--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hierarchy is set out for me. The…" description: "\"The hierarchy is set out for me. The first priority is piano. I have to be 101 percent prepared. I find that at other times of the day, if the creative..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/stephen-hough-6372_creative-juices_the-hierarchy-is-set-out-for-me-the-firs_3221477.jpg" --- # The hierarchy is set out for me. The first priority is… ![“The hierarchy is set out for me. The first priority is piano. I have to be 101 percent prepared. I find that at other times of the day, if the creative juices are working, I might want to write or compose.” quote by Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/stephen-hough-6372_creative-juices_the-hierarchy-is-set-out-for-me-the-firs_3221477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/stephen-hough-6372_creative-juices_the-hierarchy-is-set-out-for-me-the-firs_3221477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/stephen-hough-6372_creative-juices_the-hierarchy-is-set-out-for-me-the-firs_3221477.jpg) > “The hierarchy is set out for me. The first priority is piano. I have to be 101 percent prepared. I find that at other times of the day, if the creative juices are working, I might want to write or compose.” [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) ## 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 emphasizes strict hierarchy and total preparation for piano, noting that creative urges for writing may arise at other times. **In simple terms:** Prioritize piano, prepare fully, but allow other creative moments. Key Takeaway Balance focus with flexibility. Themes discipline creativity prioritization Mood determined reflective Type instructional motivational When to use this quote - concert preparation - writing sessions - creative breaks - time management Key Concepts performance excellence artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate writing without compromising piano preparation? - What routines help shift focus effectively? A Different Perspective Strict hierarchy may limit spontaneous creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative juices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-juices/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [First priority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-priority/) [Hierarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hierarchy/) [Percent Prepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent-prepared-6058539/) [Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano/) [Piano 101](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano-101-6058538/) [Prepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prepared/) [Priority Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priority-piano-6058537/) ## Related quotes > [I do a lot of writing in my capacity as the creative director for a marketing agency. These days, though, I'm trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/i-do-a-lot-of-writing-in-my-capacity-as-the-creative-director-for-a/) [Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/) > [Part of your job as an artist is to push yourself and make sure your creative juices are flowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-walker/part-of-your-job-as-an-artist-is-to-push-yourself-and-make-sure-your/) [Benjamin Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-walker/) > [Let your creative juices flow and don't be afraid to take chances!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-comm/let-your-creative-juices-flow-and-don-t-be-afraid-to-take-chances/) [Joel Comm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-comm/) > [The Jungian therapist taught me the difference between the ego and the shadow. I realized I'd been so busy being a good girl that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/the-jungian-therapist-taught-me-the-difference-between-the-ego-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [My creative juices flow seasonally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravyn-lenae/my-creative-juices-flow-seasonally/) [Ravyn Lenae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravyn-lenae/) > [Marijuana, for me in particular, releases my creative juices. It doesn't work well for performing, but for creating nothing works better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lips-kudlow/marijuana-for-me-in-particular-releases-my-creative-juices-it-doesn-t/) [Steve "Lips" Kudlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lips-kudlow/) > [As with anything, you need to keep your creative juices flowing and keep the character interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/as-with-anything-you-need-to-keep-your-creative-juices-flowing-and/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [There was this enormous burst of sculptural creative juice in the nineteenth century, and all that stuff is just so decorative. Even in pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hardy/there-was-this-enormous-burst-of-sculptural-creative-juice-in-the/) [Hugh Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hardy/) > [“Got to keep the creative juices flowing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/got-to-keep-the-creative-juices-flowing/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“You will know what steps to take to move up in your life, what to do when conflict develops, and most important, how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-berg/you-will-know-what-steps-to-take-to-move-up-in-your-life-what-to-do/) [Art Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-berg/) > [“To help get your creative juices flowing, you might look online at lists of the "best taglines ever." Their branding ideas are genius and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/to-help-get-your-creative-juices-flowing-you-might-look-online-at/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [I feel extra ambitious when I am physically tired yet my creative juices keep me from resting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-dansky/i-feel-extra-ambitious-when-i-am-physically-tired-yet-my-creative/) [Martin Dansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-dansky/) > [“My creative juices only flow freely in the dark. My mind is like a mushroom: if you shine the light of the one true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-kidd/my-creative-juices-only-flow-freely-in-the-dark-my-mind-is-like-a/) [Jess Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-kidd/) > [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [The hardest period for a writer is the period in-between writing. That's when you can go crazy if you don't allow the creative juices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/the-hardest-period-for-a-writer-is-the-period-in-between-writing-that/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) ## More by Stephen Hough > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [Unlike sport, music is not about winning or keeping fit or promoting your town or school; it's about celebrating, to a level approaching ecstasy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/unlike-sport-music-is-not-about-winning-or-keeping-fit-or-promoting/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [In Britten or Berg, there's a tension between the sweet and the sour, between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the tonal and the atonal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/in-britten-or-berg-there-s-a-tension-between-the-sweet-and-the-sour/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [The things I do outside of playing the piano are done out of an inner necessity, not just because I want to try my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/the-things-i-do-outside-of-playing-the-piano-are-done-out-of-an-inner/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [There are artists who delight listeners with their wild and daring individuality; there are others who uncover the written score with reverence. