-is-roughly-anything-we-do-and-the-monkeys-don-t/)

[Lord Raglan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-raglan/)

> [One dies only if he's not anymore in the hearts and minds of those who know him. - Monkey D. Luffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiichiro-oda/one-dies-only-if-he-s-not-anymore-in-the-hearts-and-minds-of-those/)

[Eiichiro Oda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiichiro-oda/)

> [“Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-reasoning-animal-such-is-the-claim-i-think-it-is-open-to/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Little red wagon, little red bike, I ain’t no monkey but I know what I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/little-red-wagon-little-red-bike-i-ain-t-no-monkey-but-i-know-what-i/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [Evolution isn't true, because if we evolved from monkeys, how can they still be here?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baldwin/evolution-isn-t-true-because-if-we-evolved-from-monkeys-how-can-they/)

[Stephen Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baldwin/)

> [--Hero!? Forget it! We're Pirates! I love heroes but I don't wanna become one! Do you even know what it takes to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiichiro-oda/hero-forget-it-we-re-pirates-i-love-heroes-but-i-don-t-wanna-become/)

[Eiichiro Oda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiichiro-oda/)

> [We are consciousness. We may not always be monkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-consciousness-we-may-not-always-be-monkeys/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [Monkeys who very sensibly refrain from speech, lest they should be set to earn their livings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/monkeys-who-very-sensibly-refrain-from-speech-lest-they-should-be-set/)

[Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/)

> [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

## More by James Thurber

> [ Salvador \[Dali\] was brought up in Spain, a country colored by the legends of Hannibal, El Greco, and Cervantes. I was brought up in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/salvador-dali-was-brought-up-in-spain-a-country-colored-by-the/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/her-own-mother-lived-the-latter-years-of-her-life-in-the-horrible/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“Against the may, the could be, and the should, folly 'tis to balance doubt or hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/against-the-may-the-could-be-and-the-should-folly-tis-to-balance/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Love is the strange bewilderment that overtakes one person on account of another person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/love-is-the-strange-bewilderment-that-overtakes-one-person-on-account/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“ There was an old coddle so molly, He talked in a glot that was poly, His gaws were so gew That his laps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/there-was-an-old-coddle-so-molly-he-talked-in-a-glot-that-was-poly/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“you might as well fall on your face as lean over too far backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/you-might-as-well-fall-on-your-face-as-lean-over-too-far-backwards/)

[james thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [I myself have known some profoundly thoughtful dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-myself-have-known-some-profoundly-thoughtful-dogs/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [He knows all about art, but he doesn't know what he likes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/he-knows-all-about-art-but-he-doesn-t-know-what-he-likes/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/all-men-should-strive-to-learn-before-they-die-what-they-are-running/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Quick, name some towns in New Jersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/quick-name-some-towns-in-new-jersey/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Looks can be deceiving; it's eating that's believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/looks-can-be-deceiving-it-s-eating-that-s-believing/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“I don’t understand,” said the scientist, “why you lemmings all rush down to the sea and drown yourselves.” “How curious,” said the lemming. “The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-don-t-understand-said-the-scientist-why-you-lemmings-all-rush-down/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Humor does not include sarcasm, invalid irony, sardonicism, innuendo, or any other form of cruelty. When these things are raised to a high point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/humor-does-not-include-sarcasm-invalid-irony-sardonicism-innuendo-or/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Where most of us end up there is no knowing, but the hellbent get where they are going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/where-most-of-us-end-up-there-is-no-knowing-but-the-hellbent-get/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire with obscurity. Try to imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/comedy-has-to-be-done-en-clair-you-can-t-blunt-the-edge-of-wit-or-the/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

[Explore all 229 James Thurber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

## More Artist quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/)

[St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/)

> [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 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/)

> [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/)

[Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/)

> [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/)

> [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/)

[Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/)

> [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

[Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I drew pictures rapidly and with few lines, because I had to write most of the pieces, too, and couldn't monkey long with the drawings. The divine urge was no higher than that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Thurber"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lines-because-i-had-to-write/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lines-because-i-had-to-write/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/james-thurber-1534_artist_i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lin_1402438.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/james-thurber-1534_artist_i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lin_1402438.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/james-thurber-1534_artist_i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lin_1402438.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I drew pictures rapidly and with few lines, because I had to write most of the pieces, too, and couldn't…” — James Thurber",
                "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 Thurber",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I drew pictures rapidly and with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lines-because-i-had-to-write/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-drew-pictures-rapidly-and-with-few-lines-because-i-had-to-write/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
