--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a great lesson about not being too…" description: "\"It's a great lesson about not being too precious about your writing. You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/tina-fey-484_funny-motivational_it-s-a-great-lesson-about-not-being-too_1787534.jpg" --- # It's a great lesson about not being too precious about… ![“It's a great lesson about not being too precious about your writing. You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke you can until the last possible second, and then you have to let it go. You can't be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking…” quote by Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/tina-fey-484_funny-motivational_it-s-a-great-lesson-about-not-being-too_1787534.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/tina-fey-484_funny-motivational_it-s-a-great-lesson-about-not-being-too_1787534.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/tina-fey-484_funny-motivational_it-s-a-great-lesson-about-not-being-too_1787534.jpg) > “It's a great lesson about not being too precious about your writing. You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke you can until the last possible second, and then you have to let it go. You can't be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it...You have to let people see what you wrote.” [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote urges writers to work intensely, refine jokes up to the last moment, then release them without over‑protectiveness. **In simple terms:** Work hard, polish, then let go. Key Takeaway Perfect your craft, then trust the audience. Themes creativity perfectionism confidence Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - stand‑up comedy - TV scriptwriting - late‑night sketches - creative workshops Key Concepts writing process self‑critique performance anxiety Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when a joke is ready? - What fears keep you from sharing work? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can stall completion and cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-motivational/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest/) [Improve Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improve-joke-1588319/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Let it go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-it-go/) [Overthinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overthinking/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-wrote-458932/) [Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-advice/) [Writing Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-try-420202/) ## Related quotes > [You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke you can until the last possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-have-to-try-your-hardest-to-be-at-the-top-of-your-game-and/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [So, my unsolicited advice to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism, or ageism, or lookism, or even really aggressive Buddhism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/so-my-unsolicited-advice-to-women-in-the-workplace-is-this-when-faced/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-can-t-be-that-kid-standing-at-the-top-of-the-waterslide/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [A lot of people wrote that Roger (Maris) and I didn't like each other and that we didn't get along. Nothing could be further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/a-lot-of-people-wrote-that-roger-maris-and-i-didn-t-like-each-other/) [Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/) > [We live in the least ugly time in history. If you look at back when Beethoven was writing, half the kids were dying, mothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-bell/we-live-in-the-least-ugly-time-in-history-if-you-look-at-back-when/) [Joshua Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-bell/) > [There is a big difference between No. 1 and No. 2. I don't care who wrote it. I'd love to one day have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-houser/there-is-a-big-difference-between-no-1-and-no-2-i-don-t-care-who/) [Randy Houser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-houser/) > [“I fared better than many of the people I wrote about in this book; yet even so, over the course of the events depicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-filkins/i-fared-better-than-many-of-the-people-i-wrote-about-in-this-book-yet/) [Dexter Filkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-filkins/) > [“There are people, she once wrote, who think that we cannot rule ourselves because the few times we tried, we failed, as if all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/there-are-people-she-once-wrote-who-think-that-we-cannot-rule/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [I found myself jealous of the people who wrote the books. They were dead and they were still taking up my time. Who did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-found-myself-jealous-of-the-people-who-wrote-the-books-they-were/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [Loads of people wrote me off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dereck-chisora/loads-of-people-wrote-me-off/) [Dereck Chisora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dereck-chisora/) > [“Sappho isn't really meant to be read. It's meant to be sung and there were dances for the songs, also. Sappho was a performance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chee/sappho-isn-t-really-meant-to-be-read-it-s-meant-to-be-sung-and-there/) [Alexander Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chee/) > [Nothing will turn you into a Civil War buff like five years of reading. Some of the letters that people wrote from that time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/nothing-will-turn-you-into-a-civil-war-buff-like-five-years-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“She hated official letters. They made her feel nervous. The people who wrote them sounded like they had filing cabinets where their hearts should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-rundell/she-hated-official-letters-they-made-her-feel-nervous-the-people-who/) [Katherine Rundell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-rundell/) > [I read American sagas (of the west) and I do not see people who went in search of material things. I see people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/i-read-american-sagas-of-the-west-and-i-do-not-see-people-who-went-in/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [“The people who wrote viruses knew they had to stay one step ahead; they developed ways to make their viruses more difficult to detect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-gregory/the-people-who-wrote-viruses-knew-they-had-to-stay-one-step-ahead/) [Peter H. Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-gregory/) ## More by Tina Fey > [I really like John McCain. He's an awesome dude and was a lot of fun when he hosted "SNL." I'd love to see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-really-like-john-mccain-he-s-an-awesome-dude-and-was-a-lot-of-fun/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You mostly know that you want to be funny, know that you have the desire. It's not like people who grow up beautiful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-mostly-know-that-you-want-to-be-funny-know-that-you-have-the/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [I was a very confident little kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-was-a-very-confident-little-kid/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You can tell how smart people are by what they laugh at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-can-tell-how-smart-people-are-by-what-they-laugh-at/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/whatever-the-problem-be-part-of-the-solution-don-t-just-sit-around/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Pentagon records show that at least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. Army have deserted since the Iraq war began. Hey, at least somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/pentagon-records-show-that-at-least-8-000-members-of-the-all/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“That summer I got to know four families in which half the children were gay. In case you’re interested from a sociological point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/that-summer-i-got-to-know-four-families-in-which-half-the-children/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [The topic of working moms is a tap-dance recital in a minefield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/the-topic-of-working-moms-is-a-tap-dance-recital-in-a-minefield/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You can be a little bit darker and rougher on the stage, partly because when you're in the theater, people have come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-can-be-a-little-bit-darker-and-rougher-on-the-stage-partly/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [ \[...\] things most people do naturally are often inexplicably difficult for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/things-most-people-do-naturally-are-often-inexplicably-difficult-for/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“To this day, all I know is there are between two and four openings down there and that the set up inside looks vaguely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/to-this-day-all-i-know-is-there-are-between-two-and-four-openings/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Wafah Dufour bin Laden, niece of Osama bin Laden has signed a contract to star in a reality show... called Skating with the Nieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/wafah-dufour-bin-laden-niece-of-osama-bin-laden-has-signed-a-contract/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [It's not vanity, because if you look weird, it will distract from what your trying to do. If you look as good as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/it-s-not-vanity-because-if-you-look-weird-it-will-distract-from-what/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Sometimes, you can feel or see how a movie can... how you can do it. Sometimes it's just like seeing, "Can that work? Will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/sometimes-you-can-feel-or-see-how-a-movie-can-how-you-can-do-it/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/forward-women-embraced-their-diversity-and-realized-that-all-shapes/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) [Explore all 527 Tina Fey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) ## More Funny motivational quotes > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [I wanted to have a career in sports when I was young, but I had to give up the idea. I'm only six feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/i-wanted-to-have-a-career-in-sports-when-i-was-young-but-i-had-to/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Don't take life too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/don-t-take-life-too-seriously/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [Sometimes, Chelsea, I wonder, how you get by from day to day. It's a good thing you're so voluptuous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/sometimes-chelsea-i-wonder-how-you-get-by-from-day-to-day-it-s-a-good/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/when-you-are-courting-a-nice-girl-an-hour-seems-like-a-second/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Here is my prescription to heal all wounds. Watch the film 'Funny Girl' at least five times, eat at least 45 chocolate bars, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/here-is-my-prescription-to-heal-all-wounds-watch-the-film-funny-girl/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [So, my unsolicited advice to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism, or ageism, or lookism, or even really aggressive Buddhism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/so-my-unsolicited-advice-to-women-in-the-workplace-is-this-when-faced/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/i-knew-i-was-going-to-take-the-wrong-train-so-i-left-early/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Change is not a four letter word...but often your reaction to it is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/change-is-not-a-four-letter-word-but-often-your-reaction-to-it-is/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [Cool story bro, .. now make me a sammich. xD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meh/cool-story-bro-now-make-me-a-sammich-xd/) [Meh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meh/) > [Most comedy is based on getting a laugh at somebody else's expense. And I find that that's just a form of bullying in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/most-comedy-is-based-on-getting-a-laugh-at-somebody-else-s-expense/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [Good things come to those who initiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-roane/good-things-come-to-those-who-initiate/) [Susan RoAne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-roane/) > [Learn from the mistakes of others. 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