--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A challenging career suddenly seemed more…" description: "\"“A challenging career suddenly seemed more productive to me because I could measure the results of my work. These precious little ones had endless need..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/sally-clarkson-31607_better-job_a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-mor_1270457.jpg" --- # A challenging career suddenly seemed more productive to me… ![“A challenging career suddenly seemed more productive to me because I could measure the results of my work. These precious little ones had endless needs. They were busy little sinful creatures who demanded all of my body, time, life, emotions, and attention! As much as I loved my children, I often…” quote by Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/sally-clarkson-31607_better-job_a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-mor_1270457.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/sally-clarkson-31607_better-job_a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-mor_1270457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/sally-clarkson-31607_better-job_a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-mor_1270457.jpg) > ““A challenging career suddenly seemed more productive to me because I could measure the results of my work. These precious little ones had endless needs. They were busy little sinful creatures who demanded all of my body, time, life, emotions, and attention! As much as I loved my children, I often felt like a failure. Surely someone else could do a better job with these precious ones than I. And what exactly was I supposed to be accomplishing anyway? Was I wasting my time? What had this husband, who professed to love me, done to me?”” [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels torn between career productivity and the demanding, emotionally draining responsibilities of caring for children, questioning personal fulfillment and partner support. **In simple terms:** Balancing work and parenting feels overwhelming and unappreciated. Key Takeaway Recognize limits and seek support. Themes parenting career self-doubt relationship work-life balance Mood anxious reflective determined Type personal motivational advice When to use this quote - career planning - parenting strategies - marital counseling - time management - self-care Key Concepts role conflict emotional labor self-worth partner dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you set realistic expectations for yourself? - What support can you ask from your partner? A Different Perspective Balancing may not eliminate the emotional toll of caregiving. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [What is a Professor of Poetry? How can poetry be professed?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/what-is-a-professor-of-poetry-how-can-poetry-be-professed/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I'm not perfect; I've never professed to be, and I don't want to be. How much fun is that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strahan/i-m-not-perfect-i-ve-never-professed-to-be-and-i-don-t-want-to-be-how/) [Michael Strahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strahan/) > [I've never professed to be an intellectual. I don't try to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neill/i-ve-never-professed-to-be-an-intellectual-i-don-t-try-to-be/) [William O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neill/) > [Every hour of useful work is precious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-mackenzie-king/every-hour-of-useful-work-is-precious/) [William Lyon Mackenzie King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-mackenzie-king/) > [I had my daughter, and with that came a deep sense of responsibility; my time for work had become precious, and it had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-philo/i-had-my-daughter-and-with-that-came-a-deep-sense-of-responsibility/) [Phoebe Philo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-philo/) > [Hard working items makes them precious because the work its put into it but precious things can enter our life's unexpectedly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cj/hard-working-items-makes-them-precious-because-the-work-its-put-into/) CJ > [Having a life outside of movies is like pure oxygen. It makes the work more precious and informed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/having-a-life-outside-of-movies-is-like-pure-oxygen-it-makes-the-work/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > ['The Man Who Loved Children,' Christina Stead's masterpiece, remains the most fabulous book that hardly anyone I know has read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-man-who-loved-children-christina-stead-s-masterpiece-remains-the/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Using a child as a pawn to make money using there own kids is WRONG kids are not pawns there to be LOVED. Children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/using-a-child-as-a-pawn-to-make-money-using-there-own-kids-is-wrong/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [I have always loved children. I've been fantasizing about motherhood since I was probably 2 ½. I loved to babysit my cousins, and nieces, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/i-have-always-loved-children-i-ve-been-fantasizing-about-motherhood/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [There's nothing better than having a baby. I've always loved children. I used to work summers at the YMCA and be in charge of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/there-s-nothing-better-than-having-a-baby-i-ve-always-loved-children/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Historians once assumed that when childhood mortality was high, people must not have loved their children very much; it would have been too painful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/historians-once-assumed-that-when-childhood-mortality-was-high-people/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [I've never made a secret of the fact that I'd have loved to have children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/i-ve-never-made-a-secret-of-the-fact-that-i-d-have-loved-to-have/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [Ammu loved her children (of course), but their wide-eyed vulnerability and their willingness to love people who didn't really love them exasperated her and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ammu-loved-her-children-of-course-but-their-wide-eyed-vulnerability/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [That satisfied me until I began to figure that if God loved all his children equally, why did he bother about my red hat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-farmer/that-satisfied-me-until-i-began-to-figure-that-if-god-loved-all-his/) [Frances Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-farmer/) ## More by Sally Clarkson > [“Today when you nurture, love and meet the needs of your beloveds with beauty, it will make a difference in how they face their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/today-when-you-nurture-love-and-meet-the-needs-of-your-beloveds-with/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“It is vitally important for women to learn how to think biblically for themselves instead of being enslaved to other people’s thoughts and opinions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/it-is-vitally-important-for-women-to-learn-how-to-think-biblically/) [sally clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“I often must sacrifice my own needs and desires for the purpose of giving my children what they need and modeling for them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/i-often-must-sacrifice-my-own-needs-and-desires-for-the-purpose-of/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“Always, my only hope and my only strength and my only way to cope has been an utter abandonment to God, knowing that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/always-my-only-hope-and-my-only-strength-and-my-only-way-to-cope-has/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“God sees you. He made you, knows you, and loves you. You can trust Him. Part of our issue with not fully surrendering our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/god-sees-you-he-made-you-knows-you-and-loves-you-you-can-trust-him/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“If the precious, limited hours of my day are used bit by bit in scanning information, I will have less and less time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/if-the-precious-limited-hours-of-my-day-are-used-bit-by-bit-in/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“My calling as a mother is the same as any other Christian’s: to fulfill God’s will for our lives and to glorify him. