--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Actually, you can be bad at…" description: "\"Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough. - August Boatwright\" — Sue Monk Kidd" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/sue-monk-kidd-404_august_actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but_1981196.png" --- # Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love… ![“Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough. - August Boatwright” quote by Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/sue-monk-kidd-404_august_actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but_1981196.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/sue-monk-kidd-404_august_actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but_1981196.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/sue-monk-kidd-404_august_actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but_1981196.png) > “Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough. - August Boatwright” [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passion can compensate for lack of skill; love drives perseverance and fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Love makes up for being bad at something. Key Takeaway Let love guide your practice. Themes passion perseverance self‑acceptance Mood encouraging optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - hobbies - learning new skills - volunteering - creative work Key Concepts intrinsic motivation growth through love Questions to Reflect On - Can love sustain long‑term effort without improvement? - When is skill mastery essential? A Different Perspective Skill development still matters for quality and safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) [August Boatwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august-boatwright-3384169/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Doing August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-august-3384170/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-doing/) ## Related quotes > [This is the autumn of wonders, yet every day, every single day, I go back to that burned afternoon in August when T. Ray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/this-is-the-autumn-of-wonders-yet-every-day-every-single-day-i-go/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“There is nothing perfect,' August said from the doorway. 'There is only life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-is-nothing-perfect-august-said-from-the-doorway-there-is-only/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“August: You know, somethings don't matter that much...like the color of a house...But lifting a person's heart--now that matters. The whole problem with people--"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/august-you-know-somethings-don-t-matter-that-much-like-the-color-of-a/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The first week at August's was a consolation, a pure relief. The world will give you that once in a while, a brief time-out;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-first-week-at-august-s-was-a-consolation-a-pure-relief-the-world/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Did you know there are thirty-two names for love in one of the Eskimo languages?" August said. "And we just have this one. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/did-you-know-there-are-thirty-two-names-for-love-in-one-of-the-eskimo/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. We're all so human. Your mother made a terrible mistake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/every-person-on-the-face-of-the-earth-makes-mistakes-lily-every-last-2/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“That's because May takes in things differently than the rest of us do." August reached over and laid her hand on my arm. "See,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/that-s-because-may-takes-in-things-differently-than-the-rest-of-us-do/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“June always said that most people bit off more than they could chew, but August chewed more than she bit off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/june-always-said-that-most-people-bit-off-more-than-they-could-chew/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [I'd heard August say more than once, "If you need something from somebody, always give that person a way to hand it to you."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-d-heard-august-say-more-than-once-if-you-need-something-from/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [One of the things I love doing is putting great people together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-rubin/one-of-the-things-i-love-doing-is-putting-great-people-together/) [Michael G. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-rubin/) > [I Love Doing Photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danish/i-love-doing-photography/) [Danish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danish/) > [Football is something so ingrained in me, something I love doing and definitely something I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fitzpatrick/football-is-something-so-ingrained-in-me-something-i-love-doing-and/) [Ryan Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fitzpatrick/) > [Acting is a very important thing for me, and I love doing it. But when I'm acting, I spend 14 hours a day and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-love-hewitt/acting-is-a-very-important-thing-for-me-and-i-love-doing-it-but-when/) [Jennifer Love Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-love-hewitt/) > [I fell in love with doing yoga.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ione-skye/i-fell-in-love-with-doing-yoga/) [Ione Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ione-skye/) > [I don't believe in strategies. I love what I am doing; that's the main thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aamir-khan/i-don-t-believe-in-strategies-i-love-what-i-am-doing-that-s-the-main/) [Aamir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aamir-khan/) ## More by Sue Monk Kidd > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“It's part of our overall Body Negation Program.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-s-part-of-our-overall-body-negation-program/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“That was the thing mauma and I loved, our time with the quilts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/that-was-the-thing-mauma-and-i-loved-our-time-with-the-quilts/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The mermaids came to me finally, in the pink hours of my life. They are my consolation. For them I dove with arms outstretched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-mermaids-came-to-me-finally-in-the-pink-hours-of-my-life-they-are/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [I eventually found that the soul is more than an immortal commodity to win and save. It is the repository of the inner divine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-eventually-found-that-the-soul-is-more-than-an-immortal-commodity/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Readiness for dying arrives by attending the smallest moment and finding the eternal inside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/readiness-for-dying-arrives-by-attending-the-smallest-moment-and/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“I sat at her desk and turned one page after another, staring at what looked like bits and pieces of black lace laid cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-sat-at-her-desk-and-turned-one-page-after-another-staring-at-what/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“There's no pain on earth that doesn't require a benevolent witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-s-no-pain-on-earth-that-doesn-t-require-a-benevolent-witness/) [sue monk kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“afflicted with the worst female curse on earth, the need to mold myself to expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/afflicted-with-the-worst-female-curse-on-earth-the-need-to-mold/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Her forbidden bath all those months ago still hung leaden between us, though Handful didn't seem the least bit ashamed by my discovery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/her-forbidden-bath-all-those-months-ago-still-hung-leaden-between-us/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Why should God’s perfection be based on having an unchanging nature?” I asked. “Isn’t flexibility more perfect than stasis?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/why-should-god-s-perfection-be-based-on-having-an-unchanging-nature-i/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) [Explore all 584 Sue Monk Kidd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## More August quotes > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/) [Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/) > [I had the advantage, that I know Swedish. So I had the Swedish book and I had a lot of English translations, and German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-had-the-advantage-that-i-know-swedish-so-i-had-the-swedish-book-and/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [August depresses me a little. I don't even feel like eating. And when I don't eat, that's a sure sign of stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/august-depresses-me-a-little-i-don-t-even-feel-like-eating-and-when-i/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/august-the-summer-s-last-messenger-of-misery-is-a-hollow-actor/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [ It \[August 10th 1792\] was the bloodiest day of the Revolution so far, but also one of the most decisive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/it-august-10th-1792-was-the-bloodiest-day-of-the-revolution-so-far/) [William Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-doyle/) > [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I studied acting in NYU's graduate program, in which we covered everything from Ibsen and Chekov to August Wilson and David Mamet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-studied-acting-in-nyu-s-graduate-program-in-which-we-covered/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [The 6th of August in the morning we saw an opening in the land and we ran into it, and anchored in 7 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/the-6th-of-august-in-the-morning-we-saw-an-opening-in-the-land-and-we/) [William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/) > [August creates as she slumbers, replete and satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/august-creates-as-she-slumbers-replete-and-satisfied/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [I left for Petersburg in August, 1871 and stayed there until 1879.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-spitteler/i-left-for-petersburg-in-august-1871-and-stayed-there-until-1879/) [Carl Spitteler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-spitteler/) [Browse all 448 August quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough. - August Boatwright", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sue Monk Kidd" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but-if-you-love-doing-it-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "August" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but-if-you-love-doing-it-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/sue-monk-kidd-404_august_actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but_1981196.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/sue-monk-kidd-404_august_actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but_1981196.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/sue-monk-kidd-404_august_actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but_1981196.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough. - August Boatwright” — Sue Monk Kidd", "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": "Sue Monk Kidd", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Actually, you can be bad at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but-if-you-love-doing-it-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/actually-you-can-be-bad-at-something-but-if-you-love-doing-it-that/#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 } } ] } ```