--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've gone more than 40 years without…" description: "\"I've gone more than 40 years without having to use an alarm clock or go to an office. At this point, I don't think I'd be capable of not writing. I don..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/nick-tosches-17928_alarm-clock_i-ve-gone-more-than-40-years-without-hav_1935968.jpg" --- # I've gone more than 40 years without having to use an… ![“I've gone more than 40 years without having to use an alarm clock or go to an office. At this point, I don't think I'd be capable of not writing. I don't think I could deprive myself of that sky. It would be like putting an animal in a cage.” quote by Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/nick-tosches-17928_alarm-clock_i-ve-gone-more-than-40-years-without-hav_1935968.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/nick-tosches-17928_alarm-clock_i-ve-gone-more-than-40-years-without-hav_1935968.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/nick-tosches-17928_alarm-clock_i-ve-gone-more-than-40-years-without-hav_1935968.jpg) > “I've gone more than 40 years without having to use an alarm clock or go to an office. At this point, I don't think I'd be capable of not writing. I don't think I could deprive myself of that sky. It would be like putting an animal in a cage.” [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He values freedom from conventional schedules, equating constraints to caging an animal. **In simple terms:** He loves unrestricted creative work. Key Takeaway Protect your creative autonomy. Themes freedom creativity independence Mood reflective content Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing - remote work - lifestyle design Key Concepts self‑direction work‑life balance Questions to Reflect On - What structures support your creativity? - How do you avoid isolation? A Different Perspective Not everyone thrives without structure; discipline still matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [People went to bed when the sun went down and they woke up when the sun came up. That's what our bodies are naturally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/people-went-to-bed-when-the-sun-went-down-and-they-woke-up-when-the/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [I just tell myself I gotta get up at 8 A.M. I don't even use an alarm clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-civil/i-just-tell-myself-i-gotta-get-up-at-8-a-m-i-don-t-even-use-an-alarm/) [Karen Civil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-civil/) > [“The fact that many early types actually use an alarm clock (despite always waking up before it rings) must lie in some unfounded paranoia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/till-roenneberg/the-fact-that-many-early-types-actually-use-an-alarm-clock-despite/) [Till Roenneberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/till-roenneberg/) > [I can't write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-t-write-the-book-i-want-to-write-but-i-can-and-will-write-the/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [We must be capable of writing our own history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithy-panh/we-must-be-capable-of-writing-our-own-history/) [Rithy Panh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithy-panh/) > [I don't use an alarm, though sometimes Alexa wakes me, especially if I have to get up at a certain time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/i-don-t-use-an-alarm-though-sometimes-alexa-wakes-me-especially-if-i/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [I don't use an alarm. I wake up naturally at 7 A.M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baiju-bhatt/i-don-t-use-an-alarm-i-wake-up-naturally-at-7-a-m/) [Baiju Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baiju-bhatt/) > [Writers know that sometimes things are there in the drawer for decades before they finally come out and you are capable of writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/writers-know-that-sometimes-things-are-there-in-the-drawer-for/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [“I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-t-write-the-book-i-want-to-write-but-i-can-and-will-write-the-2/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [I think that's the great thing for us - we're a band full of songwriters, and we're capable of writing all kinds of songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-ramsey/i-think-that-s-the-great-thing-for-us-we-re-a-band-full-of/) [Matthew Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-ramsey/) > [“He would like to be capable of writing as he thinks, quickly, without effort, the word as agile and dynamic as athletes in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-bologna/he-would-like-to-be-capable-of-writing-as-he-thinks-quickly-without/) [Filippo Bologna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-bologna/) > [The more you write, the more you're capable of writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-more-you-write-the-more-you-re-capable-of-writing/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [We are innately creative beings capable of writing a love story worth living, and we cannot afford to miss out on the opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/we-are-innately-creative-beings-capable-of-writing-a-love-story-worth/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [We've already seen digital picture frames pre-loaded with viruses; I'm not eager to have my refrigerator hacked or my alarm clock turned against me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/we-ve-already-seen-digital-picture-frames-pre-loaded-with-viruses-i-m/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [Here in the UK the audience immediately reacts and they get the fact that: "What would be the most annoying thing in the world?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/here-in-the-uk-the-audience-immediately-reacts-and-they-get-the-fact/) [Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/) ## More by Nick Tosches > [Mortality applies to every aspect of life. The fear of death is the driving fear of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/mortality-applies-to-every-aspect-of-life-the-fear-of-death-is-the/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [They say nobody has the attention span to read great books early in life. If I start to read something good, I'll look and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/they-say-nobody-has-the-attention-span-to-read-great-books-early-in/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [Steiner has here transformed the vaporous conceptions of his life, the vapors of what never was and never will be, from their aeriform state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/steiner-has-here-transformed-the-vaporous-conceptions-of-his-life-the/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [The older you get, the more you live with ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/the-older-you-get-the-more-you-live-with-ghosts/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [You're never gonna outwrite the movement of the white clouds and the blue sky. You're never going to. There are times when I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/you-re-never-gonna-outwrite-the-movement-of-the-white-clouds-and-the/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [Johnny