--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tend to only be able to obsess about…" description: "\"I tend to only be able to obsess about one thing at once, and become fully engaged in and only interested in that thing. But in the longer term, a lot ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/sarah-stillman-21738_birth_i-tend-to-only-be-able-to-obsess-about-o_2634407.jpg" --- # I tend to only be able to obsess about one thing at once… ![“I tend to only be able to obsess about one thing at once, and become fully engaged in and only interested in that thing. But in the longer term, a lot of my stories also give birth to other stories.” quote by Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/sarah-stillman-21738_birth_i-tend-to-only-be-able-to-obsess-about-o_2634407.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/sarah-stillman-21738_birth_i-tend-to-only-be-able-to-obsess-about-o_2634407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/sarah-stillman-21738_birth_i-tend-to-only-be-able-to-obsess-about-o_2634407.jpg) > “I tend to only be able to obsess about one thing at once, and become fully engaged in and only interested in that thing. But in the longer term, a lot of my stories also give birth to other stories.” [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She can focus intensely on one project, but over time her work spawns additional narratives and ideas. **In simple terms:** She obsessively focuses on one thing, which later creates more stories. Key Takeaway Embrace the ripple effect of deep focus. Themes focus obsession creativity storytelling Mood enthusiastic reflective Type creative personal When to use this quote - career - art - writing Key Concepts creative process project management idea generation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance deep focus with exploring new ideas? - What new stories have emerged from your main project? A Different Perspective Intense focus may limit breadth of experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ## Related quotes > [If you obsess about one thing, you're just going to miss the broader picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-gorka/if-you-obsess-about-one-thing-you-re-just-going-to-miss-the-broader/) [Sebastian Gorka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-gorka/) > [When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/when-you-are-genuinely-interested-in-one-thing-it-will-always-lead-to/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I thought that the behavioral and some of the profiling stuff was interesting. The thing that I was most interested in, and the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/i-thought-that-the-behavioral-and-some-of-the-profiling-stuff-was/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/) > [What came up at age 49 is I realized that of all the things I'm interested in, the thing I'm most interested in is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/what-came-up-at-age-49-is-i-realized-that-of-all-the-things-i-m/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [“When I'm interested in a thing, I want to know about that thing. Extensively.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mills/when-i-m-interested-in-a-thing-i-want-to-know-about-that-thing/) [Emma Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mills/) > [The Yankees are only interested in one thing, and I have no idea what that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-polonia/the-yankees-are-only-interested-in-one-thing-and-i-have-no-idea-what/) Luis Polonia > [It's phenomenally important to me that, if I'm going to be spending years on a project, I need to be interested in the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mcdonnell/it-s-phenomenally-important-to-me-that-if-i-m-going-to-be-spending/) [Mary McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mcdonnell/) > [One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-thing-life-has-taught-me-if-you-are-interested-you-never-have-to-2/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Needing something is not the same thing as being interested in the thing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/needing-something-is-not-the-same-thing-as-being-interested-in-the/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. They will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-thing-life-has-taught-me-if-you-are-interested-you-never-have-to/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I very rarely want to go back and fix things, because I'm much more interested in the next thing, and in taking what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-very-rarely-want-to-go-back-and-fix-things-because-i-m-much-more/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I have a lot of stories about being a kid because it was the last time I was interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mulaney/i-have-a-lot-of-stories-about-being-a-kid-because-it-was-the-last/) [John Mulaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mulaney/) > [On my first mixtape I didn't have a lot of money so a lot of my stories were about being broke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-homie-quan/on-my-first-mixtape-i-didn-t-have-a-lot-of-money-so-a-lot-of-my/) [Rich Homie Quan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-homie-quan/) > [Everything runs its course. We had told a lot of stories that happened in our life. My kid was getting older, and we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/everything-runs-its-course-we-had-told-a-lot-of-stories-that-happened/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [I think the way you become a good storyteller is to read a lot of stories and evaluate them in your own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-think-the-way-you-become-a-good-storyteller-is-to-read-a-lot-of/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) ## More by Sarah Stillman > [Workers are actually being starved on the largest military base in Baghdad, and women are being raped with impunity - and because it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/workers-are-actually-being-starved-on-the-largest-military-base-in/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I try to come to my reporting as a real, whole person, not an automaton. And it's always one of the strange discomforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-try-to-come-to-my-reporting-as-a-real-whole-person-not-an-automaton/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [One thing I've discovered is that I never think of something that didn't work out as just "something that didn't work out." I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-i-never-think-of-something-that/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I think most of us, as writers, have had experiences where you get edited and it doesn't feel like your voice at all. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-think-most-of-us-as-writers-have-had-experiences-where-you-get/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I try to come to my reporting as a real, whole person, not an automaton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-try-to-come-to-my-reporting-as-a-real-whole-person-not-an-automaton-2/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about subjects that are underreported is, how do you make people care about something they think they already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-journalism-about-subjects-that/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I tend to gravitate toward the "act two," or "act three," or "act four" stories - either things that are underreported, where we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-tend-to-gravitate-toward-the-act-two-or-act-three-or-act-four/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Thinking through how you find that intersection between individual, compelling human narratives and structural, systemic injustices - that's the place that's most interesting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/thinking-through-how-you-find-that-intersection-between-individual/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I always knew I wanted to write, but I didn't know that I would want to do investigative reporting - in part because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-write-but-i-didn-t-know-that-i-would-want/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Often, I'm spending months with a person in a very intimate context, getting to know the ins and outs of what they ate for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/often-i-m-spending-months-with-a-person-in-a-very-intimate-context/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [People are sometimes losing their homes before being convicted of a crime, or their cash or their cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/people-are-sometimes-losing-their-homes-before-being-convicted-of-a/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I feel like I partly came to writing through being in college during the start of the Iraq war, and knowing that those issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-feel-like-i-partly-came-to-writing-through-being-in-college-during/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [There is space for a different kind of investigative reporting that's about immersion and obsessive attention to detail and deep listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/there-is-space-for-a-different-kind-of-investigative-reporting-that-s/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [For me, the part of reporting that's the most rewarding and energizing is just hearing directly from people whose voices haven't often been heard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/for-me-the-part-of-reporting-that-s-the-most-rewarding-and-energizing/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal relationships, if you invest in sources who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you-remain-in-contact-with/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) [Explore all 28 Sarah Stillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) ## More Birth quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) Adam Imad > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/) Roxanne Shante > [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/) [Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/) > [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/) [Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I tend to only be able to obsess about one thing at once, and become fully engaged in and only interested in that thing. 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