--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Watching a tree grow will likely drive…" description: "\"“Watching a tree grow will likely drive you crazy. It’s a boring process if you stand there, impatiently tapping your foot, waiting for it to do someth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/jeff-goins-9892_overnight-success_watching-a-tree-grow-will-likely-drive-y_1664709.jpg" --- # Watching a tree grow will likely drive you crazy. It’s a… ![“Watching a tree grow will likely drive you crazy. It’s a boring process if you stand there, impatiently tapping your foot, waiting for it to do something. But if you step away and come back later, you’ll be surprised to see something beautiful emerge. The fact is the plant is doing something: it’s…” quote by Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/jeff-goins-9892_overnight-success_watching-a-tree-grow-will-likely-drive-y_1664709.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/jeff-goins-9892_overnight-success_watching-a-tree-grow-will-likely-drive-y_1664709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/jeff-goins-9892_overnight-success_watching-a-tree-grow-will-likely-drive-y_1664709.jpg) > ““Watching a tree grow will likely drive you crazy. It’s a boring process if you stand there, impatiently tapping your foot, waiting for it to do something. But if you step away and come back later, you’ll be surprised to see something beautiful emerge. The fact is the plant is doing something: it’s growing. Just not as quickly as you might like. Our culture has conditioned us to expect instant results and overnight success; this impatience runs so rampant that we dress it up in terms like “efficiency” and “productivity.” But really what’s happening is we are conditioning ourselves to get what we want now, all the time. This mindset robs us of the lessons that waiting can teach us, causing us to miss out on the slow but important stuff of life.”” [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He critiques society's obsession with instant results, urging patience and appreciation for slow, natural development. **In simple terms:** Patience is essential; growth takes time. Key Takeaway Embrace slow progress. Themes growth patience culture Mood reflective calm Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - gardening - career advancement Key Concepts instant gratification productivity mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice patience daily? - What benefits have you seen from waiting? A Different Perspective Patience may be misinterpreted as laziness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Impatience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impatience/) [Overnight success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overnight-success/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [The twin killers of success are impatience and greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-twin-killers-of-success-are-impatience-and-greed/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“If all this tree is from mom and all this tree is from him where do I grow my own branches?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia-chaltas/if-all-this-tree-is-from-mom-and-all-this-tree-is-from-him-where-do-i/) [Thalia Chaltas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia-chaltas/) > [A little kid asks my dad why that man is chopping down the tree. Dad: He's not chopping it down. He's saving it. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/a-little-kid-asks-my-dad-why-that-man-is-chopping-down-the-tree-dad/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Hard to find anything lovelier than a tree. They grow at right angles to a tangent of the nominal sphere of the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/hard-to-find-anything-lovelier-than-a-tree-they-grow-at-right-angles/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“The way surviving hard winters makes a tree grow stronger, the growth rings inside it tighter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-way-surviving-hard-winters-makes-a-tree-grow-stronger-the-growth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm planting a tree to grow with me all the days of my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-koehle-jones/i-m-planting-a-tree-to-grow-with-me-all-the-days-of-my-life/) [Andrea Koehle Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-koehle-jones/) > [“The purpose of that apple tree is to grow a little new wood each year. That is what I plan to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-purpose-of-that-apple-tree-is-to-grow-a-little-new-wood-each-year/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [A tree Cannot grow In its parents' shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/a-tree-cannot-grow-in-its-parents-shadows/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [The tree that would grow to heaven must send its roots to hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-tree-that-would-grow-to-heaven-must-send-its-roots-to-hell/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He stood up, put the tree back under the grow light. 'There. That's what's going to happen to us. It's called grafting. Taking something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bauer/he-stood-up-put-the-tree-back-under-the-grow-light-there-that-s-what/) [Joan Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bauer/) > [No matter how tall a tree may grow, it will always shed its leaves on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/no-matter-how-tall-a-tree-may-grow-it-will-always-shed-its-leaves-on/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I tell you all this because it's worth recognizing that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-tell-you-all-this-because-it-s-worth-recognizing-that-there-is-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [It's so funny, this thing of 'overnight success.' I've been doing this for 20 years, but yes, sure, it happened overnight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-goldstein/it-s-so-funny-this-thing-of-overnight-success-i-ve-been-doing-this/) [Brett Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-goldstein/) > [Getting success really quickly - overnight success - it's a bit jarring at first, for sure, to transition into that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/getting-success-really-quickly-overnight-success-it-s-a-bit-jarring/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [I worked 18 years to become an overnight success. Now MagicPlace.com will short circuit that process for people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-angel/i-worked-18-years-to-become-an-overnight-success-now-magicplace-com/) [Criss Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-angel/) ## More by Jeff Goins > [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“This is the world we live in today: a noisy, cluttered place in which the loudest voices get the most attention. And they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/this-is-the-world-we-live-in-today-a-noisy-cluttered-place-in-which/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Sometimes, your ideas aren’t as good as you think. Other times, the world just isn’t ready for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/sometimes-your-ideas-aren-t-as-good-as-you-think-other-times-the/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Fear, indecision, not knowing—these are the obstacles that keep you from moving forward. And they never go away. But if you are going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/fear-indecision-not-knowing-these-are-the-obstacles-that-keep-you/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“This is the Rule of the Scene, which says that places and people shape the success of our work far more than we realize.