--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With any job, there’s some creative work…" description: "\"“With any job, there’s some creative work that needs to be done—new technology to be developed or whatever. Everything else—ninety-nine percent of it—i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/neal-stephenson-362_creative-work_with-any-job-there-s-some-creative-work_2653229.png" --- # With any job, there’s some creative work that needs to be… ![“With any job, there’s some creative work that needs to be done—new technology to be developed or whatever. Everything else—ninety-nine percent of it—is making deals, raising capital, going to meetings, marketing and sales. We call that stuff making license plates.” quote by Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/neal-stephenson-362_creative-work_with-any-job-there-s-some-creative-work_2653229.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/neal-stephenson-362_creative-work_with-any-job-there-s-some-creative-work_2653229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/neal-stephenson-362_creative-work_with-any-job-there-s-some-creative-work_2653229.png) > ““With any job, there’s some creative work that needs to be done—new technology to be developed or whatever. Everything else—ninety-nine percent of it—is making deals, raising capital, going to meetings, marketing and sales. We call that stuff making license plates.”” [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most work in tech jobs is routine business tasks, while only a tiny fraction involves genuine creativity or innovation. **In simple terms:** Creative work is rare; most tasks are administrative. Key Takeaway Focus on the creative portion and streamline the rest. Themes work creativity business technology productivity Mood reflective analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - startup meetings - product development - sales pitches - marketing campaigns Key Concepts Opportunity cost creative scarcity process optimization Questions to Reflect On - How can companies restructure to increase creative output? - What tasks could be automated to free up time for innovation? A Different Perspective Creative breakthroughs are limited by organizational structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-work/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Marketing and sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing-and-sales/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Obviously, I'm not behind the bar like I used to be. 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It’s about putting yourself out in front of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-port/marketing-and-sales-isn-t-about-trying-to-persuade-coerce-or/) [Michael Port](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-port/) > [Content is fire. Social media is gasoline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kahn/content-is-fire-social-media-is-gasoline/) Ryan Kahn > [Switching license plates espace from state to state. I want my own talk show, Ricki Lake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/switching-license-plates-espace-from-state-to-state-i-want-my-own/) [Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/) > [Didn't the people who made those license plates care about little girls named Ramona?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/didn-t-the-people-who-made-those-license-plates-care-about-little/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [“You know, the most amazing thing happened to me tonight... I saw a car with the license plate ARW 357. Can you imagine? Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/you-know-the-most-amazing-thing-happened-to-me-tonight-i-saw-a-car/) [Richard P. 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I ended up pursuing marketing and sales…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-fils-aime/i-was-accepted-into-cornell-in-1979-and-went-there-to-follow-a/) [Reggie Fils-Aime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-fils-aime/) ## More by Neal Stephenson > [“I study dead languages for a living,” I said. “That’s why you hired me. Why should I be up to speed on your line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/i-study-dead-languages-for-a-living-i-said-that-s-why-you-hired-me/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America - other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/other-people-store-clerks-burger-flippers-software-engineers-the/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“It is what you don’t expect,” he’d said, “that most needs looking for.” “Do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/it-is-what-you-don-t-expect-he-d-said-that-most-needs-looking-for-do/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“...the insects here see you as a big slab of animated but not very well defended food. The ability to move, far from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-insects-here-see-you-as-a-big-slab-of-animated-but-not-very-well/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“There was no way that these guys were going to let a bleeding, barefoot woman simply wander off alone into the streets. Two of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/there-was-no-way-that-these-guys-were-going-to-let-a-bleeding/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Space and Time! Two minor omissions that no one is likely to notice," grumbled Newton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/space-and-time-two-minor-omissions-that-no-one-is-likely-to-notice/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to catch a ride, you can go places,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/see-the-world-is-full-of-things-more-powerful-than-us-but-if-you-know/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Hey,” Shaftoe says, “if we surrender to you, you’ll kill us. Right?” “Yes.” “If you guys surrender to us, we won’t kill you. Promise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/hey-shaftoe-says-if-we-surrender-to-you-you-ll-kill-us-right-yes-if/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“My men think you are dead now, and won’t waste balls