---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have to make about a million proofs of…"
description: "\"I have to make about a million proofs of everything. I don’t know, it’s just a repetition, like a meditation. You come back to something and then you l..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/kiki-smith-10643_able_i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of_1572662.jpg"
---

#  I have to make about a million proofs of everything. I…

![“I have to make about a million proofs of everything. I don’t know, it’s just a repetition, like a meditation. You come back to something and then you leave it, and then you come back again and you leave it, and each time it changes. And sometimes you have to wait for new information inside…” quote by Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/kiki-smith-10643_able_i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of_1572662.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/kiki-smith-10643_able_i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of_1572662.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/kiki-smith-10643_able_i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of_1572662.jpg)

> “I have to make about a million proofs of everything. I don’t know, it’s just a repetition, like a meditation. You come back to something and then you leave it, and then you come back again and you leave it, and each time it changes. And sometimes you have to wait for new information inside yourself to be able to finish something, to find out how it should go.”

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

## About This Quote

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

Repeatedly practicing a skill is like meditation; each return deepens understanding and may reveal new insights needed for completion.

**In simple terms:** Practice repeats like meditation, revealing new insight each time.

Key Takeaway

Embrace repetition to discover hidden knowledge.

Themes

practice meditation learning creativity patience

Mood

reflective patient inspired

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- artistic creation
- research
- personal growth
- problem solving

Key Concepts

mindfulness iterative process insight generation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does returning to a task change your perspective?
- What new information do you seek before finishing?

A Different Perspective

Repetition can become rote, stifling innovation if not reflective.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Back again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-again/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Just Repetition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-repetition-2034284/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Like Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-meditation-512894/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Million Proofs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-proofs-5923820/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [New information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-information/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Repetition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repetition/) [Repetition Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repetition-like-5466177/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/)

## Related quotes

> [Because it's dance music, you can't really have a lot of changing in there. It's really not for me because there's too much repetition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ikue-mori/because-it-s-dance-music-you-can-t-really-have-a-lot-of-changing-in/)

[Ikue Mori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ikue-mori/)

> [I still prefer going to the classical writers, the modernists and the nineteenth century writers. Much of what has been done since then has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/i-still-prefer-going-to-the-classical-writers-the-modernists-and-the/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

> [So much in design is presented as a big miracle when it's just a repetition of what's been happening for 80 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-wanders/so-much-in-design-is-presented-as-a-big-miracle-when-it-s-just-a/)

[Marcel Wanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-wanders/)

> [If you run regularly for 10 to 15 kms, you get into that space where it is like meditation. There is no confusion in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milind-soman/if-you-run-regularly-for-10-to-15-kms-you-get-into-that-space-where/)

[Milind Soman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milind-soman/)

> [I've always said that I think one of the best and cheapest ways to become healthier and happier is through mindfulness exercises like meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/i-ve-always-said-that-i-think-one-of-the-best-and-cheapest-ways-to/)

[Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/)

> [I ask myself: What do I need to do to stay healthy? And I do that all the time. And it's stuff like meditation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-smith/i-ask-myself-what-do-i-need-to-do-to-stay-healthy-and-i-do-that-all/)

[Tina Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-smith/)

> [Yoga, like meditation, offers a method for coming together after you've come apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lee/yoga-like-meditation-offers-a-method-for-coming-together-after-you-ve/)

[Cyndi Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lee/)

> [Exercising has a calming influence on me. It's almost like a meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-dev/exercising-has-a-calming-influence-on-me-it-s-almost-like-a-meditation/)

[Rahul Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-dev/)

> [Sleeping is like meditation: it's good to rest the body but also to shut the mind down for a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-joshua/sleeping-is-like-meditation-it-s-good-to-rest-the-body-but-also-to/)

[Anthony Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-joshua/)

> [For me, painting is like meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fish/for-me-painting-is-like-meditation/)

[Janet Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fish/)

> [I smoke weed, of course. That's like meditation for me. Watching movies is a really good escape as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/i-smoke-weed-of-course-that-s-like-meditation-for-me-watching-movies/)

[Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/)