Depp is, to me, a rare kindred spirit with like sensibilities, who has escaped the beast. He's probably one of the few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/johnny-depp-is-to-me-a-rare-kindred-spirit-with-like-sensibilities/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [“I believe in the power of origins, a belief that, as Ecclesiastes put it, 'that wich is done is that wich shall be done:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/i-believe-in-the-power-of-origins-a-belief-that-as-ecclesiastes-put/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [The appeal for drugs has dwindled. Except for actual opium. If I could get real opium, I'd stir it in my hot coffee every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/the-appeal-for-drugs-has-dwindled-except-for-actual-opium-if-i-could/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [My father, God bless him, thought it was such an impossible desire to be able to make a living the way I do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/my-father-god-bless-him-thought-it-was-such-an-impossible-desire-to/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [The things I wanted to be when I was a kid were an archeologist, because of dinosaur bones; a garbage man, because they got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/the-things-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-was-a-kid-were-an-archeologist/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [As a young man, I felt a need to communicate with somebody or something, but it seemed in my own particular environment that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/as-a-young-man-i-felt-a-need-to-communicate-with-somebody-or/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [I wanted to just get a job so I could have enough money for my own apartment and be able to get drunk. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/i-wanted-to-just-get-a-job-so-i-could-have-enough-money-for-my-own/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [“And, of course, that is what all of this is - all of this: the one song, ever changing, ever reincarnated, that speaks somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/and-of-course-that-is-what-all-of-this-is-all-of-this-the-one-song/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [You got guys that are so old, you see them eating lunch, the drool's just coming from their mouth, and they're sending around memos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/you-got-guys-that-are-so-old-you-see-them-eating-lunch-the-drool-s/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [I don't have a college degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/i-don-t-have-a-college-degree/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) [Explore all 36 Nick Tosches quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) ## More Alarm clock quotes > [“answer. Donald’s dysfunctional belief was related to Janine’s, but he’d held on to it for much longer—a life of responsible and successful work should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/answer-donald-s-dysfunctional-belief-was-related-to-janine-s-but-he-d/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [My phone is an alarm clock, a flashlight, a music player and a digital camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-phone-is-an-alarm-clock-a-flashlight-a-music-player-and-a-digital/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Something, which the police called a bomb, had exploded in his shed. Investigations were begun, and the efforts of the authorities were soon to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-von-salomon/something-which-the-police-called-a-bomb-had-exploded-in-his-shed/) Ernst von Salomon > [Here in the UK the audience immediately reacts and they get the fact that: "What would be the most annoying thing in the world?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/here-in-the-uk-the-audience-immediately-reacts-and-they-get-the-fact/) [Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/) > [We've already seen digital picture frames pre-loaded with viruses; I'm not eager to have my refrigerator hacked or my alarm clock turned against me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/we-ve-already-seen-digital-picture-frames-pre-loaded-with-viruses-i-m/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [The beloved may be treacherous, greasy-headed and given to evil habits, or else it can be a man in his late forties who works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/the-beloved-may-be-treacherous-greasy-headed-and-given-to-evil-habits/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [“I have a dream. And in this dream I’m under the covers in bed, just a few scant inches away from Carter’s body. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-sivec/i-have-a-dream-and-in-this-dream-i-m-under-the-covers-in-bed-just-a/) [Tara Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-sivec/) > [“Men know what they want. Men make concrete plans. Men own alarm clocks. Men sleep on a mattress that isn’t on the floor. Men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/men-know-what-they-want-men-make-concrete-plans-men-own-alarm-clocks/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [Sleeping is my drug, my bed is the dealer, and my alarm clock is the police..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-sakundiak/sleeping-is-my-drug-my-bed-is-the-dealer-and-my-alarm-clock-is-the/) [Mitchell Sakundiak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-sakundiak/) > [“Tip #2: No more alarm clocks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-helen-conroy/tip-2-no-more-alarm-clocks/) Mary Helen Conroy > [“(On differences between men and boys) Men know what they want. Men make concrete plans. Men own alarm clocks. Men sleep on a mattress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/on-differences-between-men-and-boys-men-know-what-they-want-men-make/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [As a performer, I wanted to be the loudest, most persistent alarm clock I could be, because there didn’t seem like any other way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/as-a-performer-i-wanted-to-be-the-loudest-most-persistent-alarm-clock/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [Stress is an alarm clock that lets you know you're attached to something not true for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/stress-is-an-alarm-clock-that-lets-you-know-you-re-attached-to/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [“You know the horrible life of the alarm clock – it’s a monster that has always appalled me because of the number of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-vache/you-know-the-horrible-life-of-the-alarm-clock-it-s-a-monster-that-has/) Jacques Vache > [I could barely function as an adult; I slept through alarm clocks and lost train tickets mid-journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-pascoe/i-could-barely-function-as-an-adult-i-slept-through-alarm-clocks-and/) [Sara Pascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-pascoe/) Browse all 255 Alarm clock quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've gone more than 40 years without having to use an alarm clock or go to an office. 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