--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Practicing an art, no matter how well or…" description: "\"“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sakes. Now, I mean, I'm talking about singing in the sho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2-44078_art_practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or_249079.jpg" --- # Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way… ![“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sakes. Now, I mean, I'm talking about singing in the shower, I'm talking about dancing to the radio, I'm talking about writing a poem to a friend--a lousy poem.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2-44078_art_practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or_249079.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2-44078_art_practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or_249079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2-44078_art_practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or_249079.jpg) > ““Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sakes. Now, I mean, I'm talking about singing in the shower, I'm talking about dancing to the radio, I'm talking about writing a poem to a friend--a lousy poem.”” [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engaging in any creative activity, regardless of skill, nurtures personal growth and enriches the spirit. **In simple terms:** Creative practice nurtures the soul. Key Takeaway Do something creative today. Themes growth creativity self‑expression Mood joyful reflective Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - singing in the shower - dancing to music - writing poems - painting - improvisation Key Concepts Artistic development emotional resilience Questions to Reflect On - What simple creative act could you start now? - How does regular creative practice affect your mood? A Different Perspective Skill level is irrelevant, but without reflection the growth may stagnate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Singing in the shower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing-in-the-shower/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your-3/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. Sing in the shower. Dance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [So many people think that practicing an art is a good way to make a living. Practicing an art, no matter how well or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/so-many-people-think-that-practicing-an-art-is-a-good-way-to-make-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The arts..are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-arts-are-a-very-human-way-of-making-life-more-bearable-practicing/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The primary benefit of practicing any art, whether well or badly, is that it enables one's soul to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-primary-benefit-of-practicing-any-art-whether-well-or-badly-is/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So dot it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/to-practice-any-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“. . . Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/practice-any-art-music-singing-dancing-acting-drawing-painting/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/practice-any-art-music-singing-dancing-acting-drawing-painting-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The practice of art isn't to make a living. It's to make your soul grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-practice-of-art-isn-t-to-make-a-living-it-s-to-make-your-soul-grow/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Nobody will stop you from creating. Do it tonight. Do it tomorrow. That is the way to make your soul grow...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nobody-will-stop-you-from-creating-do-it-tonight-do-it-tomorrow-that-3/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-arts-are-not-a-way-to-make-a-living-they-are-a-very-human-way-of-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/sing-in-the-shower-dance-to-the-radio-tell-stories-write-a-poem-to-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“That poem was not by me. It is among the things which quite overpower me; I have never been able to read it without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the-things-which-quite-overpower/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“If we show our poem to our friend and our friend says, "It's wonderful, I love it," that's not real-world feedback, that's our friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/if-we-show-our-poem-to-our-friend-and-our-friend-says-it-s-wonderful/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [ \[Shanghai Biennale\] has been my attitude for as long as I've been practicing art and other cultural-related activities. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/shanghai-biennale-has-been-my-attitude-for-as-long-as-i-ve-been/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr > [“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before... He is full of murderous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/beware-of-the-man-who-works-hard-to-learn-something-learns-it-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [“She was a defective child-bearing machine. She destroyed herself automatically while giving birth to Dwayne. The printer disappeared. He was a disappearing machine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/she-was-a-defective-child-bearing-machine-she-destroyed-herself/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [“I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/i-myself-prefer-to-laugh-since-there-is-less-cleaning-up-to-do/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [“Maturity...is knowing what your limitations are...Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/maturity-is-knowing-what-your-limitations-are-maturity-is-a-bitter/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [“I guess that isn't the right word," she said. She was used to apologizing for her use of language. She had been encouraged to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/i-guess-that-isn-t-the-right-word-she-said-she-was-used-to/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [“And now please note that I have raised my right hand. And that means that I'm not kidding, that whatever I say next I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/and-now-please-note-that-i-have-raised-my-right-hand-and-that-means/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [“Life happens too fast for you ever to think about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/life-happens-too-fast-for-you-ever-to-think-about-it/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [“A plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive, at least a little bit…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/a-plausible-mission-of-artists-is-to-make-people-appreciate-being/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) [Explore all 9 Kurt Vonnegut, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sakes. Now, I mean, I'm talking about singing in the shower, I'm talking about dancing to the radio, I'm talking about writing a poem to a friend--a lousy poem.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2-44078_art_practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or_249079.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2-44078_art_practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or_249079.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2-44078_art_practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or_249079.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sakes. Now, I…” — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Practicing an art, no matter how...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your/#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 } } ] } ```