--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Near my desk, I keep a large plastic…" description: "\"Near my desk, I keep a large plastic carton filled with fresh notebooks and stationery of various kinds, sizes, and qualities.\" — Michael Dirda" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/michael-dirda-3414_desk_near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-cart_798393.png" --- # Near my desk, I keep a large plastic carton filled with… ![“Near my desk, I keep a large plastic carton filled with fresh notebooks and stationery of various kinds, sizes, and qualities.” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/michael-dirda-3414_desk_near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-cart_798393.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/michael-dirda-3414_desk_near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-cart_798393.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/michael-dirda-3414_desk_near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-cart_798393.png) > “Near my desk, I keep a large plastic carton filled with fresh notebooks and stationery of various kinds, sizes, and qualities.” [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## 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 habit of keeping diverse stationery for inspiration. **In simple terms:** Having varied tools sparks creativity. Key Takeaway Maintain a well‑stocked workspace. Themes creativity organization inspiration Mood thoughtful productive Type practical reflective When to use this quote - writing - art projects - studying Key Concepts habit formation environment design Questions to Reflect On - Which items most boost your focus? - How does variety affect your workflow? A Different Perspective Too many options can cause indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carton Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carton-filled-6117820/) [Desk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Fresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh/) [Fresh Notebooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-notebooks-2315814/) [Keep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep/) [Notebooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebooks/) [Notebooks Stationery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebooks-stationery-6117818/) [Plastic Carton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plastic-carton-6117819/) [Qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualities/) ## Related quotes > [I have a penchant for fresh notebooks and mechanical pencils. It seems every time I go to the store, I buy a new notebook.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/i-have-a-penchant-for-fresh-notebooks-and-mechanical-pencils-it-seems/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [When you write non-fiction, you sit down at your desk with a pile of notebooks, newspaper clippings, and books and you research and put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-di-giovanni/when-you-write-non-fiction-you-sit-down-at-your-desk-with-a-pile-of/) [Janine di Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-di-giovanni/) > [I always have Moleskine notebooks on my desk. I am a big journaler. Every day I write down where I went, who I spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/i-always-have-moleskine-notebooks-on-my-desk-i-am-a-big-journaler/) [Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/) > [I've been slightly obsessed with paper and notebooks. Among my most precious possessions is a small light-blue, breviary-sized volume - four-and-a-half inches wide, seven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-ve-been-slightly-obsessed-with-paper-and-notebooks-among-my-most/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [When I knew what I had to do / I took all my notebooks, all my manuscripts / and ate them page by page…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-blackman/when-i-knew-what-i-had-to-do-i-took-all-my-notebooks-all-my/) [Nicole Blackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-blackman/) > [“scrolls, notebooks, tablet computers, daggers, and a large bowl filled with jelly beans,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/scrolls-notebooks-tablet-computers-daggers-and-a-large-bowl-filled/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt that my daughter ever will, for she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/although-i-have-felt-compelled-to-write-things-down-since-i-was-five/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I carry a small spiral notebook with me at all times and have been doing this for many years. There's a shoe box in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-carry-a-small-spiral-notebook-with-me-at-all-times-and-have-been/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [Now I have notebooks that are filled up, mostly with Doom Patrol, but also angry letters to myself mixed in with the comic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/now-i-have-notebooks-that-are-filled-up-mostly-with-doom-patrol-but/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [Where past generations had film cameras, scrapbooks, notebooks, and that part of the brain which stores memories, we now have a smartphone app for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/where-past-generations-had-film-cameras-scrapbooks-notebooks-and-that/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [Gaming notebooks aren't that abundant. Not that many gamers are able to play on notebooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/gaming-notebooks-aren-t-that-abundant-not-that-many-gamers-are-able/) [Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/) > [I don't carry notebooks and I don't consciously store ideas. I try not to think that I am a writer and I am pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-don-t-carry-notebooks-and-i-don-t-consciously-store-ideas-i-try-not/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [My little notebooks were beginnings - they were the ground into which I dropped the seed... I would work in this way when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/my-little-notebooks-were-beginnings-they-were-the-ground-into-which-i/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [All my notebooks would be filled with lyrics instead of actual notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koffee/all-my-notebooks-would-be-filled-with-lyrics-instead-of-actual-notes/) [Koffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koffee/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) ## More by Michael Dirda > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I sometimes lie awake at night and try to imagine what would be the best period in history to spend one's seventy-odd years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-sometimes-lie-awake-at-night-and-try-to-imagine-what-would-be-the/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [To my mind, 'Dear Brutus' stands halfway between Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 'Into the Woods'. Like them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/to-my-mind-dear-brutus-stands-halfway-between-shakespeare-s-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [The goal of a just society should be to provide satisfying work with a living wage to all its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/the-goal-of-a-just-society-should-be-to-provide-satisfying-work-with/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Most lyric poetry is about love, whether yearned after, fulfilled, or wistfully regretted; what isn't tends to consist of laments and cris du coeur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/most-lyric-poetry-is-about-love-whether-yearned-after-fulfilled-or/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [“Books, by their very nature and variety, help us grow in empathy for others, in tolerance and awareness. But they should increase our skepticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/books-by-their-very-nature-and-variety-help-us-grow-in-empathy-for/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My