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/my-calling-as-a-mother-is-the-same-as-any-other-christian-s-to/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“One of the marks of a godly woman is that she takes responsibility for her soul's need for joy and delight. A woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/one-of-the-marks-of-a-godly-woman-is-that-she-takes-responsibility/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“How we need more “homemakers” so that all who live in this transient, contemporary world might have a place to belong, to feel loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/how-we-need-more-homemakers-so-that-all-who-live-in-this-transient/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/behold-i-send-you-out-as-sheep-in-the-midst-of-wolves-so-be-shrewd-as-2/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“In the absence of biblical conviction, people will go the way of culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/in-the-absence-of-biblical-conviction-people-will-go-the-way-of/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“we decided that if a woman truly understands how deeply she is loved, she is free to grow into the potential loveliness that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/we-decided-that-if-a-woman-truly-understands-how-deeply-she-is-loved/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“Make a list of some things your children like you to do with them but aren’t necessarily fun for you—playing a board game on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/make-a-list-of-some-things-your-children-like-you-to-do-with-them-but/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“The most important gift you can give your child is to help them begin a walk of faith with the God of the universe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/the-most-important-gift-you-can-give-your-child-is-to-help-them-begin/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) > [“—A MOTHER’S PRAYER— Father of Encouragement Thank you for taking the time to show love to your disciples by affirming and encouraging them. Help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/a-mother-s-prayer-father-of-encouragement-thank-you-for-taking-the/) [Sally Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) [Explore all 16 Sally Clarkson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/) ## More Better job quotes > [“For a long time before I met you, I felt my life was this kind of test. I was in deep, cold water, swimming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/for-a-long-time-before-i-met-you-i-felt-my-life-was-this-kind-of-test/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“Satan wants you to believe that you don't have a choice in the matter. You can't be happy until things go the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-rietzsch/satan-wants-you-to-believe-that-you-don-t-have-a-choice-in-the-matter/) Lindsey Rietzsch > [By embracing clean energy across the country, we can create more and better jobs, protect the air our children breathe and the water they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lujan-grisham/by-embracing-clean-energy-across-the-country-we-can-create-more-and/) [Michelle Lujan Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lujan-grisham/) > [Putin is a better leader than Obama, because Obama's not a leader, so he's certainly doing a better job than Obama is, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/putin-is-a-better-leader-than-obama-because-obama-s-not-a-leader-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I just want to do a better job of being focused and starting with the defense and then everybody can see it and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-schroder/i-just-want-to-do-a-better-job-of-being-focused-and-starting-with-the/) [Dennis Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-schroder/) > [I have to do a better job of picking the spots where I want to attack and picking the right moment when I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristaps-porzingis/i-have-to-do-a-better-job-of-picking-the-spots-where-i-want-to-attack/) [Kristaps Porzingis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristaps-porzingis/) > [“The single biggest lesson of the whole Snowden fiasco is that America's own sloppiness made it vulnerable: whether to misguided whistleblowers, saboteurs or foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-single-biggest-lesson-of-the-whole-snowden-fiasco-is-that-america/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [I'm not a big government guy. I believe in private industries taking care of people. I think they do a better job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-baio/i-m-not-a-big-government-guy-i-believe-in-private-industries-taking/) [Scott Baio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-baio/) > [Every time the Octagon door closes everything that is written on paper doesn't matter, it depends on who does a better job. It's two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-blachowicz/every-time-the-octagon-door-closes-everything-that-is-written-on/) [Jan Blachowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-blachowicz/) > [“And there's a cop over there." "What?" the boy said, glancing at the D.C. police officer that stood at the corner of the street,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/and-there-s-a-cop-over-there-what-the-boy-said-glancing-at-the-d-c/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [I just want to keep laying down really great, strong characters, and the more I go unrecognized, the better job I feel I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scoot-mcnairy/i-just-want-to-keep-laying-down-really-great-strong-characters-and/) [Scoot McNairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scoot-mcnairy/) > [“As Donald Trump was campaigning for the Republican nomination for president in 2016 he was asked, “Have you ever asked God for forgiveness?” He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hamilton/as-donald-trump-was-campaigning-for-the-republican-nomination-for/) [Adam Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hamilton/) > [“God help anyone who stands in your way. You do like to manage other people's lives, don't you?" "Only when it's obvious I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/god-help-anyone-who-stands-in-your-way-you-do-like-to-manage-other/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) Browse all 482 Better job quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A challenging career suddenly seemed more productive to me because I could measure the results of my work. These precious little ones had endless needs. They were busy little sinful creatures who demanded all of my body, time, life, emotions, and attention! As much as I loved my children, I often felt like a failure. Surely someone else could do a better job with these precious ones than I. And what exactly was I supposed to be accomplishing anyway? Was I wasting my time? What had this husband, who professed to love me, done to me?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sally Clarkson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-more-productive-to-me-because-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Better job" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-more-productive-to-me-because-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/sally-clarkson-31607_better-job_a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-mor_1270457.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/sally-clarkson-31607_better-job_a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-mor_1270457.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/sally-clarkson-31607_better-job_a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-mor_1270457.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A challenging career suddenly seemed more productive to me because I could measure the results of my work…” — Sally Clarkson", "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": "Sally Clarkson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-clarkson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A challenging career suddenly seemed more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-more-productive-to-me-because-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-clarkson/a-challenging-career-suddenly-seemed-more-productive-to-me-because-i/#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 } } ] } ```