--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not brilliance or facility that is…" description: "\"It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but the determination to bear and even enjoy the dull process of wading into one's own bad prose ag..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/stewart-o-nan-16780_bears_it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is_87726.jpg" --- # It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but… ![“It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but the determination to bear and even enjoy the dull process of wading into one's own bad prose again, and one more time, and then once again, with the utmost concentration and taste, looking for opportunities to mine deeper.” quote by Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/stewart-o-nan-16780_bears_it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is_87726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/stewart-o-nan-16780_bears_it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is_87726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/stewart-o-nan-16780_bears_it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is_87726.jpg) > “It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but the determination to bear and even enjoy the dull process of wading into one's own bad prose again, and one more time, and then once again, with the utmost concentration and taste, looking for opportunities to mine deeper.” [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing well requires perseverance through tedious revisions, treating each draft as a chance to deepen craft and taste. **In simple terms:** Embrace the grind of revision. Key Takeaway Persistence refines prose. Themes craftsmanship perseverance revision self‑discipline Mood determined reflective Type instructional philosophical When to use this quote - author revising a manuscript - student editing an essay - blogger polishing a post Key Concepts writing process focus Practical Applications - writing workshops - editing checklists Questions to Reflect On - What does the "dull process" teach you about your work? - How can you make revision more purposeful? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Brilliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliance/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Concentration Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-taste-1073008/) [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) [Dull Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull-process-1098565/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Enjoy Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-dull-1098566/) [Facility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facility/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Looking Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-opportunities-1098568/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) [More time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more-time/) [Opportunities Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunities-deeper-1098567/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The secret of success is concentration ... Taste everything a little, look at everything a little; but live for one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/the-secret-of-success-is-concentration-taste-everything-a-little-look/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/opportunities-to-find-deeper-powers-within-ourselves-come-when-life/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“Centre point of every meeting that will attended almost dull, if the process of sharp eye remains there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kh-muawia-tariq/centre-point-of-every-meeting-that-will-attended-almost-dull-if-the/) [KH Muawia Tariq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kh-muawia-tariq/) > [Making a movie is a long, dull process. 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Unsuccessful people are always asking, What's in it for me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/successful-people-are-always-looking-for-opportunities-to-help-others/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [I'm just looking at other opportunities, television... not so much another existing reality show, but more about creating stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-act/i-m-just-looking-at-other-opportunities-television-not-so-much/) [Courtney Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-act/) > [Part of being a successful leader is listening and looking for opportunities to bring people together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-reynolds/part-of-being-a-successful-leader-is-listening-and-looking-for/) [Kim Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-reynolds/) > [Always be looking for the opportunities, and always be optimistic about what you can do with that opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/always-be-looking-for-the-opportunities-and-always-be-optimistic/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [It's through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we've always mapped our path at Dell. 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Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/) > [I normally don't initiate conversations with guys unless they want to talk about certain things - when I'm at the facility, I'm there to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kluwe/i-normally-don-t-initiate-conversations-with-guys-unless-they-want-to/) [Chris Kluwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kluwe/) > [Money should not be in the hands of individuals; otherwise it will create this problem of being burdened with guilt. And money can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/money-should-not-be-in-the-hands-of-individuals-otherwise-it-will/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## More by Stewart O'Nan > [The happiest she'd ever been was with him, and the saddest. Was that the true test of love?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/the-happiest-she-d-ever-been-was-with-him-and-the-saddest-was-that/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [You couldn't relive your life, skipping the awful parts, without losing what made it worthwhile. 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"Should be like a wood bee," she said. It was a private joke, a mocking appreciation of the slipperiness of even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/they-should-should-be-like-a-wood-bee-she-said-it-was-a-private-joke/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [I've always been a big reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/i-ve-always-been-a-big-reader/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [I'm not sure the risks I take are any different from what other writers take, since we all serve at the pleasure of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/i-m-not-sure-the-risks-i-take-are-any-different-from-what-other/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [“Come then, come with us, out into the night. Come now, America the lovesick, America the timid, the blessed, the educated, come stalk the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/come-then-come-with-us-out-into-the-night-come-now-america-the/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [“Often, as she leafed through the sticky, plastic-coated pages, spotting herself with a frizzy perm or wearing a loud, printed blouse, she was struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/often-as-she-leafed-through-the-sticky-plastic-coated-pages-spotting/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [As a fiction writer, my favorite tools are my imagination and the peculiar opportunities offered by different points of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/as-a-fiction-writer-my-favorite-tools-are-my-imagination-and-the/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [You can't run from your roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/you-can-t-run-from-your-roots/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [The two hardest things about writing are starting and not stopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/the-two-hardest-things-about-writing-are-starting-and-not-stopping/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [I like the idea of being a working writer, not of saying that it's going to take me 30 years to write my magnum opus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/i-like-the-idea-of-being-a-working-writer-not-of-saying-that-it-s/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [“It was the ultimate cautionary tale, the moral being Don't fall, as if they were made of glass. 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One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [You've had a whole lot of experience, but everything is also radically new at each moment, and you have to bring a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/you-ve-had-a-whole-lot-of-experience-but-everything-is-also-radically/) [Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [Pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. Go back to the grass roots. 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I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I'm supportive of women, absolutely, and it's so gratifying to have girls come up and say, 'I'm really inspired by your guitar playing.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-m-supportive-of-women-absolutely-and-it-s-so-gratifying-to-have/) [St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/) [Browse all 4,111 Bears quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but the determination to bear and even enjoy the dull process of wading into one's own bad prose again, and one more time, and then once again, with the utmost concentration and taste, looking for opportunities to mine deeper.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stewart O'Nan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is-necessary-but-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bears" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is-necessary-but-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/stewart-o-nan-16780_bears_it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is_87726.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/stewart-o-nan-16780_bears_it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is_87726.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/stewart-o-nan-16780_bears_it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is_87726.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but the determination to bear and even enjoy the dull…” — Stewart O'Nan", "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": "Stewart O'Nan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not brilliance or facility...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is-necessary-but-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is-necessary-but-the/#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 } } ] } ```