--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs…" description: "\"Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.\" — Robert Genn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/robert-genn-2179_amateur_waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs_673745.png" --- # Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get… ![“Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.” quote by Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/robert-genn-2179_amateur_waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs_673745.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/robert-genn-2179_amateur_waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs_673745.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/robert-genn-2179_amateur_waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs_673745.png) > “Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.” [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Waiting for inspiration delays work; disciplined action creates results. **In simple terms:** Work first, inspiration follows. Key Takeaway Start creating now. Themes creativity discipline productivity professionalism Mood encouraging practical Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - art projects - writing - design - entrepreneurship Key Concepts flow motivation habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take today? - How do you balance planning with doing? A Different Perspective Inspiration may still be needed for quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amateur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateur/) [Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) [Amateurs Professionals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs-professionals-447508/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Inspiration Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration-amateurs-511687/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Professionals Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professionals-work-3740403/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-inspiration-1851672/) ## Related quotes > [Inspiration is for amateurs. professionals work everyday. Personally the best inspiration is a deadline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-work-everyday-personally/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Amateurs hope, professionals work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garson-kanin/amateurs-hope-professionals-work/) [Garson Kanin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garson-kanin/) > [“The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs. Even for professionals, the best way to flourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-world-is-changing-at-such-a-rapid-rate-that-it-s-turning-us-all-2/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [In both the art and the business worlds, the difference between the amateurs and the professionals is simple: The professionals know they're winging it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/in-both-the-art-and-the-business-worlds-the-difference-between-the/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-i-just-get-to-work/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [“I always thought that inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-always-thought-that-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs--the rest of us just show up and get to work. - Chuck Close”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-fig/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up-and-get-to/) [Joe Fig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-fig/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs,” Close says. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-close-says-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-is-for-amateurs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Amateur feed on hope. Professionals work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garson-kanin/amateur-feed-on-hope-professionals-work/) [Garson Kanin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garson-kanin/) > [Are we amateurs and not professionals? We know the lessons of history, we know the mistakes and we either act accordingly or collapse. Salvation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-power/are-we-amateurs-and-not-professionals-we-know-the-lessons-of-history/) [Thomas S. Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-power/) > [I love mixing amateurs and professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/i-love-mixing-amateurs-and-professionals/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [“If you've no idea where you're headed to, then don't panic. Remember: some people are born to become amateurs rather than professionals, doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shivam-chaudhary/if-you-ve-no-idea-where-you-re-headed-to-then-don-t-panic-remember/) [Shivam Chaudhary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shivam-chaudhary/) > [I don't work with inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-don-t-work-with-inspiration-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-i-just-get/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work. And the belief that things will grow out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up-and-get-to-3/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) ## More by Robert Genn > [We artists give daily thanks for the miracle of our planet and for the inclination and the capability to honour it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/we-artists-give-daily-thanks-for-the-miracle-of-our-planet-and-for/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Pushing yourself to extremes blows out the cobwebs of trusted habit. It shakes up what you know to be reliably safe and substitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/pushing-yourself-to-extremes-blows-out-the-cobwebs-of-trusted-habit/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Keep busy while you are waiting for something to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/keep-busy-while-you-are-waiting-for-something-to-happen/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Art is a course in personal development that has no reliable diploma and no known end. The pursuit of art instructs in beauty as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-course-in-personal-development-that-has-no-reliable-diploma/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Great paintings have gradations, large and small... They serve to lift the subject off the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Gradations are an essential abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/great-paintings-have-gradations-large-and-small-they-serve-to-lift/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Evolved creators are just as curious about their failures as they are of their successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/evolved-creators-are-just-as-curious-about-their-failures-as-they-are/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Art is a path on which we honour our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-path-on-which-we-honour-our-world/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [With repetition, the alternate approaches become clear, options open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/with-repetition-the-alternate-approaches-become-clear-options-open/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [When shucked and released from its edges, the windowless subject stands alone as its own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-shucked-and-released-from-its-edges-the-windowless-subject/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Mountains in all their moods are symbols of something greater, something worth aspiring to. Mountains are powerful, dangerous, beautiful, noble and mysterious. Mountains get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/mountains-in-all-their-moods-are-symbols-of-something-greater/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Our bodies, apart from their brilliant role as drawing exercises, are the temples of our being. Like the bodies of all fauna, they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/our-bodies-apart-from-their-brilliant-role-as-drawing-exercises-are/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [When I'm in the studio I often hunger for the road. And when away I long for the efficiency of the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-i-m-in-the-studio-i-often-hunger-for-the-road-and-when-away-i/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [In life and art it's better to be an enthusiastic amateur than a jaded professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/in-life-and-art-it-s-better-to-be-an-enthusiastic-amateur-than-a/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) [Explore all 181 Robert Genn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) ## More Amateur quotes > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) [Alan Sheinwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sheinwald/) > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/amateur-boxing-is-one-of-the-safest-sports-around/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barringer/amateur-one-reckless-enough-to-risk-being-interesting/) [David Barringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barringer/) > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/when-people-buy-rescue-or-otherwise-acquire-a-dog-from-unscrupulous/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) [Browse all 352 Amateur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateur/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Genn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-get-to-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amateur" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-get-to-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/robert-genn-2179_amateur_waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs_673745.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/robert-genn-2179_amateur_waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs_673745.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/robert-genn-2179_amateur_waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs_673745.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.” — Robert Genn", "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": "Robert Genn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-get-to-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-get-to-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 } } ] } ```