--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm looking for an idea, I'll do…" description: "\"When I'm looking for an idea, I'll do anything--clean the closet, mow the lawn, work in the garden.\" — Kevin Henkes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/kevin-henkes-31457_clean_when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-any_2000484.jpg" --- # When I'm looking for an idea, I'll do anything--clean the… ![“When I'm looking for an idea, I'll do anything--clean the closet, mow the lawn, work in the garden.” quote by Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/kevin-henkes-31457_clean_when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-any_2000484.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/kevin-henkes-31457_clean_when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-any_2000484.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/kevin-henkes-31457_clean_when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-any_2000484.jpg) > “When I'm looking for an idea, I'll do anything--clean the closet, mow the lawn, work in the garden.” [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative ideas often emerge from mundane tasks, encouraging physical activity to stimulate mental breakthroughs. **In simple terms:** Work can spark ideas. Key Takeaway Change environment to boost creativity. Themes creativity productivity routine Mood playful encouraging Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing - problem solving - home projects Key Concepts mind‑body connection inspiration Questions to Reflect On - How do you break mental blocks? - What routine helps your creativity? A Different Perspective It may overstate the link between chores and ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Grow the lawn and mow the lawn always keep the TV on, brush your teeth and kill the germs, poison apples, poison worms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trenton-lee-stewart/grow-the-lawn-and-mow-the-lawn-always-keep-the-tv-on-brush-your-teeth/) [Trenton Lee Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trenton-lee-stewart/) > [No one wakes up and says, "Yay I get to mow the lawn!" But if I can find meaning there, then there's nowhere I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/no-one-wakes-up-and-says-yay-i-get-to-mow-the-lawn-but-if-i-can-find/) [Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/) > [God will not speak to me and tell me to mow my lawn today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/god-will-not-speak-to-me-and-tell-me-to-mow-my-lawn-today/) [Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/) > [The grass is always greener once you don't have to mow a lawn anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-milholland/the-grass-is-always-greener-once-you-don-t-have-to-mow-a-lawn-anymore/) [R. K. Milholland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-milholland/) > [I mow my own lawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-reagan/i-mow-my-own-lawn/) [Ron Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-reagan/) > [“The grass may be greener on the other side, but you still have to mow the lawn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-palmer/the-grass-may-be-greener-on-the-other-side-but-you-still-have-to-mow/) [Robin Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-palmer/) > [A jet plane cannot mow the lawn, but it can fly to distant destinations. Don't worry so much about what you can't do; just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/a-jet-plane-cannot-mow-the-lawn-but-it-can-fly-to-distant/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [I always thought a yard was three feet, then I started mowing the lawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lettie-cowman/i-always-thought-a-yard-was-three-feet-then-i-started-mowing-the-lawn/) [Lettie Cowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lettie-cowman/) > [Sprawled out on the front lawn Looking up at an ordinary sky It could fall on me and somehow be The day I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-burd/sprawled-out-on-the-front-lawn-looking-up-at-an-ordinary-sky-it-could/) [Nick Burd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-burd/) > [If the grass is greener somewhere else...start watering your own lawn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/if-the-grass-is-greener-somewhere-else-start-watering-your-own-lawn/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [Crabgrass is aptly descriptive of this hated weed, for it does scuttle quickly through a lawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/crabgrass-is-aptly-descriptive-of-this-hated-weed-for-it-does-scuttle/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [I am not a lover of lawns. Rather would I see daisies in their thousands, ground ivy, hawkweed, and even the hated plantain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-hudson/i-am-not-a-lover-of-lawns-rather-would-i-see-daisies-in-their/) [William Henry Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-hudson/) > [“I've never written a quote I feel would be suitable for my gravestone. Wouldn't it be ironic if it were this one? Oh, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/i-ve-never-written-a-quote-i-feel-would-be-suitable-for-my-gravestone/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [I just can't recruit where there's grass around. You gotta have a concrete lawn before I feel comfortable enough to go in and talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-mcguire/i-just-can-t-recruit-where-there-s-grass-around-you-gotta-have-a/) [Al McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-mcguire/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) ## More by Kevin Henkes > [Try drawing or painting a scene you're working on. Often this will help free up you imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/try-drawing-or-painting-a-scene-you-re-working-on-often-this-will/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [Sometimes all you can do is say, 'Wow.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/sometimes-all-you-can-do-is-say-wow/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [“But this was the first time someone he loved would be gone forever. He didn't like to think about the forever part. