--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like what I do for a living. I also…" description: "\"I like what I do for a living. I also like NOT doing it--perhaps even more.\" — Mason Cooley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/mason-cooley-92_doing_i-like-what-i-do-for-a-living-i-also-lik_2167549.png" --- # I like what I do for a living. I also like NOT doing… ![“I like what I do for a living. I also like NOT doing it--perhaps even more.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/mason-cooley-92_doing_i-like-what-i-do-for-a-living-i-also-lik_2167549.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/mason-cooley-92_doing_i-like-what-i-do-for-a-living-i-also-lik_2167549.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/mason-cooley-92_doing_i-like-what-i-do-for-a-living-i-also-lik_2167549.png) > “I like what I do for a living. I also like NOT doing it--perhaps even more.” [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. Describes a love for one's job paired with an even stronger love for not doing it. **In simple terms:** Loves work but loves not working more. Key Takeaway Balance work with leisure. Themes work leisure paradox Mood humorous reflective Type philosophical satirical When to use this quote - office routine - vacation planning - hobby pursuits Key Concepts life balance career satisfaction Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of work do you enjoy? - How can you integrate more leisure? A Different Perspective May reflect burnout rather than genuine passion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-doing/) [Like Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-living/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) [Living Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-like/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Now for me, you're the irreplaceable one: I've never see you up so close before, and I do not understand you at all. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/now-for-me-you-re-the-irreplaceable-one-i-ve-never-see-you-up-so/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I like living alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-blake/i-like-living-alone/) [Amanda Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-blake/) > [I didn't really like doing commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-didn-t-really-like-doing-commercials/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If the UFC doesn't like what I'm doing, it is what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-covington/if-the-ufc-doesn-t-like-what-i-m-doing-it-is-what-it-is/) [Colby Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-covington/) > [I like being independent; I like doing things myself. I'm an instinctual person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-moriarty/i-like-being-independent-i-like-doing-things-myself-i-m-an/) [Cathy Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-moriarty/) > [I don't like doing things that are easy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-don-t-like-doing-things-that-are-easy/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [Living is like working out a long addition sum, and if you make a mistake in the first two totals you will never find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/living-is-like-working-out-a-long-addition-sum-and-if-you-make-a/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/the-art-of-living-is-more-like-wrestling-than-dancing/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“In a war one is either living like a prince or a vagabond. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/in-a-war-one-is-either-living-like-a-prince-or-a-vagabond-i/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [“Surviving one’s own life, living on the other side of it like a spectator, is quite comfortable after all. You no longer expect anything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/surviving-one-s-own-life-living-on-the-other-side-of-it-like-a/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I enjoy living like a hermit, but I cannot live like a hermit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-enjoy-living-like-a-hermit-but-i-cannot-live-like-a-hermit/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [“A lot of us are living like this, right? Taking cabs and ordering takeout Thai on payday, then walking the three blocks to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-irby/a-lot-of-us-are-living-like-this-right-taking-cabs-and-ordering/) [Samantha Irby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-irby/) > [“Living like that utterly convinced me of the extreme limitations of language. I was just a child then, so I had only an intuitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/living-like-that-utterly-convinced-me-of-the-extreme-limitations-of/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [My grandfather always said that living is like licking honey off a thorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-adamic/my-grandfather-always-said-that-living-is-like-licking-honey-off-a/) [Louis Adamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-adamic/) > [Living for ever would be like marrying yourself, with no possibility of a divorce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/living-for-ever-would-be-like-marrying-yourself-with-no-possibility/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) ## 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 Doing quotes > [I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm damn well gonna do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-but-i-m-damn-well-gonna-do-it/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [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/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [If I'm not thinking about you then I am texting you , if I am not texting you then I am on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-not-thinking-about-you-then-i-am-texting-you-if-i-am-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [.\*. why u hate me..Bitches be doing the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty/why-u-hate-me-bitches-be-doing-the-most/) [Kitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) [Browse all 10,133 Doing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like what I do for a living. 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