--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've tried to be totally present, so that…" description: "\"I've tried to be totally present, so that when I'm finished with a piece of work, I'm finished. ... The work, once completed, does not need me. The wor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/maya-angelou-104_concentration_i-ve-tried-to-be-totally-present-so-that_1106118.jpg" --- # I've tried to be totally present, so that when I'm… ![“I've tried to be totally present, so that when I'm finished with a piece of work, I'm finished. ... The work, once completed, does not need me. The work I'm working on needs my total concentration. The one that's finished doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs to itself.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/maya-angelou-104_concentration_i-ve-tried-to-be-totally-present-so-that_1106118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/maya-angelou-104_concentration_i-ve-tried-to-be-totally-present-so-that_1106118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/maya-angelou-104_concentration_i-ve-tried-to-be-totally-present-so-that_1106118.jpg) > “I've tried to be totally present, so that when I'm finished with a piece of work, I'm finished. ... The work, once completed, does not need me. The work I'm working on needs my total concentration. The one that's finished doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs to itself.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes total immersion in current work, letting completed projects exist independently, and giving full attention to the present task. **In simple terms:** Give your full focus to what you’re doing now; let finished work stand on its own. Key Takeaway Be fully present in each task. Themes focus mindfulness creativity productivity presence Mood inspirational calm Type motivational mindful When to use this quote - writing - painting - project management - meditation - performance Key Concepts flow state attachment theory creative ownership Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice detachment from completed projects? - What techniques help maintain total concentration? A Different Perspective May be unrealistic for people who struggle with letting go of past work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Concentration Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-finished-2923474/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-work/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Present Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-finished-1175673/) [Totally Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totally-present-1658467/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-finished-478998/) ## Related quotes > [I remember so well my father's complete concentration when he went to the studio. Everything he did, every movement he made, he did with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-picasso/i-remember-so-well-my-father-s-complete-concentration-when-he-went-to/) [Claude Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-picasso/) > [“Only Jesus’ work is a finished work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/only-jesus-work-is-a-finished-work/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [“If she finished her work—hah, now there was a fantasy, this work would never be finished, only abandoned, or, all right, passed on—she might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/if-she-finished-her-work-hah-now-there-was-a-fantasy-this-work-would/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Is my function to reach zero and leave nothing in the way of obstructing truth? Or to tender what’s still shapeless? The baggy fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/durga-chew-bose/is-my-function-to-reach-zero-and-leave-nothing-in-the-way-of/) [Durga Chew-Bose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/durga-chew-bose/) > [Every day I awaken I am grateful. My intent is to be totally present in that day. And laugh as much as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-day-i-awaken-i-am-grateful-my-intent-is-to-be-totally-present/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When the mind is totally present, it is relaxed, nimble, and sensitive. It feels lighter and clearer. It notices everything, but it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/when-the-mind-is-totally-present-it-is-relaxed-nimble-and-sensitive/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Whatever you're doing, you have to do it 100 percent; you have to be totally present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-sudol/whatever-you-re-doing-you-have-to-do-it-100-percent-you-have-to-be/) [Alison Sudol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-sudol/) > [Being completely and totally present and at every single point of space and time, It is fully and completely present here and now, thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/being-completely-and-totally-present-and-at-every-single-point-of/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [The greatest privilege of childhood is to live totally in the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-privilege-of-childhood-is-to-live-totally-in-the-present/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Totally present in this moment for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/totally-present-in-this-moment-for-you/) [Truth Devour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truth-devour/) > [To voice something you're feeling and put observations into words with another person who is totally present is a creative act embodying soul and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shinoda-bolen/to-voice-something-you-re-feeling-and-put-observations-into-words/) [Jean Shinoda Bolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shinoda-bolen/) > [When I do the permanent projects or the big projects, when a work is finished, that's the beginning of its life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/when-i-do-the-permanent-projects-or-the-big-projects-when-a-work-is/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [“A work is finished when we can no longer improve it, though we know it to be inadequate and incomplete. We are so overtaxed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/a-work-is-finished-when-we-can-no-longer-improve-it-though-we-know-it/) [Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/) > [The fact is I am growing old too fast, alas! I feel it, and yet work I will, and may God grant me life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/the-fact-is-i-am-growing-old-too-fast-alas-i-feel-it-and-yet-work-i/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [“Is your work finished or is it just due?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/is-your-work-finished-or-is-it-just-due/) [Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Concentration quotes > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [It is a good practice to write at least on page of mantra daily. Many people get better concentration by writing than by chanting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/it-is-a-good-practice-to-write-at-least-on-page-of-mantra-daily-many/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [“Exceptional work is always associated with periods of deep concentration. Nothing excellent ever comes from a scattered effort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-horsley/exceptional-work-is-always-associated-with-periods-of-deep/) [Kevin Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-horsley/) > [Mental attitude and concentration are the keys to pitching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferguson-jenkins/mental-attitude-and-concentration-are-the-keys-to-pitching/) [Ferguson Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferguson-jenkins/) > [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I can let go of a lot of stuff, but I focus on things I think I should, like dancing, because it takes 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuan-yuan-tan/i-can-let-go-of-a-lot-of-stuff-but-i-focus-on-things-i-think-i-should/) [Yuan Yuan Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuan-yuan-tan/) > [“Apply the blacksmith's homely principle when you are speaking. If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/apply-the-blacksmith-s-homely-principle-when-you-are-speaking-if-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Mindfulness develops attention, concentration and the ability to simply be present with little or no future orientation, past orientation or goal orientation—choosing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gawler/mindfulness-develops-attention-concentration-and-the-ability-to/) [Ian Gawler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gawler/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [... programming requires more concentration than other activities. It's the reason programmers get upset about 'quick interruptions' - such interruptions are tantamount to asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcconnell/programming-requires-more-concentration-than-other-activities-it-s/) [Steve McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mcconnell/) > [Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/any-piece-of-knowledge-which-the-pupil-has-himself-acquired-any/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Our mind is a flowing something. It oscillates. Concentration is merely the continuous return to the same problem from a million angles… So my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-laubach/our-mind-is-a-flowing-something-it-oscillates-concentration-is-merely/) [Frank Laubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-laubach/) [Browse all 1,154 Concentration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've tried to be totally present, so that when I'm finished with a piece of work, I'm finished. ... The work, once completed, does not need me. The work I'm working on needs my total concentration. The one that's finished doesn't belong to me anymore. 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