--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will…" description: "\"Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice.\" — Mason Cooley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/mason-cooley-92_amateur_amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-s_908218.png" --- # Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice. ![“Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/mason-cooley-92_amateur_amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-s_908218.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/mason-cooley-92_amateur_amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-s_908218.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/mason-cooley-92_amateur_amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-s_908218.png) > “Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice.” [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enthusiasm alone is insufficient without skill or effort. **In simple terms:** Passion needs competence. Key Takeaway Develop skills alongside passion. Themes enthusiasm skill effort Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - hobbies - career - volunteering Key Concepts growth mindset self-improvement Questions to Reflect On - When has enthusiasm failed you? - How can you balance passion with preparation? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) ## Related quotes > [It is frankly a mistake of amateurs to believe you can gain the upper hand in a diplomatic negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/it-is-frankly-a-mistake-of-amateurs-to-believe-you-can-gain-the-upper/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [I believe the enthusiasm to BABYMETAL is universal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moa-kikuchi/i-believe-the-enthusiasm-to-babymetal-is-universal/) [Moa Kikuchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moa-kikuchi/) > [Amateurs know that contributing something is better than contributing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/amateurs-know-that-contributing-something-is-better-than-contributing/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Who gives a damn about being remembered? That's really for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/who-gives-a-damn-about-being-remembered-that-s-really-for-amateurs/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/amateurs-look-for-inspiration-the-rest-of-us-just-get-up-and-go-to/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Amateurs... venture into scenes that a writer with more experience (and more professional concern) would bypass or eschew altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/amateurs-venture-into-scenes-that-a-writer-with-more-experience-and/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs--the rest of us just show up and get to work. - Chuck Close”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-fig/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up-and-get-to/) Joe Fig > [Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-get-to-work/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Turning pro is a mindset. If we are struggling with fear, self-sabotage, procrastination, self-doubt, etc., the problem is, we're thinking like amateurs. Amateurs don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/turning-pro-is-a-mindset-if-we-are-struggling-with-fear-self-sabotage/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Amateurs want to be right. Professionals want to make money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/amateurs-want-to-be-right-professionals-want-to-make-money/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“...most gentlemen of breeding considered themselves amateurs at all kinds of disciplines. Go all the way back to Jefferson, who collected fossils and wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hitt/most-gentlemen-of-breeding-considered-themselves-amateurs-at-all/) [Jack Hitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hitt/) > [“True artists unburden their envies and work toward encouraging amateurs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aniruddha-sastikar/true-artists-unburden-their-envies-and-work-toward-encouraging/) [Aniruddha Sastikar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aniruddha-sastikar/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs,” Close says. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-close-says-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-is-for-amateurs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) ## More by Mason Cooley > [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Money comes to life as it is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/money-comes-to-life-as-it-is-spent/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Experience teaches us, but we scarcely know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/experience-teaches-us-but-we-scarcely-know-what/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The body has a mind of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-body-has-a-mind-of-its-own/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-retirement-i-look-for-days-off-from-my-days-off-mason-cooley/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My intentions go one way, my desires another. Thus I feel both self-indulgent and deprived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-intentions-go-one-way-my-desires-another-thus-i-feel-both-self/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/vacations-prove-that-a-life-of-pleasure-is-overrated/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/outside-literature-high-flown-sentiments-are-merely-exasperating/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) [Explore all 1,401 Mason Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More Amateur quotes > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) Alan Sheinwald > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/amateur-boxing-is-one-of-the-safest-sports-around/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barringer/amateur-one-reckless-enough-to-risk-being-interesting/) David Barringer > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/when-people-buy-rescue-or-otherwise-acquire-a-dog-from-unscrupulous/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) Browse all 352 Amateur quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mason Cooley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-suffice/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amateur" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-suffice/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/mason-cooley-92_amateur_amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-s_908218.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/mason-cooley-92_amateur_amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-s_908218.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/mason-cooley-92_amateur_amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-s_908218.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice.” — Mason Cooley", "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": "Mason Cooley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-suffice/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-suffice/#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 } } ] } ```