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/there-are-artists-who-delight-listeners-with-their-wild-and-daring/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [They both changed the way we hear the sound of the piano, both of them inventors of sonority: Chopin took bel canto singing lines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/they-both-changed-the-way-we-hear-the-sound-of-the-piano-both-of-them/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [Classical music thinks in centuries, not four-year terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/classical-music-thinks-in-centuries-not-four-year-terms/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I was such a lazy teenager: I didn't read or play the piano beyond the bare minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-was-such-a-lazy-teenager-i-didn-t-read-or-play-the-piano-beyond-the/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I think there are very few people that I would give the title of genius to, really, but Beethoven unquestionably is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-think-there-are-very-few-people-that-i-would-give-the-title-of/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [Before the 20th century, to be a successful musician was merely to be one who was employed. A few, such as Liszt, Paderewski and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/before-the-20th-century-to-be-a-successful-musician-was-merely-to-be/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [In school, my favourite class was when we were given a subject for an essay on which we could freewheel. And poetry: I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/in-school-my-favourite-class-was-when-we-were-given-a-subject-for-an/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [If I'm walking along the street, ideas come. Ideas about things that I'm interested in. I've jotted them down in the past on bits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/if-i-m-walking-along-the-street-ideas-come-ideas-about-things-that-i/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I can admire music where you feel the composer has everything organized and perfectly shaped, but it doesn't touch me. I like to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-can-admire-music-where-you-feel-the-composer-has-everything/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I was out of the U.K. as a care-free, fun-loving student for much of Mrs. Thatcher's time in Downing Street, and as I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-was-out-of-the-u-k-as-a-care-free-fun-loving-student-for-much-of/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [Before Liszt, a conductor was someone who just facilitated the performance, who would keep people together or beat the time, indicate the entries. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/before-liszt-a-conductor-was-someone-who-just-facilitated-the/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) [Explore all 99 Stephen Hough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) ## More Creative juices quotes > [I do a lot of writing in my capacity as the creative director for a marketing agency. These days, though, I'm trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/i-do-a-lot-of-writing-in-my-capacity-as-the-creative-director-for-a/) [Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/) > [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“My creative juices only flow freely in the dark. My mind is like a mushroom: if you shine the light of the one true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-kidd/my-creative-juices-only-flow-freely-in-the-dark-my-mind-is-like-a/) [Jess Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-kidd/) > [I feel extra ambitious when I am physically tired yet my creative juices keep me from resting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-dansky/i-feel-extra-ambitious-when-i-am-physically-tired-yet-my-creative/) [Martin Dansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-dansky/) > [“To help get your creative juices flowing, you might look online at lists of the "best taglines ever." Their branding ideas are genius and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/to-help-get-your-creative-juices-flowing-you-might-look-online-at/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [“You will know what steps to take to move up in your life, what to do when conflict develops, and most important, how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-berg/you-will-know-what-steps-to-take-to-move-up-in-your-life-what-to-do/) [Art Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-berg/) > [“Got to keep the creative juices flowing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/got-to-keep-the-creative-juices-flowing/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [There was this enormous burst of sculptural creative juice in the nineteenth century, and all that stuff is just so decorative. Even in pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hardy/there-was-this-enormous-burst-of-sculptural-creative-juice-in-the/) [Hugh Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hardy/) > [As with anything, you need to keep your creative juices flowing and keep the character interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/as-with-anything-you-need-to-keep-your-creative-juices-flowing-and/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [Marijuana, for me in particular, releases my creative juices. It doesn't work well for performing, but for creating nothing works better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lips-kudlow/marijuana-for-me-in-particular-releases-my-creative-juices-it-doesn-t/) [Steve "Lips" Kudlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lips-kudlow/) > [My creative juices flow seasonally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravyn-lenae/my-creative-juices-flow-seasonally/) [Ravyn Lenae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravyn-lenae/) > [The Jungian therapist taught me the difference between the ego and the shadow. I realized I'd been so busy being a good girl that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/the-jungian-therapist-taught-me-the-difference-between-the-ego-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Let your creative juices flow and don't be afraid to take chances!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-comm/let-your-creative-juices-flow-and-don-t-be-afraid-to-take-chances/) [Joel Comm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-comm/) > [Part of your job as an artist is to push yourself and make sure your creative juices are flowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-walker/part-of-your-job-as-an-artist-is-to-push-yourself-and-make-sure-your/) [Benjamin Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-walker/) > [The hardest period for a writer is the period in-between writing. That's when you can go crazy if you don't allow the creative juices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/the-hardest-period-for-a-writer-is-the-period-in-between-writing-that/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) [Browse all 57 Creative juices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-juices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The hierarchy is set out for me. The first priority is piano. I have to be 101 percent prepared. 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