gift, if that's not too grandiose a term, is one for describing novels, biographies, and works of history in such a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-gift-if-that-s-not-too-grandiose-a-term-is-one-for-describing/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Once we know the plot and its surprises, we can appreciate a book's artistry without the usual confusion and sap flow of emotion, content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/once-we-know-the-plot-and-its-surprises-we-can-appreciate-a-book-s/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My wife tells me I should check out 'Downton Abbey', but I gather that series might be almost too intense for my temperate nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-wife-tells-me-i-should-check-out-downton-abbey-but-i-gather-that/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [A reviewer's lot is not always an easy one. I can remember flogging myself to finish Harold Brodkey's 'The Runaway Soul' despite the novel's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/a-reviewer-s-lot-is-not-always-an-easy-one-i-can-remember-flogging/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I once read that in vaudeville, it was often the straight guy who got paid more than the comic because that's the tougher job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-once-read-that-in-vaudeville-it-was-often-the-straight-guy-who-got/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the December issue of almost any general-interest magazine regularly featured a holiday horror or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/from-the-late-19th-to-the-early-20th-century-the-december-issue-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Neither my mom nor my dad ever bought me any comic books. Certainly not for Christmas. I suspect that doing so would have violated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/neither-my-mom-nor-my-dad-ever-bought-me-any-comic-books-certainly/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [For me, the two weeks between Christmas and Twelfth Night have come to be reserved for desultory reading. The pressure of the holiday is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/for-me-the-two-weeks-between-christmas-and-twelfth-night-have-come-to/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I've always liked an easygoing, colloquial style. I like the kind of reviewer who is essentially a fellow reader, an enthusiast, a fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-ve-always-liked-an-easygoing-colloquial-style-i-like-the-kind-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) [Explore all 131 Michael Dirda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## More Desk quotes > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [I write at a desk. I have a room of my own where I can have my computer. I write in there, usually directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-write-at-a-desk-i-have-a-room-of-my-own-where-i-can-have-my/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [When somebody was looking in my locker, it was like going in my desk. Somebody happened to be looking in my locker when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bonilla/when-somebody-was-looking-in-my-locker-it-was-like-going-in-my-desk/) [Bobby Bonilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bonilla/) > [When you hear of somebody named Goldberg, you think of a guy sitting behind a desk investing your money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-goldberg/when-you-hear-of-somebody-named-goldberg-you-think-of-a-guy-sitting/) [Bill Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-goldberg/) > [I didn't want to spend my life behind a desk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gilpin/i-didn-t-want-to-spend-my-life-behind-a-desk/) [John Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gilpin/) > [I've always had a picture of the White House and it would always sit right in front of my desk. Whenever I was having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-grisham/i-ve-always-had-a-picture-of-the-white-house-and-it-would-always-sit/) [Stephanie Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-grisham/) > [A handwritten Declaration of Independence was on my bedroom wall and the Founding Fathers were above my desk in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/a-handwritten-declaration-of-independence-was-on-my-bedroom-wall-and/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [“I’d much rather watch people do what they do than talk to them across a desk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/i-d-much-rather-watch-people-do-what-they-do-than-talk-to-them-across/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“At least the tears on my desk wipe away the dust that's covered this place”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-boddie/at-least-the-tears-on-my-desk-wipe-away-the-dust-that-s-covered-this/) [Andrew Boddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-boddie/) > [If I still had my legs, I would be in line for a battalion command, and instead, I'm flying a desk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/if-i-still-had-my-legs-i-would-be-in-line-for-a-battalion-command-and/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [We are able to use technology to make it clear that someone's car is available or a room in a home is accessible; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gansky/we-are-able-to-use-technology-to-make-it-clear-that-someone-s-car-is/) [Lisa Gansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gansky/) > [I can only write new words at my desk, the one I've owned for 25 years. When we moved to our new house I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-berry/i-can-only-write-new-words-at-my-desk-the-one-i-ve-owned-for-25-years/) [Steve Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-berry/) > [Most people dream a dream when they are asleep. But to be a writer, you have to dream while you are awake, intentionally. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/most-people-dream-a-dream-when-they-are-asleep-but-to-be-a-writer-you/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you look at my desk... it's profoundly disorganised - which is why I can work on search.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-rasmussen/if-you-look-at-my-desk-it-s-profoundly-disorganised-which-is-why-i/) [Lars Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-rasmussen/) [Browse all 258 Desk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Near my desk, I keep a large plastic carton filled with fresh notebooks and stationery of various kinds, sizes, and qualities.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Dirda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-carton-filled-with-fresh/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desk" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-carton-filled-with-fresh/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/michael-dirda-3414_desk_near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-cart_798393.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/michael-dirda-3414_desk_near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-cart_798393.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/michael-dirda-3414_desk_near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-cart_798393.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Near my desk, I keep a large plastic carton filled with fresh notebooks and stationery of various kinds…” — Michael Dirda", "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": "Michael Dirda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Near my desk, I keep a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-carton-filled-with-fresh/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/near-my-desk-i-keep-a-large-plastic-carton-filled-with-fresh/#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 } } ] } ```