--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The part I enjoy most is not the doing…" description: "\"The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing.\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/john-green-12_doing_the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-b_826855.jpg" --- # The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing. ![“The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/john-green-12_doing_the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-b_826855.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/john-green-12_doing_the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-b_826855.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/john-green-12_doing_the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-b_826855.jpg) > “The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing.” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The joy lies not in action itself but in the awareness and appreciation that follows. **In simple terms:** Noticing brings deeper enjoyment than doing. Key Takeaway Cultivate mindful observation. Themes mindfulness joy observation Mood calm inspired Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - daily journaling - nature walks - art appreciation Key Concepts psychology of attention philosophy of experience creative writing Questions to Reflect On - What do you notice when you pause? - How can noticing enhance your daily life? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on action can blind us to nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Doing Noticing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-noticing-523707/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Enjoy Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-doing/) [Noticing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noticing/) ## Related quotes > [“I realize that this is not, like, boyish. I realize that properly speaking guys should only think about sex and the acquisition of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-realize-that-this-is-not-like-boyish-i-realize-that-properly/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Keep your focus on your passion in life and the things you enjoy doing. Youll get there. Trust me. I'm doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-samaras/keep-your-focus-on-your-passion-in-life-and-the-things-you-enjoy/) [Tim Samaras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-samaras/) > [We're just grateful, we learn to be in moment and enjoy what we're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ant-mcpartlin/we-re-just-grateful-we-learn-to-be-in-moment-and-enjoy-what-we-re/) [Ant McPartlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ant-mcpartlin/) > [You could drive past it without noticing and from what I understand, you ought to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-could-drive-past-it-without-noticing-and-from-what-i-understand/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention. The guy who invented the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-real-heroes-anyway-aren-t-the-people-doing-things-the-real-heroes-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think inspiration is always around; it's just a question of whether or not you're noticing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-inspiration-is-always-around-it-s-just-a-question-of-whether/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I just want the pleasure of noticing these things at a safe distance...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-the-pleasure-of-noticing-these-things-at-a-safe-distance/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-real-heroes-anyway-aren-t-the-people-doing-things-the-real-heroes/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I enjoy doing comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-fernandez/i-enjoy-doing-comedy/) [Jacqueline Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-fernandez/) > [We wanted to enjoy what we were doing and we had business things we had to straighten out and personnel problems and it sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-harry/we-wanted-to-enjoy-what-we-were-doing-and-we-had-business-things-we/) [Debbie Harry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-harry/) > [It is true that comedy might not be realistic all the time, but I enjoy doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/it-is-true-that-comedy-might-not-be-realistic-all-the-time-but-i/) [Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/) > [There's no wrong or right with fitness. It's whatever you enjoy and whatever you can keep up and keep doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wicks/there-s-no-wrong-or-right-with-fitness-it-s-whatever-you-enjoy-and/) [Joe Wicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wicks/) > [The longer you are in acting business, the more you cherish the times when you're working with people that do great work, and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bakula/the-longer-you-are-in-acting-business-the-more-you-cherish-the-times/) [Scott Bakula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bakula/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“When we perform at our highest level of potential, we are content. Because we have given I best in what we enjoy doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/when-we-perform-at-our-highest-level-of-potential-we-are-content/) [Ellen J. Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-barrier/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Doing quotes > [I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm damn well gonna do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-but-i-m-damn-well-gonna-do-it/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [If I'm not thinking about you then I am texting you , if I am not texting you then I am on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-not-thinking-about-you-then-i-am-texting-you-if-i-am-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [.\*. why u hate me..Bitches be doing the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty/why-u-hate-me-bitches-be-doing-the-most/) [Kitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) [Browse all 10,133 Doing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-but-the-noticing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-but-the-noticing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/john-green-12_doing_the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-b_826855.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/john-green-12_doing_the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-b_826855.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/john-green-12_doing_the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-b_826855.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing.” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The part I enjoy most is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-but-the-noticing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-but-the-noticing/#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 } } ] } ```