--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I should do the things that make me feel…" description: "\"I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it doesn't really matter if I'm good at it, i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/lena-dunham-1013_becoming_i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel_64111.jpg" --- # I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart… ![“I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it doesn't really matter if I'm good at it, it just matters that I try. My own effort, my own willingness, are becoming what's appealing to me.” quote by Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/lena-dunham-1013_becoming_i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel_64111.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/lena-dunham-1013_becoming_i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel_64111.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/lena-dunham-1013_becoming_i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel_64111.jpg) > “I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it doesn't really matter if I'm good at it, it just matters that I try. My own effort, my own willingness, are becoming what's appealing to me.” [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes valuing effort and personal growth over external competence, finding intrinsic appeal in trying. **In simple terms:** Personal effort matters more than skill. Key Takeaway Try for its own sake. Themes self-improvement intrinsic motivation growth mindset authenticity resilience Mood motivated reflective optimistic Type personal insight motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career development - creative projects - skill acquisition - personal challenges - habit formation Key Concepts effort self-worth learning confidence Practical Applications - coaching - self-help workshops Questions to Reflect On - What does trying teach you about yourself? - How can you celebrate effort over outcome? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Becoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Effort Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort-willingness-861645/) [Feel Cool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-cool-798967/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Older Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-realizing-861646/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Try Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-effort-861643/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) [Willingness Appealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness-appealing-861644/) ## Related quotes > [“Effort is the unconstrained willingness to persevere through difficulty. It is not a harsh, straining, desperate effort but, rather, an ardent and wholehearted remembrance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/effort-is-the-unconstrained-willingness-to-persevere-through/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [Part of what I love about getting older is realizing that there's something perfect in the imperfection. It's all very human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/part-of-what-i-love-about-getting-older-is-realizing-that-there-s/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [Part of getting older is realizing that you can integrate all these different areas of your life, rather than the adolescent mindset, which for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-robinson/part-of-getting-older-is-realizing-that-you-can-integrate-all-these/) [Chris Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-robinson/) > [Don't get me wrong. I STILL care. But I can only try so much when my effort continues to get ignored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-still-care-but-i-can-only-try-so-much-when-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel like at important moments in each game, in each match, I try to put full effort. I feel like this sometimes can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/i-feel-like-at-important-moments-in-each-game-in-each-match-i-try-to/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [“You can’t strangle stress to death. You can try, but all that effort only increases its ferocity until it shatters your ability to contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hays-coomer/you-can-t-strangle-stress-to-death-you-can-try-but-all-that-effort/) [Sarah Hays Coomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hays-coomer/) > [I'm scared of not being good enough no matter how hard I try or how much effort I put in, I'm worried that I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-scared-of-not-being-good-enough-no-matter-how-hard-i-try-or-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Guess just like in any situation, when youre around people and they make you feel cool, thats the comfort zone right there. If youre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/busta-rhymes/guess-just-like-in-any-situation-when-youre-around-people-and-they/) [Busta Rhymes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/busta-rhymes/) > [When I was younger, there was that desire to be cool and to fit in and to look a certain way. And I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlo-parks/when-i-was-younger-there-was-that-desire-to-be-cool-and-to-fit-in-and/) [Arlo Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlo-parks/) > [It would be awesome to know how to sing and be some sort of performer; to feed off other's people's energy is intense. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-viall/it-would-be-awesome-to-know-how-to-sing-and-be-some-sort-of-performer/) [Nick Viall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-viall/) > [“Just as I felt the warmth of darkness, I could feel the cool breeze of divnity ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-day/just-as-i-felt-the-warmth-of-darkness-i-could-feel-the-cool-breeze-of/) [Kristen Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-day/) > [Growing up, I didn't feel cool; I didn't fit into any crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-cool-i-didn-t-fit-into-any-crowd/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [When you're on the pop treadmill, you don't always feel that cool because you have to do things to promote the record that aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paloma-faith/when-you-re-on-the-pop-treadmill-you-don-t-always-feel-that-cool/) [Paloma Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paloma-faith/) > [When I get a text in school in front of my friends I feel so cool and I brag about it :-) but until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamesha-prass/when-i-get-a-text-in-school-in-front-of-my-friends-i-feel-so-cool-and/) [Tamesha Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamesha-prass/) > [Growing up, I didn't feel very cool having come from the Midlands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-very-cool-having-come-from-the-midlands/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) ## More by Lena Dunham > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“Oberlin being a liberal haven where opposition was king, the coolest clique at school was a group of rugby-playing, neon-wearing lesbians. They dominated every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/oberlin-being-a-liberal-haven-where-opposition-was-king-the-coolest/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Calling someone a drama queen is so negative. Why not 'content creator'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/calling-someone-a-drama-queen-is-so-negative-why-not-content-creator/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My relationship to eating, my relationship to critiquing my own shape, all of that has changed since I've started viewing my body much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-relationship-to-eating-my-relationship-to-critiquing-my-own-shape/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“I am sorry (not to you but in a deeper way, sorry for my brain chemistry and who I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-am-sorry-not-to-you-but-in-a-deeper-way-sorry-for-my-brain/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [It's very easy for me to say what success is. I think success is connecting with an audience who understands you and having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-s-very-easy-for-me-to-say-what-success-is-i-think-success-is/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [At my age, no one is married, no one has kids, no one has a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/at-my-age-no-one-is-married-no-one-has-kids-no-one-has-a-career/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My shape reminds me a lot of my grandmother, whom I was really close to. She died when I was 13, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-shape-reminds-me-a-lot-of-my-grandmother-whom-i-was-really-close/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I never set out to make any statements about a specific character, I just set out to tell what feels like is a truthful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-never-set-out-to-make-any-statements-about-a-specific-character-i/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [You’ve learned a new rule and it’s simple: don’t put yourself in situations you’d like to run away from. But when you run, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/you-ve-learned-a-new-rule-and-it-s-simple-don-t-put-yourself-in/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I would go to work from 9 to 6, go home, nap for two hours, then write from 8 to 2 a.m.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-would-go-to-work-from-9-to-6-go-home-nap-for-two-hours-then-write/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My uncle's a lawyer and I remember going to see him in court and thinking, 'That's cool, too bad I could never be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-uncle-s-a-lawyer-and-i-remember-going-to-see-him-in-court-and/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I love directing scenes that I'm not in because suddenly I really feel like a filmmaker which is a different thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-love-directing-scenes-that-i-m-not-in-because-suddenly-i-really/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I'm glad if my work can make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-m-glad-if-my-work-can-make-a-difference/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Okay, 'Best Party Ever' -- to me, that's like saying 'Best Gym Ever' or 'Best Nature Documentary Ever,' like how good can it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/okay-best-party-ever-to-me-that-s-like-saying-best-gym-ever-or-best/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) [Explore all 301 Lena Dunham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) ## More Becoming quotes > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) [Christopher Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wood/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it doesn't really matter if I'm good at it, it just matters that I try. My own effort, my own willingness, are becoming what's appealing to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lena Dunham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel-cool-and-smart-as-i-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Becoming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel-cool-and-smart-as-i-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/lena-dunham-1013_becoming_i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel_64111.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/lena-dunham-1013_becoming_i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel_64111.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/lena-dunham-1013_becoming_i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel_64111.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it…” — Lena Dunham", "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": "Lena Dunham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I should do the things that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel-cool-and-smart-as-i-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel-cool-and-smart-as-i-get/#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 } } ] } ```