--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and…" description: "\"“Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do it well.”\" — Ryan Holiday" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/ryan-holiday-514_art_wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and_3182975.jpg" --- # Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are… ![“Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do it well.” quote by Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/ryan-holiday-514_art_wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and_3182975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/ryan-holiday-514_art_wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and_3182975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/ryan-holiday-514_art_wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and_3182975.jpg) > ““Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do it well.”” [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must strive for excellence in all actions because they reflect on ourselves, our craft, and society. **In simple terms:** Do things well for yourself, your work, and the world. Key Takeaway Commit to quality in every endeavor. Themes excellence responsibility craft societal impact Mood reflective motivational Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - professional projects - creative work - public service - personal development Key Concepts ethics personal integrity artistic standards Questions to Reflect On - How does your work affect others? - What standards define “doing it well”? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can hinder progress; balance effort with realistic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-world/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ## Related quotes > [“Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and herever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and-herever-we-are-going-we-owe/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Anything worth doing is going to be difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fauja-singh/anything-worth-doing-is-going-to-be-difficult/) [Fauja Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fauja-singh/) > [Dear you have always been doing well; if you will keep on going you will meet your destination. Good luck to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/dear-you-have-always-been-doing-well-if-you-will-keep-on-going-you/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [People try to change up my method, but I'm gonna keep doing it the same way I've been doing it: going in the room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryson-tiller/people-try-to-change-up-my-method-but-i-m-gonna-keep-doing-it-the/) [Bryson Tiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryson-tiller/) > [Whatever you do in your daily life - driving from here to there, trying to reach someone on the phone, doing this or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whatever-you-do-in-your-daily-life-driving-from-here-to-there-trying/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [My thing is I'm going to come in and try to do everything 100 percent like I was doing before. That's not going to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wood/my-thing-is-i-m-going-to-come-in-and-try-to-do-everything-100-percent/) [Christian Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wood/) > [Sometimes all you have to do is to relax and remind yourself that you're doing all that you can and that everything is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-all-you-have-to-do-is-to-relax-and-remind-yourself-that-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm always doing that, going off at a tangent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-brown/i-m-always-doing-that-going-off-at-a-tangent/) [June Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-brown/) > [With 'Silver Linings,' I didn't feel - I was thinking of certain things, but I just said, 'Let me go with it.' You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/with-silver-linings-i-didn-t-feel-i-was-thinking-of-certain-things/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) > [I think that if you don't enjoy doing something you are not going to be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/i-think-that-if-you-don-t-enjoy-doing-something-you-are-not-going-to/) [Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/) > [Clint Eastwood expects you to know what you're doing. He's going to take two giant steps back and let you do it. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/clint-eastwood-expects-you-to-know-what-you-re-doing-he-s-going-to/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [“freedom is doing and going towards what you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erlend-bakke/freedom-is-doing-and-going-towards-what-you-love/) [Erlend Bakke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erlend-bakke/) > [One of the ways they run forward is by viewing the thing they’re doing as something that’s going to be the whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/one-of-the-ways-they-run-forward-is-by-viewing-the-thing-they-re/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [My philosophy is "Where is it written that at 40 you give up all your toys?" If I'm still having a great time doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/my-philosophy-is-where-is-it-written-that-at-40-you-give-up-all-your/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [There is no point of doing anything if you're not going to do it all the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-jackson/there-is-no-point-of-doing-anything-if-you-re-not-going-to-do-it-all/) [Trevor Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-jackson/) ## More by Ryan Holiday > [“If we can focus on making clear what parts of our day are within our control and what parts are not, we will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/if-we-can-focus-on-making-clear-what-parts-of-our-day-are-within-our/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“The areas of great interest to the Stoics all make an appearance here: virtue, mortality, emotions, self-awareness, fortitude, right action, problem solving, acceptance, mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-areas-of-great-interest-to-the-stoics-all-make-an-appearance-here/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“With a business, we take most failures less personally and understand they’re part of the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/with-a-business-we-take-most-failures-less-personally-and-understand/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Many creatives want to be just the creator, or only “the idea guy.” They like that because it’s sexy and because that’s what comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/many-creatives-want-to-be-just-the-creator-or-only-the-idea-guy-they/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Pretty much everyone's career starts the same way: with grunt work. Not just the cliched fetching of coffee, but other lowly tasks: taking notes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/pretty-much-everyone-s-career-starts-the-same-way-with-grunt-work-not/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [The greats - they protect their sleep because it's where the best work comes from. They say no to things. They turn in when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-greats-they-protect-their-sleep-because-it-s-where-the-best-work/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Where little danger is apprehended, the more the enemy will be unprepared and consequently there is the fairest prospect of success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/where-little-danger-is-apprehended-the-more-the-enemy-will-be/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [We often learn the hard way that our world is ruled by external factors. We don't always get what is rightfully ours, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/we-often-learn-the-hard-way-that-our-world-is-ruled-by-external/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“From Rusticus … I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole, and not to agree too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/from-rusticus-i-learned-to-read-carefully-and-not-be-satisfied-with-a/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [I wholeheartedly agree that many media 'standards' can feel disingenuous or, in fact, be a cover for less-than-honest behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/i-wholeheartedly-agree-that-many-media-standards-can-feel/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Remember: even what we get for free has a cost, if only in what we pay to store it—in our garages and in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/remember-even-what-we-get-for-free-has-a-cost-if-only-in-what-we-pay/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [It's your job to find a release and an outlet for the stress and the feelings. Never forget: the crazy stays at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/it-s-your-job-to-find-a-release-and-an-outlet-for-the-stress-and-the/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/where-the-head-goes-the-body-follows-perception-precedes-action-right/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [The risks of speaking extemporaneously are apparent the first time you wing it and promptly put your foot in your mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-risks-of-speaking-extemporaneously-are-apparent-the-first-time/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“The tools of the Internet and social media have made it possible to track, test, iterate, and improve marketing to the point where these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-tools-of-the-internet-and-social-media-have-made-it-possible-to/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) [Explore all 504 Ryan Holiday quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) ## 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. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [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/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. 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. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do it well.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan Holiday" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and-wherever-we-are-going-we-owe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and-wherever-we-are-going-we-owe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/ryan-holiday-514_art_wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and_3182975.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/ryan-holiday-514_art_wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and_3182975.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/ryan-holiday-514_art_wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and_3182975.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the…” — Ryan Holiday", "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": "Ryan Holiday", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and-wherever-we-are-going-we-owe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/wherever-we-are-whatever-we-re-doing-and-wherever-we-are-going-we-owe/#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 } } ] } ```