on you,” Jack said. “In fact I have let you live, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/my-men-think-you-are-dead-now-and-won-t-waste-balls-on-you-jack-said/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“You’ve probably heard the expression that the Industry feeds off of biomass, like a whale straining krill from the ocean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/you-ve-probably-heard-the-expression-that-the-industry-feeds-off-of/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. He’s got esprit up to here. Right now, he is preparing to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-deliverator-belongs-to-an-elite-order-a-hallowed-subcategory-he-s/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“and people could only make sense of complicated matters through stories. Likewise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/and-people-could-only-make-sense-of-complicated-matters-through/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Van Eck phreaking,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/van-eck-phreaking/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/when-the-deliverator-puts-the-hammer-down-shit-happens/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) [Explore all 633 Neal Stephenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) ## More Creative work quotes > [“… ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself Ricky Nelson (Referring to creative works, not other things)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ya-can-t-please-everyone-so-ya-got-to-please-yourself-ricky-nelson/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The impresario function is about intervening with the company's more administrative management structure. It is about trying to establish a sense of boundaries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-impresario-function-is-about-intervening-with-the-company-s-more/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [As I've indicated, most books go out of print within one year. The same is true of music and film. Commercial culture is sharklike.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/as-i-ve-indicated-most-books-go-out-of-print-within-one-year-the-same/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [ If \[people\] place such things as friendship and family ties above their own productive work, yes, then they are immoral. Friendship, family life and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-people-place-such-things-as-friendship-and-family-ties-above-their/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“What we call creative work, Ought not to be called work at all because it isn't. I imagine that Thomas Edison never did a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-we-call-creative-work-ought-not-to-be-called-work-at-all-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let us guide our students over the road of discipline from materials, through function, to creative work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/let-us-guide-our-students-over-the-road-of-discipline-from-materials/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Creativity is not a solitary movement. That is its power. Whatever is touched by it, whoever hears it, sees it, senses it, knows it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/creativity-is-not-a-solitary-movement-that-is-its-power-whatever-is/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [“One thing about creative work is that it’s never done. In different words, every person we interviewed said that it was equally true that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-henry/one-thing-about-creative-work-is-that-it-s-never-done-in-different/) [Todd Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-henry/) > [I believe in creative work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-believe-in-creative-work/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [“The only legitimate basis of creative work lies in the courageous recognition of all the irreconcilable antagonisms that make our life so enigmatic, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-only-legitimate-basis-of-creative-work-lies-in-the-courageous/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [ We pride ourselves at Natrona - I mean, pride {ironically\] - on developing a noncompetitive community. That's very important. The values that can come… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/we-pride-ourselves-at-natrona-i-mean-pride-ironically-on-developing-a/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [“Most agree that a useful definition of creative work is that it includes a combination of novelty and value. Creativity requires novelty because tried-and-true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-w-flaherty/most-agree-that-a-useful-definition-of-creative-work-is-that-it/) [Alice W. Flaherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-w-flaherty/) > [At this point in my life, I like the security of a job, while still having time for my young son and to pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-noth/at-this-point-in-my-life-i-like-the-security-of-a-job-while-still/) [Chris Noth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-noth/) > [“The point of dreams was never to be the affordable option, it was the one everyone else saw as a mistake and every creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-bolinder/the-point-of-dreams-was-never-to-be-the-affordable-option-it-was-the/) Anastasia Bolinder > [I try to live right. I always try to adhere to what I think is right, and that, to me, is the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-maloof/i-try-to-live-right-i-always-try-to-adhere-to-what-i-think-is-right/) [Sam Maloof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-maloof/) [Browse all 323 Creative work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“With any job, there’s some creative work that needs to be done—new technology to be developed or whatever. Everything else—ninety-nine percent of it—is making deals, raising capital, going to meetings, marketing and sales. 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