--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Patronage of Negation I am constantly…" description: "\"“Patronage of Negation I am constantly confronted by other people’s works That I could have created myself. And I am constantly disappointed by them. S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/john-tottenham-37084_futility_patronage-of-negation-i-am-constantly-co_637278.jpg" --- # Patronage of Negation I am constantly confronted by other… ![“Patronage of Negation I am constantly confronted by other people’s works That I could have created myself. And I am constantly disappointed by them. Sadly, I have to recognize them For what they are: inferior versions Of what I could have done If I’d been insecure enough in my abilities To do…” quote by John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/john-tottenham-37084_futility_patronage-of-negation-i-am-constantly-co_637278.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/john-tottenham-37084_futility_patronage-of-negation-i-am-constantly-co_637278.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/john-tottenham-37084_futility_patronage-of-negation-i-am-constantly-co_637278.jpg) > ““Patronage of Negation I am constantly confronted by other people’s works That I could have created myself. And I am constantly disappointed by them. Sadly, I have to recognize them For what they are: inferior versions Of what I could have done If I’d been insecure enough in my abilities To do anything.”” [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels envy and disappointment when encountering others' creations, seeing them as inferior to what they could have produced if they trusted their abilities. **In simple terms:** Seeing others' work as a reminder of missed potential. Key Takeaway Recognize and trust your own creative capacity. Themes envy self‑doubt creativity Mood reflective determined hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - art critique - career development - personal growth - team collaboration Key Concepts comparative evaluation confidence impostor syndrome Questions to Reflect On - What would you create if you believed in your abilities? - How can you turn envy into motivation? A Different Perspective If you lack confidence, you may never create, reinforcing the feeling of inferiority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Futility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) [Insecure Abilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insecure-abilities-5123390/) [Negation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negation/) [Negation Constantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negation-constantly-5123389/) [Patronage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patronage/) [Patronage Negation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patronage-negation-5123388/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“My Sadness is Deeper than Yours My sadness is deeper than yours. My interior life is richer than yours. I am more interesting than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/my-sadness-is-deeper-than-yours-my-sadness-is-deeper-than-yours-my/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [The philosophy behind Patreon is that all the great art we have known has been made because of patronage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-conte/the-philosophy-behind-patreon-is-that-all-the-great-art-we-have-known/) [Jack Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-conte/) > [Indeed, it is a kind of quintessence of pride to hate and fear even the kind and legitimate approval of those who love us!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/indeed-it-is-a-kind-of-quintessence-of-pride-to-hate-and-fear-even/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Maybe the raising of millions of dollars of funds for charitable projects has become 'a racket', and the longer they remain in the test-tube…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-v-libonati/maybe-the-raising-of-millions-of-dollars-of-funds-for-charitable/) [Roland V. Libonati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-v-libonati/) > [The real object of the First Amendment was not to countenance, much less advance Mohammedanism, or Judaism or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity; but ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-story/the-real-object-of-the-first-amendment-was-not-to-countenance-much/) [Joseph Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-story/) > [We give ourselves to prayer. We preach a Gospel that saves to the uttermost, and witness to its power. We do not argue about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-chadwick/we-give-ourselves-to-prayer-we-preach-a-gospel-that-saves-to-the/) [Samuel Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-chadwick/) > [Literary men are being employed to praise a big business man personally, as men used to praise a king. They not only find political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/literary-men-are-being-employed-to-praise-a-big-business-man/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I've always felt that any establishment that doesn't welcome me with open arms doesn't deserve my patronage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-plum/i-ve-always-felt-that-any-establishment-that-doesn-t-welcome-me-with/) [Amy Plum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-plum/) > [If a patron buys from an artist who needs money (needs money to buy tools, time, food), the patron then makes himself equal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/if-a-patron-buys-from-an-artist-who-needs-money-needs-money-to-buy/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“I used to ask myself, ‘Sergei, would you rather spend your money on drink or women?’ and thanks to the club, I spend it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melika-dannese-lux/i-used-to-ask-myself-sergei-would-you-rather-spend-your-money-on/) [Melika Dannese Lux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melika-dannese-lux/) > [I do not want any patronage, as I do not give any. I am a lover of my own liberty, and so I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-any-patronage-as-i-do-not-give-any-i-am-a-lover-of-my/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren't prepared to occupy a position. I've seen such pitiful cases in the South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-know-so-well-what-becomes-of-unmarried-women-who-aren-t-prepared-to/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [How is a magician to exist without books? Let someone explain that to me. It is like asking a politician to achieve high office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/how-is-a-magician-to-exist-without-books-let-someone-explain-that-to/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [Each of the Arts whose office is to refine, purify, adorn, embellish and grace life is under the patronage of a Muse, no god…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-farnham/each-of-the-arts-whose-office-is-to-refine-purify-adorn-embellish-and/) [Eliza Farnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-farnham/) > [We must learn to be self-reliant and independent of schools, courts, protection and patronage of a Government we seek to end, if it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/we-must-learn-to-be-self-reliant-and-independent-of-schools-courts/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) ## More by John Tottenham > [“VIEW FROM A HILL I am not yet quite over it. I am lying down on top of it. Surveying behind me a wasteland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/view-from-a-hill-i-am-not-yet-quite-over-it-i-am-lying-down-on-top-of/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“I always assume that people I admire are single.