--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The recipe for great work is: very…" description: "\"“The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it.”\" — Paul Graham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/paul-graham-7010_creation_the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacti_2630128.jpg" --- # The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus… ![“The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it.” quote by Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/paul-graham-7010_creation_the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacti_2630128.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/paul-graham-7010_creation_the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacti_2630128.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/paul-graham-7010_creation_the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacti_2630128.jpg) > ““The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it.”” [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great work requires precise standards and the willingness to satisfy them. **In simple terms:** High standards plus fulfillment. Key Takeaway Cultivate exacting taste and meet it. Themes excellence craftsmanship standards Mood determined inspired Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - product development - creative projects - personal skill building Key Concepts design quality motivation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance high standards with realistic expectations? - What compromises are acceptable in pursuit of excellence? A Different Perspective Exacting taste can lead to perfectionism and burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Gratify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratify/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [There is no recipe to be a great teacher, that's what is unique about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sternberg/there-is-no-recipe-to-be-a-great-teacher-that-s-what-is-unique-about/) [Robert Sternberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sternberg/) > [“To cut a little, to add a little; to look a little, to cook a little—here’s the recipe for a great book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-rana/to-cut-a-little-to-add-a-little-to-look-a-little-to-cook-a-little/) [Deepak Rana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-rana/) > [Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/always-do-what-is-right-it-will-gratify-half-of-mankind-and-astound/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/always-do-right-this-will-gratify-some-people-and-astonish-the-rest-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/do-the-right-thing-it-will-gratify-some-people-and-astonish-the-rest/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. - Mark Twain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-do-right-this-will-gratify-some-people-and-astonish-the-rest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Always do what's right; this will gratify some and astonish the rest”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/always-do-what-s-right-this-will-gratify-some-and-astonish-the-rest/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Doing the right thing and believing in yourself will always gratify some people and astonish the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/doing-the-right-thing-and-believing-in-yourself-will-always-gratify/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always do what's right. That will gratify some and surprise the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/always-do-what-s-right-that-will-gratify-some-and-surprise-the-rest/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you can't please yourself some of the time, how do you expect to please people all the time? Not everyone is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-please-yourself-some-of-the-time-how-do-you-expect-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A system of education, which would not gratify this disposition in any party, is requisite, in order to obviate the difficulty, and the reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lancaster/a-system-of-education-which-would-not-gratify-this-disposition-in-any/) [Joseph Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lancaster/) > [You know that we have a great variety of ways to gratify our own desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-hicks/you-know-that-we-have-a-great-variety-of-ways-to-gratify-our-own/) [Elias Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-hicks/) > [Don't be ashamed of how you feel. Truly loving someone is gratifying and never concealed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-a-hernandez/don-t-be-ashamed-of-how-you-feel-truly-loving-someone-is-gratifying/) Jonathan A Hernandez > [I treat my heart like a sick child and gratify its every fancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-treat-my-heart-like-a-sick-child-and-gratify-its-every-fancy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If thou wouldst conquer thy weakness, thou must never gratify it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/if-thou-wouldst-conquer-thy-weakness-thou-must-never-gratify-it/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) ## More by Paul Graham > [“I'm not saying there's no such thing as genius. But if you're trying to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/i-m-not-saying-there-s-no-such-thing-as-genius-but-if-you-re-trying/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“This is a good plan for life in general. If you have two choices, choose the harder. If you're trying to decide whether to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/this-is-a-good-plan-for-life-in-general-if-you-have-two-choices/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“When I was a kid I was constantly being told to look at things from someone else’s point of view. What this always meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-constantly-being-told-to-look-at-things-from/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [You know your business model is broken when you're suing your customers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/you-know-your-business-model-is-broken-when-you-re-suing-your/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“Hackers are unruly. That is the essence of hacking. And it is also the essence of Americanness. It is no accident that Silicon Valley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/hackers-are-unruly-that-is-the-essence-of-hacking-and-it-is-also-the/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“We often like to think of World War II as a triumph of freedom over totalitarianism. We conveniently forget that the Soviet Union was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/we-often-like-to-think-of-world-war-ii-as-a-triumph-of-freedom-over/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [It's hard to say exactly what it is about face-to-face contact that makes deals happen, but whatever it is, it hasn't yet been duplicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/it-s-hard-to-say-exactly-what-it-is-about-face-to-face-contact-that/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [One startup I dream of funding is the one that kills the record companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/one-startup-i-dream-of-funding-is-the-one-that-kills-the-record/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“It’s easier to get people to fight for an idea. And whichever side wins, their ideas will also be considered to have triumphed, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/it-s-easier-to-get-people-to-fight-for-an-idea-and-whichever-side/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“Could civil liberties really be a cause, rather than just an effect? I think so. I think a society in which people can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/could-civil-liberties-really-be-a-cause-rather-than-just-an-effect-i/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“A great programmer, on a roll, could create a million dollars worth of wealth in a couple weeks. A mediocre programmer over the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/a-great-programmer-on-a-roll-could-create-a-million-dollars-worth-of/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [We don't have to go that far to sell our beer because our immediate accounts sell so much. Places that sold 10 cases before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/we-don-t-have-to-go-that-far-to-sell-our-beer-because-our-immediate/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [I get a lot of criticism for telling founders to focus first on making something great, instead of worrying about how to make money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/i-get-a-lot-of-criticism-for-telling-founders-to-focus-first-on/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“So the optimal plan, if you can manage it, is to have a few trusted friends you can speak openly to. This is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/so-the-optimal-plan-if-you-can-manage-it-is-to-have-a-few-trusted/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“Public school teachers are in much the same position as prison wardens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/public-school-teachers-are-in-much-the-same-position-as-prison-wardens/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) [Explore all 94 Paul Graham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) ## More Creation quotes > [“am not suggesting that successes in academics, athletics, or vocation somehow stand outside God’s good plan. Learning and play are joys that God himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-paul-jones/am-not-suggesting-that-successes-in-academics-athletics-or-vocation/) [Timothy Paul Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-paul-jones/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [I believe if there is a creator it will basically ask me two questions, how well did you enjoy my creation and what did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/i-believe-if-there-is-a-creator-it-will-basically-ask-me-two/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [With no other choices open to us, we'd turned our gaze seaward. The oceans were our America: they reached farther than any prairie, untamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carsten-jensen/with-no-other-choices-open-to-us-we-d-turned-our-gaze-seaward-the/) [Carsten Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carsten-jensen/) > [In the quiet moments of your day, what do you think and do? When you are with your Self and no one else, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/in-the-quiet-moments-of-your-day-what-do-you-think-and-do-when-you/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [To be part of the creation, I must act humbly. I'll take that over a goddess any day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-o-hara/to-be-part-of-the-creation-i-must-act-humbly-i-ll-take-that-over-a/) [Maureen O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-o-hara/) > [The country of Iraq is somewhat of an artificial creation going back to colonial days. And so you have the Kurds and then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clapper/the-country-of-iraq-is-somewhat-of-an-artificial-creation-going-back/) [James Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clapper/) [Browse all 5,225 Creation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Graham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacting-taste-plus-the-ability-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacting-taste-plus-the-ability-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/paul-graham-7010_creation_the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacti_2630128.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/paul-graham-7010_creation_the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacti_2630128.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/paul-graham-7010_creation_the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacti_2630128.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it.” — Paul Graham", "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": "Paul Graham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The recipe for great work is:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacting-taste-plus-the-ability-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/the-recipe-for-great-work-is-very-exacting-taste-plus-the-ability-to/#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 } } ] } ```