--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great projects, like great careers and…" description: "\"Great projects, like great careers and relationships that last, are gardens. They are tended, they shift, they grow. They endure over time, gaining a p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/seth-godin-152_careers_great-projects-like-great-careers-and-re_3055634.jpg" --- # Great projects, like great careers and relationships that… ![“Great projects, like great careers and relationships that last, are gardens. They are tended, they shift, they grow. They endure over time, gaining a personality and reflecting their environment. When something dies or fades away, we prune, replant and grow again.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/seth-godin-152_careers_great-projects-like-great-careers-and-re_3055634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/seth-godin-152_careers_great-projects-like-great-careers-and-re_3055634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/seth-godin-152_careers_great-projects-like-great-careers-and-re_3055634.jpg) > “Great projects, like great careers and relationships that last, are gardens. They are tended, they shift, they grow. They endure over time, gaining a personality and reflecting their environment. When something dies or fades away, we prune, replant and grow again.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great endeavors are like gardens: they need care, adapt, and evolve over time. **In simple terms:** Projects are like gardens that need tending. Key Takeaway Nurture and adapt your work continuously. Themes growth maintenance relationships Mood inspirational practical Type business philosophical When to use this quote - career development - relationship building - project management Key Concepts gardening metaphor long‑term planning Questions to Reflect On - How can you “prune” a failing project? - What signs indicate it’s time to replant? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Fade away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fade-away/) [Fades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fades/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Gardens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardens/) [Gardens Tended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardens-tended-2959553/) [Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Projects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projects/) [Prunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prunes/) [Reflecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflecting/) [Relationships Gardens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships-gardens-2959554/) [Replant Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/replant-grow-5103414/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“--Gardens, not buildings-- Great projects start out feeling like buildings. There are architects, materials, staff, rigid timelines, permits, engineers, a structure. It works or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/gardens-not-buildings-great-projects-start-out-feeling-like-buildings/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Most folks probably think that gardens only get tended when they're blooming. But most folks would be wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-wiersbitzky/most-folks-probably-think-that-gardens-only-get-tended-when-they-re/) [Shannon Wiersbitzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-wiersbitzky/) > [“I won’t eat prunes myself. Well, there was one time when Hobb chopped them up with chestnuts and carrots and hid them in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/i-won-t-eat-prunes-myself-well-there-was-one-time-when-hobb-chopped/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [This new England we have invented for ourselves is not interested at all in education. It is only interested in training, both material and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/this-new-england-we-have-invented-for-ourselves-is-not-interested-at/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Happiness is discovering the prune juice your doctor ordered you to drink has fermented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/happiness-is-discovering-the-prune-juice-your-doctor-ordered-you-to/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [The Falcon and the Dove sit there together, And th 'one of them doth prune the others feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-drayton/the-falcon-and-the-dove-sit-there-together-and-th-one-of-them-doth/) [Michael Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-drayton/) > [God prunes us when He is about to take us into a new season of growth and expansion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-caine/god-prunes-us-when-he-is-about-to-take-us-into-a-new-season-of-growth/) [Christine Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-caine/) > [That's the hard part of overdosing on cherries-you have all the pits to tell you exactly how many you ate. Not more or less.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/that-s-the-hard-part-of-overdosing-on-cherries-you-have-all-the-pits/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [We know great Nature's pow'r, Mother of things, whose vast unbounded sway From the deep centre all around extends Wide to the flaming barriers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/we-know-great-nature-s-pow-r-mother-of-things-whose-vast-unbounded/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [At times of extreme intensity, the kundalini can become active. Suddenly a 70-year old lady, who can't lift a bag of prunes, will lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/at-times-of-extreme-intensity-the-kundalini-can-become-active/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-s-no-more-faith-in-thee-than-in-a-stewed-prune/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The apples stewed with prunes are excellent, except for the prunes, I won't eat prunes myself. Well, there was one time when Hobb chopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-apples-stewed-with-prunes-are-excellent-except-for-the-prunes-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Harvard takes perfectly good plums as students, and turns them into prunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/harvard-takes-perfectly-good-plums-as-students-and-turns-them-into/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes. I slept on the ground in the light of the moon. On the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/i-worked-in-your-orchards-of-peaches-and-prunes-i-slept-on-the-ground/) [Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/) > [The more you prune a plant, the more it grows. So too the more you seek to annihilate the ego, the more it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-more-you-prune-a-plant-the-more-it-grows-so-too-the-more-you-seek/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Careers quotes > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [The only thing I try to watch carefully is that I never lose the love for the instrument. That's also why I decided against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nils-frahm/the-only-thing-i-try-to-watch-carefully-is-that-i-never-lose-the-love/) [Nils Frahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nils-frahm/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? 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