---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more I want to get something done…"
description: "\"The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.\" — Richard Bach"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/richard-bach-424_done_the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-th_657734.png"
---

#  The more I want to get something done, the less I call it…

![“The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” quote by Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/richard-bach-424_done_the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-th_657734.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/richard-bach-424_done_the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-th_657734.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/richard-bach-424_done_the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-th_657734.png)

> “The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.”

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The desire to complete tasks can paradoxically make them feel like work, reducing motivation.

**In simple terms:** Wanting to finish can feel like work.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and reframe task perception.

Themes

motivation psychology productivity

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- project deadlines
- creative pursuits
- daily chores

Key Concepts

task perception intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation work aversion

Questions to Reflect On

- How to keep passion alive in tasks?
- When does desire become pressure?

A Different Perspective

Not all tasks become work when desired.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [That's the beauty of America - the fact that all of us can be anything we want to be if we put in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/that-s-the-beauty-of-america-the-fact-that-all-of-us-can-be-anything/)

[Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/)

> [Every day, I want to be a winner. I want to train my best; I want to work my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-l-rahul/every-day-i-want-to-be-a-winner-i-want-to-train-my-best-i-want-to/)

[K. L. Rahul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-l-rahul/)

> [If you want something you have to work for it. If you don't get it, work harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-something-you-have-to-work-for-it-if-you-don-t-get-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm short and curvy, but I think people want to work with me for reasons other than what I look like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/i-m-short-and-curvy-but-i-think-people-want-to-work-with-me-for/)

[Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/)

> [I just want to work hard and have good fights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-just-want-to-work-hard-and-have-good-fights/)

[Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/)

> [I don't like just traveling in for a short time. I've done that before, because sometimes you work for magazines and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sacco/i-don-t-like-just-traveling-in-for-a-short-time-i-ve-done-that-before/)

[Joe Sacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sacco/)

> [I want to work with the best coaches in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-hazard/i-want-to-work-with-the-best-coaches-in-the-world/)

[Eden Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-hazard/)

> [I don't want to work all of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-ann-miller/i-don-t-want-to-work-all-of-the-time/)

[Penelope Ann Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-ann-miller/)

> [You want some work well partner put in your bid and by the way now what's your name, they call me Layzie the Kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layzie-bone/you-want-some-work-well-partner-put-in-your-bid-and-by-the-way-now/)

[Layzie Bone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layzie-bone/)

> [I sometimes tell a director that I want to work with him. I tell him twice. After that if he still doesn't give me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/i-sometimes-tell-a-director-that-i-want-to-work-with-him-i-tell-him/)

[Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/)

> [It's fun being around guys that want to work, that want to learn, that want to get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/it-s-fun-being-around-guys-that-want-to-work-that-want-to-learn-that/)

[Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/)

> [You want to work with good people. When you're working with good people, it frees you up. There's nothing worse, as an actor, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-badge-dale/you-want-to-work-with-good-people-when-you-re-working-with-good/)

[James Badge Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-badge-dale/)

> [“You can't save anyone from themselves. They have to actually want to do the work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-baker/you-can-t-save-anyone-from-themselves-they-have-to-actually-want-to/)

[Robin S. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-baker/)

> [I want to work for the poor in my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/i-want-to-work-for-the-poor-in-my-country/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [My mantra is, I want to work with people that I like to hang out with, who are smart, where I can add value,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-hefner/my-mantra-is-i-want-to-work-with-people-that-i-like-to-hang-out-with/)

[Christie Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-hefner/)

## More by Richard Bach

> [“Heaven is not a place, and it's not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/heaven-is-not-a-place-and-it-s-not-a-time-heaven-is-being-perfect/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [You'd chosen to be an upright biped on the surface of a small planet of a minor sun on the edge of a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/you-d-chosen-to-be-an-upright-biped-on-the-surface-of-a-small-planet/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Your harshest truths are dreams, and your gentlest dreams are true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/your-harshest-truths-are-dreams-and-your-gentlest-dreams-are-true/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [“Happiness is a choice. It is not always an easy one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/happiness-is-a-choice-it-is-not-always-an-easy-one/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/argue-for-your-limitations-and-sure-enough-they-re-yours/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The world is a dream, you say, and it’s lovely, sometimes. Sunset. Clouds. Sky.” “No. The image is a dream. The beauty is real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-world-is-a-dream-you-say-and-it-s-lovely-sometimes-sunset-clouds/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-original-sin-is-to-limit-the-is-don-t/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Silly ideas, worth the admission price in smiles, but they're true. Is high-energy physics interesting because it's true or because it's crazy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/silly-ideas-worth-the-admission-price-in-smiles-but-they-re-true-is/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-best-way-to-pay-for-a-lovely-moment-is-to-enjoy-it/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/i-am-tired-of-clinging-though-i-cannot-see-it-with-my-eyes-i-trust/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happiness in spite of what other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/if-you-want-to-meet-someone-who-can-fix-any-situation-you-don-t-like/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The space for what you want is already filled with what you settled for instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-space-for-what-you-want-is-already-filled-with-what-you-settled/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The books remind us that way down deep in our hearts, part of us knows that we are creatures of light and we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-books-remind-us-that-way-down-deep-in-our-hearts-part-of-us-knows/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Part of us is always the observer, and no matter what, it observes. It watches us. It does not care if we are happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/part-of-us-is-always-the-observer-and-no-matter-what-it-observes-it/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Kindle Singles is publishing on skates. It prints like lightning; our book meets readers in hours. I've spent so many years waiting for publishers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/kindle-singles-is-publishing-on-skates-it-prints-like-lightning-our/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

[Explore all 539 Richard Bach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

## More Done quotes

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/)

[Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

Browse all 25,653 Done quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Bach"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-the-less-i-call-it-work/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Done"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-the-less-i-call-it-work/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/richard-bach-424_done_the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-th_657734.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/richard-bach-424_done_the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-th_657734.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/richard-bach-424_done_the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-th_657734.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” — Richard Bach",
                "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": "Richard Bach",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The more I want to get...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-the-less-i-call-it-work/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-more-i-want-to-get-something-done-the-less-i-call-it-work/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
