--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I were to just focus on stand-up, I…" description: "\"If I were to just focus on stand-up, I could actually, paradoxically enough, be home way more, because I would leave on a Friday, go do a couple theate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/patton-oswalt-2795_coming-home_if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-co_162860.jpg" --- # If I were to just focus on stand-up, I could actually… ![“If I were to just focus on stand-up, I could actually, paradoxically enough, be home way more, because I would leave on a Friday, go do a couple theaters Friday, Saturday, maybe Sunday, come home.” quote by Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/patton-oswalt-2795_coming-home_if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-co_162860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/patton-oswalt-2795_coming-home_if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-co_162860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/patton-oswalt-2795_coming-home_if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-co_162860.jpg) > “If I were to just focus on stand-up, I could actually, paradoxically enough, be home way more, because I would leave on a Friday, go do a couple theaters Friday, Saturday, maybe Sunday, come home.” [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on a single craft can free up time by reducing logistical complexity and travel. **In simple terms:** Specializing can simplify your schedule. Key Takeaway Consider narrowing your focus to gain more free time. Themes productivity focus time‑management Mood pragmatic thoughtful Type advice reflective When to use this quote - stand‑up comedy - tour planning - freelance work - family time Key Concepts specialization opportunity cost work‑life balance Questions to Reflect On - Which activities give you the most fulfillment? - Can you balance focus with occasional variety? A Different Perspective Specializing may limit creative variety and income streams. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Friday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friday/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Saturday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saturday/) [Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunday/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) ## Related quotes > [Or maybe we can see a movie or maybe we can see a play on Saturday. Or maybe we can roll a tree and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/or-maybe-we-can-see-a-movie-or-maybe-we-can-see-a-play-on-saturday-or/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [Now a movie goes out to two, three thousand theaters and by Friday night at 10 o'clock they know if you are in or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rydell/now-a-movie-goes-out-to-two-three-thousand-theaters-and-by-friday/) [Mark Rydell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rydell/) > [I have my Master's Degree but I learned more at my dinner table than any class I ever took. My dad would come home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-vitale/i-have-my-master-s-degree-but-i-learned-more-at-my-dinner-table-than/) [Dick Vitale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-vitale/) > [Coming back to your calling. I can hear your voice say. Coming home for tomorrow from my dreams of yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/coming-back-to-your-calling-i-can-hear-your-voice-say-coming-home-for/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [I can see you through any darkness. Your light it leads me on. I'm coming back to your orchard. Coming back to my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/i-can-see-you-through-any-darkness-your-light-it-leads-me-on-i-m/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [“Where we sail and anchor our heart fill up the multitude odyssey paving to the coming home of our soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/where-we-sail-and-anchor-our-heart-fill-up-the-multitude-odyssey/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [I wouldn't just come home from school and watch TV everyday, they had me involved in lots of local theatre. I was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/i-wouldn-t-just-come-home-from-school-and-watch-tv-everyday-they-had/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [Seeing my children makes me come most alive. I come home and I see my kids' faces light up when they see me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/seeing-my-children-makes-me-come-most-alive-i-come-home-and-i-see-my/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [My greatest fear is coming home one day and discovering that the slim and sexy woman I married has become fat and shapeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-zee/my-greatest-fear-is-coming-home-one-day-and-discovering-that-the-slim/) [MO'Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-zee/) > [“And when I look into his eyes there’s a feeling of something I can only describe as familiarity, a sense of safety. Like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-james/and-when-i-look-into-his-eyes-there-s-a-feeling-of-something-i-can/) [Rebecca James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-james/) > [This is my idea of heaven, coming home and watching the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/this-is-my-idea-of-heaven-coming-home-and-watching-the-news/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [To be polite to everybody except the people they love most is a nervous affectation that afflicts many families ... when they come home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fishback/to-be-polite-to-everybody-except-the-people-they-love-most-is-a/) Margaret Fishback > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) ## More by Patton Oswalt > [The process is to me is going onstage night after night after night after night until I get a new hour. And then once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/the-process-is-to-me-is-going-onstage-night-after-night-after-night/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I can't say that I ever abided nerd stereotypes: I was never alone or felt outcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-can-t-say-that-i-ever-abided-nerd-stereotypes-i-was-never-alone-or/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [“If I hear the term ‘healing journey’ one more f–king time… It is not a ‘healing journey.’ It’s a ‘numb slog.’ It’s just a,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-hear-the-term-healing-journey-one-more-f-king-time-it-is-not-a/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I think I realized it was an art form at the beginning, but it took me a really long time before I was able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-think-i-realized-it-was-an-art-form-at-the-beginning-but-it-took-me/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I wish I had a really cool, esoteric answer, but what the process is to me is going onstage night after night after night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-wish-i-had-a-really-cool-esoteric-answer-but-what-the-process-is-to/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [“hobos' (a slang term that combines the words 'hope' and 'bowl of beans given to me for free by a woman who then initiated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/hobos-a-slang-term-that-combines-the-words-hope-and-bowl-of-beans/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [As much as I know people love the method and what you can draw out of yourself, a lot of acting is very imaginative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/as-much-as-i-know-people-love-the-method-and-what-you-can-draw-out-of/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [We're rewarding either the reality or the appearance of youth, which is why you have all these people in their fifties trying to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/we-re-rewarding-either-the-reality-or-the-appearance-of-youth-which/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [With a comedian, it's the opposite. You put that album out, and they've heard it. If they're coming out to see you, you'd better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/with-a-comedian-it-s-the-opposite-you-put-that-album-out-and-they-ve/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [If you actually do cold readings, it's very close to how people actually talk, because you're experiencing these thoughts anew every moment, and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-you-actually-do-cold-readings-it-s-very-close-to-how-people/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [What I was trying to say in that bit, without saying it out loud, is that there were things - you're right, everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/what-i-was-trying-to-say-in-that-bit-without-saying-it-out-loud-is/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [Is it bad when you refer to all alcohol as "Pain Go Bye-Bye Juice"?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/is-it-bad-when-you-refer-to-all-alcohol-as-pain-go-bye-bye-juice/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [It wasn't until I went to college and met different people from different areas of life - and then went to San Francisco and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/it-wasn-t-until-i-went-to-college-and-met-different-people-from/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I have a lot of friends who were stand-ups, and they just stopped after a while, because they didn't like that battle, or they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-have-a-lot-of-friends-who-were-stand-ups-and-they-just-stopped/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I have a very tiny house in Burbank. I drive an 8-year-old car. I'm gonna drive it into the ground. I enjoy what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-have-a-very-tiny-house-in-burbank-i-drive-an-8-year-old-car-i-m/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) [Explore all 150 Patton Oswalt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) ## More Coming home quotes > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [To be polite to everybody except the people they love most is a nervous affectation that afflicts many families ... when they come home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fishback/to-be-polite-to-everybody-except-the-people-they-love-most-is-a/) Margaret Fishback > [This is my idea of heaven, coming home and watching the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/this-is-my-idea-of-heaven-coming-home-and-watching-the-news/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“And when I look into his eyes there’s a feeling of something I can only describe as familiarity, a sense of safety. Like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-james/and-when-i-look-into-his-eyes-there-s-a-feeling-of-something-i-can/) [Rebecca James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-james/) > [My greatest fear is coming home one day and discovering that the slim and sexy woman I married has become fat and shapeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-zee/my-greatest-fear-is-coming-home-one-day-and-discovering-that-the-slim/) [MO'Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-zee/) > [Seeing my children makes me come most alive. I come home and I see my kids' faces light up when they see me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/seeing-my-children-makes-me-come-most-alive-i-come-home-and-i-see-my/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [I wouldn't just come home from school and watch TV everyday, they had me involved in lots of local theatre. I was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/i-wouldn-t-just-come-home-from-school-and-watch-tv-everyday-they-had/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [“Where we sail and anchor our heart fill up the multitude odyssey paving to the coming home of our soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/where-we-sail-and-anchor-our-heart-fill-up-the-multitude-odyssey/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [I can see you through any darkness. Your light it leads me on. I'm coming back to your orchard. Coming back to my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/i-can-see-you-through-any-darkness-your-light-it-leads-me-on-i-m/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [Coming back to your calling. I can hear your voice say. Coming home for tomorrow from my dreams of yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/coming-back-to-your-calling-i-can-hear-your-voice-say-coming-home-for/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [It all begins and ends in the same place, doesn't it? Conor and me in Ballyutogue. We all come home eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/it-all-begins-and-ends-in-the-same-place-doesn-t-it-conor-and-me-in/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Yes, she’s coming home for a visit. No, I will not give you a free pass. You put one finger on her, I’ll beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/yes-she-s-coming-home-for-a-visit-no-i-will-not-give-you-a-free-pass/) [nalini singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“I let it all out: the joy and the pain. The waiting and the wanting. The future and the past. We kiss for so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katia-rose/i-let-it-all-out-the-joy-and-the-pain-the-waiting-and-the-wanting-the/) Katia Rose [Browse all 1,175 Coming home quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I were to just focus on stand-up, I could actually, paradoxically enough, be home way more, because I would leave on a Friday, go do a couple theaters Friday, Saturday, maybe Sunday, come home.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patton Oswalt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-could-actually-paradoxically/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coming home" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-could-actually-paradoxically/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/patton-oswalt-2795_coming-home_if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-co_162860.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/patton-oswalt-2795_coming-home_if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-co_162860.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/patton-oswalt-2795_coming-home_if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-co_162860.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I were to just focus on stand-up, I could actually, paradoxically enough, be home way more, because I…” — Patton Oswalt", "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": "Patton Oswalt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I were to just focus...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-could-actually-paradoxically/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-could-actually-paradoxically/#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 } } ] } ```