--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We wait for the tortoises to come. We…" description: "\"We wait for the tortoises to come. We wait for that lady who walks them. That’s how art works. It’s never a jackrabbit, or a racehorse. It’s the tortoi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/pat-conroy-768_art_we-wait-for-the-tortoises-to-come-we-wai_170818.jpg" --- # We wait for the tortoises to come. We wait for that lady… ![“We wait for the tortoises to come. We wait for that lady who walks them. That’s how art works. It’s never a jackrabbit, or a racehorse. It’s the tortoises that hold all the secrets. We’ve got to be patient enough to wait for them.” quote by Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/pat-conroy-768_art_we-wait-for-the-tortoises-to-come-we-wai_170818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/pat-conroy-768_art_we-wait-for-the-tortoises-to-come-we-wai_170818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/pat-conroy-768_art_we-wait-for-the-tortoises-to-come-we-wai_170818.jpg) > “We wait for the tortoises to come. We wait for that lady who walks them. That’s how art works. It’s never a jackrabbit, or a racehorse. It’s the tortoises that hold all the secrets. We’ve got to be patient enough to wait for them.” [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art requires patience, waiting for slow, deliberate processes that reveal deeper truths, unlike quick, flashy results. **In simple terms:** Patience reveals deeper truths in art. Key Takeaway Cultivate patience in creative work. Themes art patience process truth slow deliberation Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - learning a skill - research Key Concepts creative process mindfulness deliberate practice Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance patience with timely action? - What slow processes have taught you the most? A Different Perspective Patience may delay gratification and risk missing timely opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-work/) [Racehorses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racehorses/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [“That's what writers do, Conroy, we wait for the tortoises to come. We wait for that lady who walks them. That's how art works.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-s-what-writers-do-conroy-we-wait-for-the-tortoises-to-come-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragoon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-personally-would-like-to-bring-a-tortoise-onto-the-stage-turn-it/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [I'm not in a contest. I make movies. I'm not a racehorse...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/i-m-not-in-a-contest-i-make-movies-i-m-not-a-racehorse/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [I felt like a racehorse in a world without racetracks or a champion college footballer suddenly confronted by Wall Street and a business suit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-felt-like-a-racehorse-in-a-world-without-racetracks-or-a-champion/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [My family's been in show business since the 1700s. I traced them. I'm bred to this. Like a racehorse. A thoroughbred. Look at my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-minnelli/my-family-s-been-in-show-business-since-the-1700s-i-traced-them-i-m/) [Liza Minnelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-minnelli/) > [What a pity people don't take as much trouble with their own breeding as intelligent racehorse owners do. But then I suppose it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/what-a-pity-people-don-t-take-as-much-trouble-with-their-own-breeding/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [There may have been disillusionments in the lives of the medieval saints, but they would scarcely have been better pleased if they could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/there-may-have-been-disillusionments-in-the-lives-of-the-medieval/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [A good actor is like a racehorse or a Ferrari. If a cylinder is missing on a Chevy, it's doesn't matter that much. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/a-good-actor-is-like-a-racehorse-or-a-ferrari-if-a-cylinder-is/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I felt like a racehorse in a world without racetracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-felt-like-a-racehorse-in-a-world-without-racetracks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every man in the back of their minds would like to own a bar or a racehorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/every-man-in-the-back-of-their-minds-would-like-to-own-a-bar-or-a/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [The short amount of time I'm out on the runway is like going on a rollercoaster. It's such a happy, exciting feeling. I'm more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-heatherton/the-short-amount-of-time-i-m-out-on-the-runway-is-like-going-on-a/) [Erin Heatherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-heatherton/) > [A racehorse that consistently runs just a second faster than another horse is worth millions of dollars more. Be willing to give that extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/a-racehorse-that-consistently-runs-just-a-second-faster-than-another/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [You can't make a racehorse out of a pig. But if you work hard enough at it you can make a mighty fast pig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-akin/you-can-t-make-a-racehorse-out-of-a-pig-but-if-you-work-hard-enough/) Bob Akin > [I'm a racehorse fanatic rather than a football fanatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcmanaman/i-m-a-racehorse-fanatic-rather-than-a-football-fanatic/) Steve McManaman > [“The old Wall Street adage "never invest in anything that eats or needs repairs" may apply to racehorses, but it's malarkey when it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/the-old-wall-street-adage-never-invest-in-anything-that-eats-or-needs/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) ## More by Pat Conroy > [A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/a-recipe-is-a-story-that-ends-with-a-good-meal/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Except for memory, time would have no meaning at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/except-for-memory-time-would-have-no-meaning-at-all/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [It's an article of faith that the novels I've loved will live inside me forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/it-s-an-article-of-faith-that-the-novels-i-ve-loved-will-live-inside/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“my folks wouldn't read a book if you put a gun to their dicks. but they read people all day long and always get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-folks-wouldn-t-read-a-book-if-you-put-a-gun-to-their-dicks-but/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Cameras are a lifesaver for very shy people who have nowhere else to hide. Behind a lens they can disguise the fact that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/cameras-are-a-lifesaver-for-very-shy-people-who-have-nowhere-else-to/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Carolina beach music," Dupree said, coming up on the porch. "The holiest sound on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/carolina-beach-music-dupree-said-coming-up-on-the-porch-the-holiest/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“My memory often seems like a city of exiled poets afire with the astonishment of language, each believing in the integrity of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-memory-often-seems-like-a-city-of-exiled-poets-afire-with-the/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“We began our life together at a moment of natural self-pity and defeat that left an inimitable impression on both of us. The rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/we-began-our-life-together-at-a-moment-of-natural-self-pity-and/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“I always liked your piety, Jack.” “I’m a lot cuter than the women of your generation,” Betsy said, playing up to Capers and Mike.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-always-liked-your-piety-jack-i-m-a-lot-cuter-than-the-women-of-your/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“From the beginning I've searched out those writers unafraid to stir up the emotions, who entrust me with their darkest passions, their most indestructible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/from-the-beginning-i-ve-searched-out-those-writers-unafraid-to-stir/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“My mother's voice and my father's fists are two bookends of my childhood, and they form the basis of my art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-mother-s-voice-and-my-father-s-fists-are-two-bookends-of-my/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“Over the years, my church gave me passage into a menagerie of exotic words unknown in the South: "introit," "offertory," "liturgy," "movable feast," "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/over-the-years-my-church-gave-me-passage-into-a-menagerie-of-exotic/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“I have built a city from the books I've read. A good book sings a a timeless music that is heard in the choir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-have-built-a-city-from-the-books-i-ve-read-a-good-book-sings-a-a/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“Time moves funny and it's hard to pin down. Occasionally, time offers you a hundred opportunities to do the right thing. Sometimes, it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/time-moves-funny-and-it-s-hard-to-pin-down-occasionally-time-offers/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“I take it as an article of faith that the novels I've loved will live inside me forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-take-it-as-an-article-of-faith-that-the-novels-i-ve-loved-will-live/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) [Explore all 371 Pat Conroy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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