--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My work is not great, but it's…" description: "\"My work is not great, but it's respectable. I have no false illusions.\" — Maurice Sendak" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/maurice-sendak-1273_false_my-work-is-not-great-but-it-s-respectabl_742280.jpg" --- # My work is not great, but it's respectable. I have no… ![“My work is not great, but it's respectable. I have no false illusions.” quote by Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/maurice-sendak-1273_false_my-work-is-not-great-but-it-s-respectabl_742280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/maurice-sendak-1273_false_my-work-is-not-great-but-it-s-respectabl_742280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/maurice-sendak-1273_false_my-work-is-not-great-but-it-s-respectabl_742280.jpg) > “My work is not great, but it's respectable. I have no false illusions.” [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledging modest achievements while staying realistic about one's limits. **In simple terms:** Honest self‑assessment of work quality. Key Takeaway Stay humble and keep improving. Themes humility self‑awareness growth Mood reflective encouraging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Performance reviews - creative projects - personal journaling Key Concepts Personal development psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance pride and humility? - What steps will you take to improve? A Different Perspective May discourage ambition if taken too literally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [False](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Respectable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-respectable-3638247/) [Illusions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusions/) [Respectable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable/) [Respectable False](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable-false-5792470/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [My work is not great, but it's respectable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/my-work-is-not-great-but-it-s-respectable/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Every art is a church without communicants, presided over by a parish of the respectable. An artist is born kneeling; he fights to stand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-calisher/every-art-is-a-church-without-communicants-presided-over-by-a-parish/) [Hortense Calisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-calisher/) > [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [I can reason down or deny everything, except this perpetual Belly: feed he must and will, and I cannot make him respectable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-can-reason-down-or-deny-everything-except-this-perpetual-belly-feed/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [People will think you're courting me.' 'Nonsense, everyone knows I don't court respectable women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/people-will-think-you-re-courting-me-nonsense-everyone-knows-i-don-t/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [The straight line, a respectable optical illusion which ruins many a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-straight-line-a-respectable-optical-illusion-which-ruins-many-a/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Thinking that being a good, decent, respectable person will mean that others will see you as weak, vulnerable, and easy to manipulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/thinking-that-being-a-good-decent-respectable-person-will-mean-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [What I need to do is have a great positive attitude and a great work ethic. Those two things validate me. Yes, it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-robinson/what-i-need-to-do-is-have-a-great-positive-attitude-and-a-great-work/) [David Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-robinson/) > [There is no road to wealth so easy and respectable as that of matrimony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/there-is-no-road-to-wealth-so-easy-and-respectable-as-that-of/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [The whole force of the respectable circles to which I belonged, that respectable circle which knew as I did notthe value of security won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-tarbell/the-whole-force-of-the-respectable-circles-to-which-i-belonged-that/) [Ida Tarbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-tarbell/) > [Since it is impossible for the people spontaneously and universally, to move in concert towards their object; and it is therefore essential, that such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/since-it-is-impossible-for-the-people-spontaneously-and-universally/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [As a social and as a personal force, religion has become a dependent variable. It does not originate; it reacts. It does not denounce;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/as-a-social-and-as-a-personal-force-religion-has-become-a-dependent/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) > [Translating is a respectable, valuable, creative and worthwhile use of a human brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bellos/translating-is-a-respectable-valuable-creative-and-worthwhile-use-of/) [David Bellos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bellos/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) ## More by Maurice Sendak > [I never thought of Bumble-Ardy in that way. But I still have that same deep feeling for children who are in dire trouble. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-never-thought-of-bumble-ardy-in-that-way-but-i-still-have-that-same/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I was a very sickly child. My parents were immigrants. They were not decorous. They were not discreet. They always thought I was gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-was-a-very-sickly-child-my-parents-were-immigrants-they-were-not/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The fan mail I get from kids are asking me questions which they do not ask their mothers and fathers. Because if they had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-fan-mail-i-get-from-kids-are-asking-me-questions-which-they-do/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [“May I ask what you have in your black leather bag with gold buckles?" "Everything." They were climbing a narrow staircase. Rhoda stopped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/may-i-ask-what-you-have-in-your-black-leather-bag-with-gold-buckles/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I grew up in a house that was in a constant state of mourning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-grew-up-in-a-house-that-was-in-a-constant-state-of-mourning/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Illustrations have as much to say as the text. The trick is to say the same thing, but in a different way. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/illustrations-have-as-much-to-say-as-the-text-the-trick-is-to-say-the/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm a lucky buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-a-lucky-buck/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I've convinced myself - I hope I'm right - that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-ve-convinced-myself-i-hope-i-m-right-that-children-despair-of-you/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It's no fun being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-s-no-fun-being-lonely/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-dawned-on-me-that-art-was-the-way-i-could-survive/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I cry a lot because I miss people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-cry-a-lot-because-i-miss-people/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [You cannot write for children They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-cannot-write-for-children-they-re-much-too-complicated-you-can/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [All I liked to do when I was a kid was draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/all-i-liked-to-do-when-i-was-a-kid-was-draw/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm still as enamored and turned on by work as I was when I was young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-still-as-enamored-and-turned-on-by-work-as-i-was-when-i-was-young/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) [Explore all 262 Maurice Sendak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## More False quotes > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [The hypocrisy and false piety of the deniers aside, the relationships of gays have no effect on heteros. Especially all the heteros who've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/the-hypocrisy-and-false-piety-of-the-deniers-aside-the-relationships/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [Diffidence is a sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/diffidence-is-a-sort-of-false-modesty/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“Don't pretend to be what you're not, instead, pretend to what you want to be, it is not pretence, it is a journey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/don-t-pretend-to-be-what-you-re-not-instead-pretend-to-what-you-want/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [If we are true to ourselves, we can not be false to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-we-are-true-to-ourselves-we-can-not-be-false-to-anyone/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [It is better to have no ideas than false ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-is-better-to-have-no-ideas-than-false-ones/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Listen! The court jester's cap and bells. The King is coming!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/listen-the-court-jester-s-cap-and-bells-the-king-is-coming/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [I'm not leading them to some false God or something like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-m-not-leading-them-to-some-false-god-or-something-like-that/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [What is true is true, and what is false is false...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-swedenborg/what-is-true-is-true-and-what-is-false-is-false/) [Emanuel Swedenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-swedenborg/) > [That preconceived notion of me being inaccurate is completely false, and I look forward to changing that over time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-allen/that-preconceived-notion-of-me-being-inaccurate-is-completely-false/) [Josh Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-allen/) > [There is no true life within a false life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-true-life-within-a-false-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [False praise is worse than no praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/false-praise-is-worse-than-no-praise/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [The word of God is complete, and those who don't preach the word in its fullness are false teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/the-word-of-god-is-complete-and-those-who-don-t-preach-the-word-in/) [Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/) > [It is therefore utterly false to say that Marx revokes the law of value as far as individual commodities are concerned, and maintains it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-hiferding/it-is-therefore-utterly-false-to-say-that-marx-revokes-the-law-of/) [Rudolf Hiferding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-hiferding/) > [I could not tell Himmler everything because he was too false and two-faced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schellenberg/i-could-not-tell-himmler-everything-because-he-was-too-false-and-two/) [Walter Schellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schellenberg/) [Browse all 515 False quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My work is not great, but it's respectable. 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