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/this-is-the-rule-of-the-scene-which-says-that-places-and-people-shape/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Serving people is the best way to earn influence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/serving-people-is-the-best-way-to-earn-influence/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“The truth was much simpler. When do you become a writer? “When you say you are,” he said. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-truth-was-much-simpler-when-do-you-become-a-writer-when-you-say/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Write something that’s worth fighting over. Because that’s how you change things. That’s how you create art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/write-something-that-s-worth-fighting-over-because-that-s-how-you/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Rarely do easy and greatness go together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/rarely-do-easy-and-greatness-go-together/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Every place you go, every person you meet, every job you have is a chance to gain greater clarity in your self-education.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/every-place-you-go-every-person-you-meet-every-job-you-have-is-a/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“It’s a choice, writing is. One that belongs to you and me. We get to choose it (or not) every single day. So whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/it-s-a-choice-writing-is-one-that-belongs-to-you-and-me-we-get-to/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Struggle shapes our character. And character dictates what we will become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/struggle-shapes-our-character-and-character-dictates-what-we-will/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“And as we embrace the wait , we learn to appreciate the delays and postponements that teach us some things in life are worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/and-as-we-embrace-the-wait-we-learn-to-appreciate-the-delays-and/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“When John Grisham finished A Time to Kill, he pitched it to forty different publishers who all rejected the book. Unfazed, he started working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/when-john-grisham-finished-a-time-to-kill-he-pitched-it-to-forty/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“Here’s the truth. The risk of not committing is greater than the cost of making the wrong choice. Because when you fail, you learn.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/here-s-the-truth-the-risk-of-not-committing-is-greater-than-the-cost/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) [Explore all 69 Jeff Goins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) ## More Impatience quotes > [“The drivers here are horrible. And by horrible, I mean they don't realize I have someplace to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/the-drivers-here-are-horrible-and-by-horrible-i-mean-they-don-t/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [God is never late, we're just impatient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/god-is-never-late-we-re-just-impatient/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That is why faith, wherever it develops into hope, causes not rest but unrest, not patience but impatience… Those who hope in Christ can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rgen-moltmann/that-is-why-faith-wherever-it-develops-into-hope-causes-not-rest-but/) [Jürgen Moltmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-rgen-moltmann/) > [Advent is patience it's how God has made us a people of promise, in a world of impatience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/advent-is-patience-it-s-how-god-has-made-us-a-people-of-promise-in-a/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [Patience in planning & Impatience in execution.. Always creates Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/patience-in-planning-impatience-in-execution-always-creates-miracles/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When we define our happiness by some point in the future, it will never arrive. We'll keep waiting until tomorrow. If we allow impatience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-harris/when-we-define-our-happiness-by-some-point-in-the-future-it-will/) [Joshua Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-harris/) > [“Transform your impatience into commitment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ela-crain/transform-your-impatience-into-commitment/) [Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ela-crain/) > [“The impatience you felt before kissing someone you liked wasn't nearly as bad as the impatience you felt afterward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/the-impatience-you-felt-before-kissing-someone-you-liked-wasn-t/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learn-the-art-of-patience-apply-discipline-to-your-thoughts-when-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-less-you-associate-with-some-people-the-more-your-life-will/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Thought I'd give impatience a try. Got a little enveloped in time. Cuz I watch you come and watch you go and it don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-ready-set/thought-i-d-give-impatience-a-try-got-a-little-enveloped-in-time-cuz/) [The Ready Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-ready-set/) > [What you're missing is that the path itself changes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-you-re-missing-is-that-the-path-itself-changes-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The cure for impatience with the fulfillment of God's timetable is to believe His promises, obey His will, and leave the results to Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/the-cure-for-impatience-with-the-fulfillment-of-god-s-timetable-is-to/) [Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/) [Browse all 470 Impatience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impatience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Watching a tree grow will likely drive you crazy. 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