--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing I wondered about so much as a…" description: "\"The thing I wondered about so much as a young artist, particularly when things weren't going well and I was really struggling, was, \"Will I know when t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/laurie-simmons-11593_art_the-thing-i-wondered-about-so-much-as-a_1120983.jpg" --- # The thing I wondered about so much as a young artist… ![“The thing I wondered about so much as a young artist, particularly when things weren't going well and I was really struggling, was, "Will I know when to give up? Will I know when I've suffered enough rejection? Will I know when to get out?"” quote by Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/laurie-simmons-11593_art_the-thing-i-wondered-about-so-much-as-a_1120983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/laurie-simmons-11593_art_the-thing-i-wondered-about-so-much-as-a_1120983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/laurie-simmons-11593_art_the-thing-i-wondered-about-so-much-as-a_1120983.jpg) > “The thing I wondered about so much as a young artist, particularly when things weren't going well and I was really struggling, was, "Will I know when to give up? Will I know when I've suffered enough rejection? Will I know when to get out?"” [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists wrestle with when to quit versus persisting through rejection and hardship. **In simple terms:** Artists face quitting vs. perseverance. Key Takeaway Balance perseverance with self‑care. Themes art creativity resilience Mood reflective determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - gallery submissions - grant applications - personal projects Key Concepts self‑assessment career planning Questions to Reflect On - When is quitting a strategic choice? - How to recognize healthy limits? A Different Perspective Giving up may be necessary for growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Rejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [On 'Saturday Night Live,' I never really wrote. You know, I would just - I would let the writers cast me into the show.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/on-saturday-night-live-i-never-really-wrote-you-know-i-would-just-i/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“He wondered, at last, how one so young and healthy could live as though she were sleeping all the time, caring for nothing, going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/he-wondered-at-last-how-one-so-young-and-healthy-could-live-as-though/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [“Keep this in mind, my friends: don’t expect life to love you always! In life, you shall sometimes see true rejection and know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/keep-this-in-mind-my-friends-don-t-expect-life-to-love-you-always-in/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [You have to handle rejection well, and know that if you dont get something, it wasnt meant to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-to-handle-rejection-well-and-know-that-if-you-dont-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The ultimate ignorance is the rejection of something you know nothing about, yet refuse to investigate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/the-ultimate-ignorance-is-the-rejection-of-something-you-know-nothing/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [So struggling for work here has been very good for me, but it's also been very hard to handle rejection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-velasquez/so-struggling-for-work-here-has-been-very-good-for-me-but-it-s-also/) [Patricia Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-velasquez/) > [It's one thing to be struggling and not really making money in your early 20s and figuring out your life. Early 30s, you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eichner/it-s-one-thing-to-be-struggling-and-not-really-making-money-in-your/) [Billy Eichner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eichner/) > [I did a lot of struggling with my identity trying to figure out who the heck I was. I had to face my demons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carter-cash/i-did-a-lot-of-struggling-with-my-identity-trying-to-figure-out-who/) [John Carter Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carter-cash/) > [Sometimes it's better to shut up and leave me alone then pester me constantly because I am a human and I have feelings too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/sometimes-it-s-better-to-shut-up-and-leave-me-alone-then-pester-me/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [When you're struggling, especially mentally, it's only the team who can bring you out of that situation. It's not one or two players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/when-you-re-struggling-especially-mentally-it-s-only-the-team-who-can/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [The best education in the world is that got by struggling to get a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-best-education-in-the-world-is-that-got-by-struggling-to-get-a/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [I have been struggling to find my way back into my body my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-have-been-struggling-to-find-my-way-back-into-my-body-my-whole-life/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I want to help people struggling with whatever it is they're going through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santan-dave/i-want-to-help-people-struggling-with-whatever-it-is-they-re-going/) [Santan Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santan-dave/) > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Laurie Simmons > [I do remember at my very first opening in 1979 another artist coming up to me, and he was haranguing me, saying, "Did you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/i-do-remember-at-my-very-first-opening-in-1979-another-artist-coming/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [I feel like I spent so much time trying to understand my identity and my identity as an artist. But when all is said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/i-feel-like-i-spent-so-much-time-trying-to-understand-my-identity-and/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [I remember years ago hearing a gynecologist say, "Women report a great sense of calm and well-being post-menopause." This was way before I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/i-remember-years-ago-hearing-a-gynecologist-say-women-report-a-great/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [I was always very proud of myself that I could wrest emotion from a doll or a puppet. It never occurred to me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/i-was-always-very-proud-of-myself-that-i-could-wrest-emotion-from-a/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [Your ringtone is so personal to you, but the fact is millions of other people have your ringtone. I really love that connection, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/your-ringtone-is-so-personal-to-you-but-the-fact-is-millions-of-other/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [You mine your own past in order to get to know yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/you-mine-your-own-past-in-order-to-get-to-know-yourself/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [Parenthetically, I have to say, I don't particularly like dolls, nor have I ever liked them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/parenthetically-i-have-to-say-i-don-t-particularly-like-dolls-nor/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [Like all artists, I'm a complete cinephile; I see everything. I see past movies, present movies, indie movies, experimental movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/like-all-artists-i-m-a-complete-cinephile-i-see-everything-i-see-past/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [It's funny: when you're an artist, your own work goes in and out of fashion with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/it-s-funny-when-you-re-an-artist-your-own-work-goes-in-and-out-of/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [Here were also moments of, you know, you have an exhibition: no sale, no reviews. It's hard not to get blue, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/here-were-also-moments-of-you-know-you-have-an-exhibition-no-sale-no/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [My favourite thing is to discover what someone does well and say, 'Do that for me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/my-favourite-thing-is-to-discover-what-someone-does-well-and-say-do/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [The challenge has always been to wrest emotion out of a doll face that we think of as only having one emotion. It's moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/the-challenge-has-always-been-to-wrest-emotion-out-of-a-doll-face/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [I always say I'm an artist with the soul of a realtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/i-always-say-i-m-an-artist-with-the-soul-of-a-realtor/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [Oh god, success is so exhausting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/oh-god-success-is-so-exhausting/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [I love acting. I can't believe how fun it is and how in-the-zone I am when I'm doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/i-love-acting-i-can-t-believe-how-fun-it-is-and-how-in-the-zone-i-am/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) [Explore all 59 Laurie Simmons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) ## 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": "The thing I wondered about so much as a young artist, particularly when things weren't going well and I was really struggling, was, \"Will I know when to give up? 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