--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't we all discover, at some stage or…" description: "\"“Don't we all discover, at some stage or another that there are some things we'll never get any better at, even though we have no idea why and hardly e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/242/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_children_don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-a_2191029.jpg" --- # Don't we all discover, at some stage or another that there… ![“Don't we all discover, at some stage or another that there are some things we'll never get any better at, even though we have no idea why and hardly ever notice it when it happens, even though we may have enjoyed these things and might not have been lagging behind last time we checked? Learning to…” quote by Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/242/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_children_don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-a_2191029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/242/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_children_don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-a_2191029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/242/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_children_don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-a_2191029.jpg) > ““Don't we all discover, at some stage or another that there are some things we'll never get any better at, even though we have no idea why and hardly ever notice it when it happens, even though we may have enjoyed these things and might not have been lagging behind last time we checked? Learning to draw, for instance, was a familiar catastrophe - all of a sudden, unaware, you just stop getting any better at it, your drawings never progress beyond those of a four-year-old or a six-year-old, you're left behind by those who "can draw," condemned to producing flat, doughy figures on the page, with no sense of perspective to them and (this was what really struck me) no resemblance to the outside world: condemned by your ruined self to a shameful childhood.”” [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People sometimes hit a ceiling in skill development without understanding why, leading to frustration and self‑judgment. **In simple terms:** Skill plateau without clear cause Key Takeaway Accept limits, seek new methods Themes growth self‑acceptance creativity Mood reflective melancholy Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - art classes - self‑study - mentoring - creative hobbies Key Concepts Fixed mindset growth mindset skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - What new approach could break the plateau? - How does self‑criticism affect learning? A Different Perspective Plateaus may hide underlying gaps in fundamentals or practice frequency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Left behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/) [Outside world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-world/) ## Related quotes > [Learning to draw is really a matter of learning to see - to see correctly - and that means a good deal more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimon-nicolaides/learning-to-draw-is-really-a-matter-of-learning-to-see-to-see/) [Kimon Nicolaides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimon-nicolaides/) > [Be clear in your mind why learning to draw well is important. Drawing enables you to see in that special, epiphanous way that artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-edwards/be-clear-in-your-mind-why-learning-to-draw-well-is-important-drawing/) [Betty Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-edwards/) > [I really wanted to be a cartoonist, and I was in 4th or 5th grade and I would bring my drawings in, and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-stine/i-really-wanted-to-be-a-cartoonist-and-i-was-in-4th-or-5th-grade-and/) [R. L. Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-stine/) > [Buildings are always better than drawings and models.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-moneo/buildings-are-always-better-than-drawings-and-models/) [Rafael Moneo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-moneo/) > [As an artist, you keep learning. You draw out different parts of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/as-an-artist-you-keep-learning-you-draw-out-different-parts-of-you/) [Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/) > [Let me give you a few simple rules for learning to draw. First, see of what shape the whole thing is. Next, put in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-hunt/let-me-give-you-a-few-simple-rules-for-learning-to-draw-first-see-of/) [William Morris Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-hunt/) > [Begin by learning to draw and paint like the old masters. After that, you can do as you like; everyone will respect you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/begin-by-learning-to-draw-and-paint-like-the-old-masters-after-that/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [“Learning how to draw is just like learning how to write, you just need to find a good teacher, and practice a lot. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noora-ahmed-alsuwaidi/learning-how-to-draw-is-just-like-learning-how-to-write-you-just-need/) Noora Ahmed Alsuwaidi > [“With the outside world damp and grey, she had the perfect excuse to hide herself away at the cottage again—except this time, instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-grace/with-the-outside-world-damp-and-grey-she-had-the-perfect-excuse-to/) [Melody Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-grace/) > [“No knowledge comes from the outside world or an imaginary supernatural paradise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/no-knowledge-comes-from-the-outside-world-or-an-imaginary/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“This is one of the harshest after effects of the pandemic that I am witnessing some and experiencing some, a diminished ability to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shellen-lubin/this-is-one-of-the-harshest-after-effects-of-the-pandemic-that-i-am/) [Shellen Lubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shellen-lubin/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) > [I do feel pressure from the outside world a little bit just because everybody wants new music, which is really nice. It just proves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessia-cara/i-do-feel-pressure-from-the-outside-world-a-little-bit-just-because/) [Alessia Cara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessia-cara/) > [So long as we fear the outside world, we must cease to think of Swaraj.