---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very important to stay creative and…"
description: "\"It's very important to stay creative and not simply to wait around for people to want you. It's the hardest thing about the business.\" — John Lithgow"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/john-lithgow-2438_business_it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and_2926783.jpg"
---

#  It's very important to stay creative and not simply to…

![“It's very important to stay creative and not simply to wait around for people to want you. It's the hardest thing about the business.” quote by John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/john-lithgow-2438_business_it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and_2926783.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/john-lithgow-2438_business_it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and_2926783.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/john-lithgow-2438_business_it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and_2926783.jpg)

> “It's very important to stay creative and not simply to wait around for people to want you. It's the hardest thing about the business.”

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

## About This Quote

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

Emphasizes the necessity of proactive creativity rather than waiting for opportunities.

**In simple terms:** Be creative, don’t wait for demand.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate initiative in creative fields.

Themes

creativity initiative career

Mood

inspired pragmatic

Type

motivational career

When to use this quote

- artist residencies
- networking events
- personal projects

Key Concepts

self‑motivation market dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What daily habits foster creativity?
- How to balance creation with self‑promotion?

A Different Perspective

Creative markets can be unpredictable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest/) [Hardest thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest-thing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-want/) [Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay/) [Stay Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-creative-643215/) [Thing Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-business-365310/) [Wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait/) [Wait People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait-people-364308/)

## Related quotes

> [What I learned from Beyonce is just the focus, the drive, and to stay creative and to always give, just keep giving. Throughout the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-james/what-i-learned-from-beyonce-is-just-the-focus-the-drive-and-to-stay/)

[Luke James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-james/)

> [As long as I can stay creative and used my mind, it can be 20 hours a day. I sleep four hours, so I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ester-dean/as-long-as-i-can-stay-creative-and-used-my-mind-it-can-be-20-hours-a/)

[Ester Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ester-dean/)

> [If I don't stay creative and if I don't stay in the studio and keep writing and recording, I get kind of depressed. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-loggins/if-i-don-t-stay-creative-and-if-i-don-t-stay-in-the-studio-and-keep/)

[Kenny Loggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-loggins/)

> [I think the biggest challenge over time is that we stay creative and making sure that we continue to launch awesome products that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/i-think-the-biggest-challenge-over-time-is-that-we-stay-creative-and/)

[Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/)

> [It's important to stay creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-cosentino/it-s-important-to-stay-creative/)

[Bethany Cosentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-cosentino/)

> [I like to stay busy, I like to stay focused, and I like to stay creative. Without being creative I'd be dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-renner/i-like-to-stay-busy-i-like-to-stay-focused-and-i-like-to-stay/)

[Jeremy Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-renner/)

> [I just like to stay creative. Anything that can keep my mind going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ester-dean/i-just-like-to-stay-creative-anything-that-can-keep-my-mind-going/)

[Ester Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ester-dean/)

> [I just want to stay creative, share my ideas and see where it all leads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-g/i-just-want-to-stay-creative-share-my-ideas-and-see-where-it-all-leads/)

[Becky G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-g/)

> [“Stay Creative Whatever You Are Doing..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastazia-ken/stay-creative-whatever-you-are-doing/)

[Nastazia Ken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastazia-ken/)

> [I really miss dancing all day long. But something I really love is not dancing all day long. I love that I can't rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-really-miss-dancing-all-day-long-but-something-i-really-love-is-not/)

[Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/)

> [I just try to stay as creative as possible, and also allow myself downtime between jobs if I feel I need it; if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-o-donnell/i-just-try-to-stay-as-creative-as-possible-and-also-allow-myself/)

[Jamie-Lee O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-o-donnell/)

> [I'm not a caterer. I just have to stay with my creative convictions. At some point, you have to just get past the special-interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-m-not-a-caterer-i-just-have-to-stay-with-my-creative-convictions-at/)

[Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/)

> [My thing is: stay creative. And just because somebody starts to pay you, that don't mean all your creativity goes to that, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/my-thing-is-stay-creative-and-just-because-somebody-starts-to-pay-you/)

[Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/)

> [One sure-fire way to stay creative: force yourself to learn something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/one-sure-fire-way-to-stay-creative-force-yourself-to-learn-something/)

[Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/)

> [Music has always helped me stay creative and grounded because I'm traveling and shooting and trying to understand other people. Music was something I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kravitz/music-has-always-helped-me-stay-creative-and-grounded-because-i-m/)

[Zoe Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kravitz/)

## More by John Lithgow

> [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [The Broadway audience is made up of a greater percentage of tourists now. There's not nearly as much variety and danger and challenge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/the-broadway-audience-is-made-up-of-a-greater-percentage-of-tourists/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [My sense of myself is that I'm a character actor, and character actors are ready, willing, and able to do anything, to be totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/my-sense-of-myself-is-that-i-m-a-character-actor-and-character-actors/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [The essence of comedy, drama, and horror is surprise. I have an uncanny ability to surprise people because they look at my face, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/the-essence-of-comedy-drama-and-horror-is-surprise-i-have-an-uncanny/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [I never get tired of hearing compliments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-never-get-tired-of-hearing-compliments/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [I think there are all sorts of ways of turning into an actor, and there are a vast variety of different actors. You know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-think-there-are-all-sorts-of-ways-of-turning-into-an-actor-and/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [I'd sleep under a Vermeer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-d-sleep-under-a-vermeer/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [I'm an avid Boston Red Sox fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-m-an-avid-boston-red-sox-fan/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [My very first role was when I was 2 1/2 years old; I was one of Nora's children in 'A Doll's House,' with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/my-very-first-role-was-when-i-was-2-1-2-years-old-i-was-one-of-nora-s/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [I'm as flighty as anybody. You put a lot out there. I've been through the process a lot. When I play a major role,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-m-as-flighty-as-anybody-you-put-a-lot-out-there-i-ve-been-through/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [We all grow up with inherited genes and inherited sensibilities, and they run very, very deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/we-all-grow-up-with-inherited-genes-and-inherited-sensibilities-and/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [I don't deal with the nuts and bolts of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-don-t-deal-with-the-nuts-and-bolts-of-life/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [My worst audition was for Tim Burton for 'Batman.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/my-worst-audition-was-for-tim-burton-for-batman/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [I gave up shame a long time ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-gave-up-shame-a-long-time-ago/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/time-sneaks-up-on-you-like-a-windshield-on-a-bug/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

[Explore all 166 John Lithgow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

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

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [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/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's very important to stay creative and not simply to wait around for people to want you. It's the hardest thing about the business.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Lithgow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and-not-simply-to-wait-around/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and-not-simply-to-wait-around/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/john-lithgow-2438_business_it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and_2926783.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/john-lithgow-2438_business_it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and_2926783.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/john-lithgow-2438_business_it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and_2926783.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's very important to stay creative and not simply to wait around for people to want you. It's the hardest…” — John Lithgow",
                "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 Lithgow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's very important to stay creative...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and-not-simply-to-wait-around/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-very-important-to-stay-creative-and-not-simply-to-wait-around/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