> [I go to the Himalayas after every film. I go alone. I go to the interiors, to the villages. Being there itself is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajinikanth/i-go-to-the-himalayas-after-every-film-i-go-alone-i-go-to-the/)

[Rajinikanth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajinikanth/)

> [Simple ideas become obsessions, almost like a meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-heilmann/simple-ideas-become-obsessions-almost-like-a-meditation/)

[Mary Heilmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-heilmann/)

> [I love the clothes, I love the discipline. It's all encompassing. You play golf for two hours and you feel like you went on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-bailey/i-love-the-clothes-i-love-the-discipline-it-s-all-encompassing-you/)

[Philip Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-bailey/)

> [Exercise is like meditation for me, and I'm giving myself that time... I can't live without it now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minka-kelly/exercise-is-like-meditation-for-me-and-i-m-giving-myself-that-time-i/)

[Minka Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minka-kelly/)

## More by Kiki Smith

> [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [I first had no interest in figuration whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-first-had-no-interest-in-figuration-whatsoever/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [I got into animals by drawing hair follicles. I liked drawing hair, and from that I got into feathers and fur, then into images…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-got-into-animals-by-drawing-hair-follicles-i-liked-drawing-hair-and/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [Artists live in unknown spaces and give themselves over to following something unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/artists-live-in-unknown-spaces-and-give-themselves-over-to-following/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [We as beings are very contradictory, complicated creatures that work in our best interest and against our best interest. In a certain way, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/we-as-beings-are-very-contradictory-complicated-creatures-that-work/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [I think that sense of always traveling has something to do with anonymity and privacy and pleasure in having a very clear, very reductive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-think-that-sense-of-always-traveling-has-something-to-do-with/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [Art is a reflection of everything that impacts your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/art-is-a-reflection-of-everything-that-impacts-your-life/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [I didn't start to be an artist myself until I was 24.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-didn-t-start-to-be-an-artist-myself-until-i-was-24/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [When you get older, you're running out of time. You care more about trying to stay on the planet a little longer, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/when-you-get-older-you-re-running-out-of-time-you-care-more-about/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [You start with a generic body, but I think the first wall you hit with portraiture is comprised of history and storytelling and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/you-start-with-a-generic-body-but-i-think-the-first-wall-you-hit-with/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [I'm not moving from an ideological standpoint. Sometimes I'm trying to make my life better. Sometimes I'm trying to make my life worse! I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-m-not-moving-from-an-ideological-standpoint-sometimes-i-m-trying-to/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [My work life makes much less sense now than 20 years ago. It's Humpty-Dumpty-like in a way; I can't put the pieces back together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/my-work-life-makes-much-less-sense-now-than-20-years-ago-it-s-humpty/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [Prints mimic what we are as humans: we are all the same and yet every one is different. I think there's a spiritual power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/prints-mimic-what-we-are-as-humans-we-are-all-the-same-and-yet-every/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [I think that objects have memories. I’m always thinking that I’ll go to the museum and see something and have a big memory about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-think-that-objects-have-memories-i-m-always-thinking-that-i-ll-go/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [Sometimes your personal life is much more significant. Sometimes your work life is more significant. Friends and family, or sometimes the general population, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/sometimes-your-personal-life-is-much-more-significant-sometimes-your/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

[Explore all 64 Kiki Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have to make about a million proofs of everything. I don’t know, it’s just a repetition, like a meditation. You come back to something and then you leave it, and then you come back again and you leave it, and each time it changes. And sometimes you have to wait for new information inside yourself to be able to finish something, to find out how it should go.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kiki Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of-everything-i-don-t-know-it-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of-everything-i-don-t-know-it-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/kiki-smith-10643_able_i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of_1572662.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/kiki-smith-10643_able_i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of_1572662.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/kiki-smith-10643_able_i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of_1572662.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have to make about a million proofs of everything. I don’t know, it’s just a repetition, like a…” — Kiki Smith",
                "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": "Kiki Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have to make about a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of-everything-i-don-t-know-it-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-have-to-make-about-a-million-proofs-of-everything-i-don-t-know-it-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