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/so-long-as-we-fear-the-outside-world-we-must-cease-to-think-of-swaraj/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [You just can't let the outside world affect your game.You can't hold anything back. You can't play a different game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-palmer/you-just-can-t-let-the-outside-world-affect-your-game-you-can-t-hold/) [Carson Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-palmer/) ## More by Jean-Christophe Valtat > [“I didn't like what that word-'childhood'-conjured up, or rather, I didn't like the way most people use it: that presumption of innocence and starry-eyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/i-didn-t-like-what-that-word-childhood-conjured-up-or-rather-i-didn-t/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“But if neither sadness or rage could unite us, I didn't know what could - the more I wanted to identify with her, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-unite-us-i-didn-t-know-what/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“I heard a song that nailed it: "And if the day came when I felt a natural emotion / I'd get such a shock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/i-heard-a-song-that-nailed-it-and-if-the-day-came-when-i-felt-a/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“I dismissed this course of action, sensing my own reserves of strengths, but I experimented with the idea and took it as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/i-dismissed-this-course-of-action-sensing-my-own-reserves-of/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“She was the living effigy of everything we will never be and, in every sense of the word, she was the retard that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/she-was-the-living-effigy-of-everything-we-will-never-be-and-in-every/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“She understood nothing, she learned nothing, so she just stood there, lively sometimes, joyful even, a groundless joy that brought tears to their eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/she-understood-nothing-she-learned-nothing-so-she-just-stood-there/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“Here, too, I recognized-easily, from firsthand experience, since this kind of thing happened at my age-the heat of the moment, the very instant you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/here-too-i-recognized-easily-from-firsthand-experience-since-this/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“The blizzard seemed to be dying down, and it was now possible to enjoy the sight of the buildings and embankments and bridges smothered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/the-blizzard-seemed-to-be-dying-down-and-it-was-now-possible-to-enjoy/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“When in doubt, do what they do in books, was one of Gabriel's secret mottos and - that rarest of things - a principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/when-in-doubt-do-what-they-do-in-books-was-one-of-gabriel-s-secret/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“The notion of this powerful childhood gaze was all the more specious given that adults, in the name of that very spontaneity, subjected chidren…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/the-notion-of-this-powerful-childhood-gaze-was-all-the-more-specious/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“It was the French of the Normans that, grafting itself onto the barbaric Saxon tongue, gave it its most magnificent blossoming. And, in these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/it-was-the-french-of-the-normans-that-grafting-itself-onto-the/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“In English sometimes they call a mentally disabled person a retard, and there is a kind of accidental poetry in naming a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/in-english-sometimes-they-call-a-mentally-disabled-person-a-retard/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“Clusters of distant lights was the view of Mankind that he liked the best. The lights had the archaic charm of little fires on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/clusters-of-distant-lights-was-the-view-of-mankind-that-he-liked-the/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“He considered each and every second as if he'd never encountered one before, as if the time it kept was a permanent surprise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/he-considered-each-and-every-second-as-if-he-d-never-encountered-one/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) [Explore all 15 Jean-Christophe Valtat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) ## 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 > [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": "“Don't we all discover, at some stage or another that there are some things we'll never get any better at, even though we have no idea why and hardly ever notice it when it happens, even though we may have enjoyed these things and might not have been lagging behind last time we checked? Learning to draw, for instance, was a familiar catastrophe - all of a sudden, unaware, you just stop getting any better at it, your drawings never progress beyond those of a four-year-old or a six-year-old, you're left behind by those who \"can draw,\" condemned to producing flat, doughy figures on the page, with no sense of perspective to them and (this was what really struck me) no resemblance to the outside world: condemned by your ruined self to a shameful childhood.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Christophe Valtat" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-another-that-there-are-some/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-another-that-there-are-some/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/242/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_children_don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-a_2191029.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/242/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_children_don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-a_2191029.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/242/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_children_don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-a_2191029.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't we all discover, at some stage or another that there are some things we'll never get any better at…” — Jean-Christophe Valtat", "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": "Jean-Christophe Valtat", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Don't we all discover, at some...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-another-that-there-are-some/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-another-that-there-are-some/#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 } } ] } ```