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/i-always-assume-that-people-i-admire-are-single/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“Everything's falling apart according to plan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/everything-s-falling-apart-according-to-plan/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“Maybe I shouldn't have wasted my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/maybe-i-shouldn-t-have-wasted-my-life/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“SONG OF DAWN I saw the sun rise by accident. It was a horrible sight. Annoyed by its splendor, I sought refuge in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/song-of-dawn-i-saw-the-sun-rise-by-accident-it-was-a-horrible-sight/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“Whenever I’m in a relationship I feel as if I’m being unfaithful to myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/whenever-i-m-in-a-relationship-i-feel-as-if-i-m-being-unfaithful-to/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“My Sadness is Deeper than Yours My sadness is deeper than yours. My interior life is richer than yours. I am more interesting than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/my-sadness-is-deeper-than-yours-my-sadness-is-deeper-than-yours-my/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“I had a feeling once. I wonder what happened to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/i-had-a-feeling-once-i-wonder-what-happened-to-it/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“RIVETING TORPOR It is remarkable how far I am prepared to go In order to avoid doing the one thing that might Provide satisfaction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/riveting-torpor-it-is-remarkable-how-far-i-am-prepared-to-go-in-order/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“IMPROVIDENCE The other lives I might have led All now might as well be Dead. Survived by no one. Barren, without issue of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/improvidence-the-other-lives-i-might-have-led-all-now-might-as-well/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) > [“Life Without Work To do nothing In this day and age, When so much pointless work Is being produced, Could almost be considered an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tottenham/life-without-work-to-do-nothing-in-this-day-and-age-when-so-much/) [John Tottenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) [Explore all 12 John Tottenham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tottenham/) ## More Futility quotes > [Married life had taught him the futility of arguing with a female in a dark-brown mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/married-life-had-taught-him-the-futility-of-arguing-with-a-female-in/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I am alive again, now that I can no longer stand to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-am-alive-again-now-that-i-can-no-longer-stand-to-live/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“The nobility of age is that it conceals from the young the futility of effort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeo-tze/the-nobility-of-age-is-that-it-conceals-from-the-young-the-futility/) [Yeo-tze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeo-tze/) > [“Dabbling in the sandbox gives Rabbit a small headache. Over at the pavilion the rubber thump of Roofball and the click of checkers call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/dabbling-in-the-sandbox-gives-rabbit-a-small-headache-over-at-the/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Death is the only monastery; the tomb is the only cell, and the grave that adjoins the convent is the bitterest mock of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/death-is-the-only-monastery-the-tomb-is-the-only-cell-and-the-grave/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [It occurred to me that my speech or my silence, indeed any action of mine, would be a mere futility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-occurred-to-me-that-my-speech-or-my-silence-indeed-any-action-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [A mature artist is at the same time aware of the futility of his achievement and the validity of the pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-helion/a-mature-artist-is-at-the-same-time-aware-of-the-futility-of-his/) [Jean Helion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-helion/) > [Suddenly the clouds seem high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans and charred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/suddenly-the-clouds-seem-high-above-us-they-re-moving-over-us-in-an/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“She strives, understanding the futility of it, for perfection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/she-strives-understanding-the-futility-of-it-for-perfection/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) > [“Uite, daca-mi strang sufletul, nu se prinde nimic in el. Oricum, am ajuns departe, foarte departe. O mai fi ceva? Arborii cresc, le dau…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marin-sorescu/uite-daca-mi-strang-sufletul-nu-se-prinde-nimic-in-el-oricum-am-ajuns/) [Marin Sorescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marin-sorescu/) > [“There are the girls we love, the men we look up to, the tenderness, the friendships, the opportunities, the pleasures! But the fact remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/there-are-the-girls-we-love-the-men-we-look-up-to-the-tenderness-the/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“    In a thousand years or ten thousand, no one would remember my nation. It, too, would share in oblivion and prove to not matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miller-rory/in-a-thousand-years-or-ten-thousand-no-one-would-remember-my-nation/) [Miller Rory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miller-rory/) > [“...he arrived late at the office, perceived that his doing so made no difference whatever to any one, and was filled with sudden exasperation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/he-arrived-late-at-the-office-perceived-that-his-doing-so-made-no/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Automobiles are often conveniently tagged as the villains responsible for the ills of cities and the disappointments and futilities of city planning. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/automobiles-are-often-conveniently-tagged-as-the-villains-responsible/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [The fatal futility of Fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/the-fatal-futility-of-fact/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) [Browse all 297 Futility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Patronage of Negation I am constantly confronted by other people’s works That I could have created myself. And I am constantly disappointed by them. 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