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/but-this-was-the-first-time-someone-he-loved-would-be-gone-forever-he/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [“he could manage. Ms. Silver happened to be walking by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/he-could-manage-ms-silver-happened-to-be-walking-by/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [“He couldn't help but give in to the occasional temptation to replay past events in his mind, altering them, changing them from cruel to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/he-couldn-t-help-but-give-in-to-the-occasional-temptation-to-replay/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [“As she wove in and out of all the people - rushing, talking, eating, laughing; some in clumps, some alone - she realized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/as-she-wove-in-and-out-of-all-the-people-rushing-talking-eating/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [If we expose kids to books and art, nothing but good can come from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/if-we-expose-kids-to-books-and-art-nothing-but-good-can-come-from-it/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [Today was a difficult day. Tomorrow will be better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/today-was-a-difficult-day-tomorrow-will-be-better/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [Now smile a real smile for me so I know you're not suffering inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/now-smile-a-real-smile-for-me-so-i-know-you-re-not-suffering-inside/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [“What do you do when you are really, really sad?" When you are full of dread, is what she really meant. Godbee exhaled through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-really-really-sad-when-you-are-full-of/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [“Because she was looking down and focusing her attention so precisely, Alice lost track of time and of herself. She wouldn't be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/because-she-was-looking-down-and-focusing-her-attention-so-precisely/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [Didn't it make sense that after something horrible happens, something better should follow?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/didn-t-it-make-sense-that-after-something-horrible-happens-something/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [My advice to would-be young authors is to read a lot, write a lot, and not worry about creating a finished product. Keeping a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/my-advice-to-would-be-young-authors-is-to-read-a-lot-write-a-lot-and/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [(His) sadness grew; it became a rock inside him, pulling him down. He carried the sadness everywhere, morning, noon, and night. It hurt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/his-sadness-grew-it-became-a-rock-inside-him-pulling-him-down-he/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) > [“Papa?” she repeated. She rolled her eyes dramatically. “That is so babyish, I can hardly believe it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/papa-she-repeated-she-rolled-her-eyes-dramatically-that-is-so-babyish/) [Kevin Henkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) [Explore all 16 Kevin Henkes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/) ## More Clean quotes > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [ I walked all around it \[the Guggenheim Bilbao\] and couldn't find one clear, clean shot. To make things worse, the weather was lousy. Nothing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-polidori/i-walked-all-around-it-the-guggenheim-bilbao-and-couldn-t-find-one/) [Robert Polidori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-polidori/) > [There's nothing harder than making a mellow, clean record. It's really scary. I can see why people would never want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/there-s-nothing-harder-than-making-a-mellow-clean-record-it-s-really/) [Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/) > [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [The sugar maple is remarkable for its clean ankle. The groves of these trees looked like vast forest sheds, their branches stoppingshort at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-sugar-maple-is-remarkable-for-its-clean-ankle-the-groves-of-these/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [At 62, I remain clean and sober and my ponytail remains erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/at-62-i-remain-clean-and-sober-and-my-ponytail-remains-erect/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Water is a cure-all. Water is everything. You can't get better without drinking lots of water, and you can't drink water unless it's clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/water-is-a-cure-all-water-is-everything-you-can-t-get-better-without/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [The worthiness of any cause is not measured by its clean record, but by its readiness to see the blots when they are pointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-worthiness-of-any-cause-is-not-measured-by-its-clean-record-but/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [I like to always wash the slate clean, and reinvigorate my spirit to be connected to the characters that I am doing. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giancarlo-esposito/i-like-to-always-wash-the-slate-clean-and-reinvigorate-my-spirit-to/) [Giancarlo Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giancarlo-esposito/) > [There's a whole journalistic-industrial complex dedicated to keeping newsprint, TV screens and radio waves clean of destabilizing scoops damaging to corporations or the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-s-a-whole-journalistic-industrial-complex-dedicated-to-keeping/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [Night fell clean and cold in Dublin, and wind moaned beyond my room as if a million pipes played the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/night-fell-clean-and-cold-in-dublin-and-wind-moaned-beyond-my-room-as/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) Browse all 2,503 Clean quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm looking for an idea, I'll do anything--clean the closet, mow the lawn, work in the garden.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Henkes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-anything-clean-the-closet-mow/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clean" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-anything-clean-the-closet-mow/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/kevin-henkes-31457_clean_when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-any_2000484.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/kevin-henkes-31457_clean_when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-any_2000484.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/kevin-henkes-31457_clean_when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-any_2000484.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I'm looking for an idea, I'll do anything--clean the closet, mow the lawn, work in the garden.” — Kevin Henkes", "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": "Kevin Henkes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-henkes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I'm looking for an idea,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-anything-clean-the-closet-mow/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-henkes/when-i-m-looking-for-an-idea-i-ll-do-anything-clean-the-closet-mow/#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 } } ] } ```