--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You give all your life to doing this one…" description: "\"You give all your life to doing this one thing. It sounds grim, it sounds frightening - it isn't - it has a great gaiety at times and a great wonder.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/martha-graham-2832_frightening_you-give-all-your-life-to-doing-this-one_2257048.png" --- # You give all your life to doing this one thing. It sounds… ![“You give all your life to doing this one thing. It sounds grim, it sounds frightening - it isn't - it has a great gaiety at times and a great wonder.” quote by Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/martha-graham-2832_frightening_you-give-all-your-life-to-doing-this-one_2257048.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/martha-graham-2832_frightening_you-give-all-your-life-to-doing-this-one_2257048.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/martha-graham-2832_frightening_you-give-all-your-life-to-doing-this-one_2257048.png) > “You give all your life to doing this one thing. It sounds grim, it sounds frightening - it isn't - it has a great gaiety at times and a great wonder.” [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A reflection on dedicating one's life to a single pursuit, acknowledging its challenges and moments of joy and wonder. **In simple terms:** Devoting yourself to one thing can be tough yet rewarding. Key Takeaway Find joy in your commitment. Themes dedication art passion Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career focus - creative practice - personal growth Key Concepts purpose resilience Questions to Reflect On - What single purpose drives you? - How can you balance intensity with rest? A Different Perspective The intensity may seem overwhelming to some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) [Gaiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaiety/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Great Gaiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-gaiety-5178810/) [Great Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-wonder-1930592/) [Grim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grim/) [Isn Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isn-great-356046/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-doing/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sounds Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sounds-frightening-879958/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Go ahead. You're not going to walk in on anyone. I'm home alone." "The whole night?" Immediately, I realized it might not have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/go-ahead-you-re-not-going-to-walk-in-on-anyone-i-m-home-alone-the/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [“God’s power is always a great wonder. A God who does not sleep nor slumber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/god-s-power-is-always-a-great-wonder-a-god-who-does-not-sleep-nor/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [Many thousands of people have had the experience of finding the first friend, and it is none the less a wonder; as great a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/many-thousands-of-people-have-had-the-experience-of-finding-the-first/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [People who are exposed to great Wonder Woman stories love her. You have to do your best work and get it out there so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-simone/people-who-are-exposed-to-great-wonder-woman-stories-love-her-you/) [Gail Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-simone/) > [I'm excited to see her power really soar and us have a great time having a great Wonder Woman in our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-jenkins/i-m-excited-to-see-her-power-really-soar-and-us-have-a-great-time/) [Patty Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-jenkins/) > [ESPN is all meat and potatoes. It's pretty much scouting reports. There isn't a great deal of humor, and when there is, it's pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/espn-is-all-meat-and-potatoes-it-s-pretty-much-scouting-reports-there/) [Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/) > [It... does... not... have... to... be... pointed out all the time. Like, 'Isn't it great that you're black, and you're a woman?' Isn't it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/it-does-not-have-to-be-pointed-out-all-the-time-like-isn-t-it-great/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [He who hesitates probably isn't great in bed either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-who-hesitates-probably-isn-t-great-in-bed-either/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life isn't always great, but it's all about how we react to things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-peavy/life-isn-t-always-great-but-it-s-all-about-how-we-react-to-things/) [Jake Peavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-peavy/) > [The world isn't always great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kalanick/the-world-isn-t-always-great/) [Travis Kalanick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kalanick/) > [When you reach a certain age, and people see you on television, they look at you and think, 'Wow! Everything must be great!' Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-king/when-you-reach-a-certain-age-and-people-see-you-on-television-they/) [Larry King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-king/) > [My back isn't great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/my-back-isn-t-great/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [I used to throw things out, saying, 'This isn't great.' It didn't occur to me that it didn't have to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-used-to-throw-things-out-saying-this-isn-t-great-it-didn-t-occur-to/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [I am one of those people who isn’t great at anything, but I’m pretty good at most things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-am-one-of-those-people-who-isn-t-great-at-anything-but-i-m-pretty/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [The whole of life is a journey toward youthful old age, toward self-contemplation, love, gaiety, and, in a fundamental sense, the most gratifying time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/the-whole-of-life-is-a-journey-toward-youthful-old-age-toward-self/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) ## More by Martha Graham > [The body never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-never-lies/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You have no right to go before a public without an adequate technique, just because you feel. Anything feels - a leaf feels, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-have-no-right-to-go-before-a-public-without-an-adequate-technique/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-vitality-a-life-force-an-energy-a-quickening-that-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Misery is a communicable disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/misery-is-a-communicable-disease/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I did not choose. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/people-have-asked-me-why-i-chose-to-be-a-dancer-i-did-not-choose-i/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/all-things-i-do-are-in-every-woman-every-woman-is-medea-every-woman/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-shaped-disciplined-honored-and-in-time-trusted/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The secret to dancing is that it is about everything except dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-secret-to-dancing-is-that-it-is-about-everything-except-dancing/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [What makes a great dancer is not technique. What makes a great dancer is passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/what-makes-a-great-dancer-is-not-technique-what-makes-a-great-dancer/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is a sacred garment. It's your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-a-sacred-garment-it-s-your-first-and-last-garment-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-are-unique-and-if-that-is-not-fulfilled-then-something-has-been/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-see-when-weaving-a-blanket-an-indian-woman-leaves-a-flaw-in-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery - what it all means, the way the little bone near the ankle relates itself to the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancing-is-just-discovery-discovery-discovery-what-it-all-means-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Theater used to be a verb; it used to be an act. But nowadays it is just a noun. It is a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/theater-used-to-be-a-verb-it-used-to-be-an-act-but-nowadays-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [There is a force, a quickness that is translated through you into action. If you block it, the world will not have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-force-a-quickness-that-is-translated-through-you-into/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) [Explore all 148 Martha Graham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## More Frightening quotes > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [“Because, in the dark, I’m equally as frightening as any”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-ellis/because-in-the-dark-i-m-equally-as-frightening-as-any/) [Joy Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-ellis/) > [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Missing: A teenaged girl with lanky, blonde hair and a sunburst tattoo on her cheek. The holographic posters, brighter than day itself, lit up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-l-bernstein/missing-a-teenaged-girl-with-lanky-blonde-hair-and-a-sunburst-tattoo/) [Amy L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-l-bernstein/) > [What if it turns out there really are witches and vampires and werewolves living right here alongside us? After all, what better disguise could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lukyanenko/what-if-it-turns-out-there-really-are-witches-and-vampires-and/) [Sergei Lukyanenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lukyanenko/) > [Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/fiction-that-isn-t-an-author-s-personal-adventure-into-the/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Death is frightening, and so is Eternal Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/death-is-frightening-and-so-is-eternal-life/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I understand that change is frightening for people, especially if there's nothing to go to. It's best to stay where you are. I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/i-understand-that-change-is-frightening-for-people-especially-if/) [Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/) > [It's a question of dropping the armor and getting up and doing the work you want to do. And film at first is frightening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-question-of-dropping-the-armor-and-getting-up-and-doing-the/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [For any couple, once you delve into the idea of non-monogamy, you're entering pretty frightening territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/for-any-couple-once-you-delve-into-the-idea-of-non-monogamy-you-re/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [“Zam watched as the creature began to fade, until it disappeared altogether and all that remained was his own reflection in the mirror. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lambert/zam-watched-as-the-creature-began-to-fade-until-it-disappeared/) [Frank Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lambert/) > [Everything we have developed over the last 100 years should be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pentti-linkola/everything-we-have-developed-over-the-last-100-years-should-be/) [Pentti Linkola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pentti-linkola/) [Browse all 960 Frightening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You give all your life to doing this one thing. 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