--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do less of that stuff now because I…" description: "\"I do less of that stuff now because I figured out that when I was writing things I didn't care about, it made me angry and depressed, so I turned my fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/tod-goldberg-17468_angry_i-do-less-of-that-stuff-now-because-i-fi_2961148.jpg" --- # I do less of that stuff now because I figured out that… ![“I do less of that stuff now because I figured out that when I was writing things I didn't care about, it made me angry and depressed, so I turned my focus to what does make me happy, and also I recognized that one of the things that gives me great happiness is teaching creative writing, and so I…” quote by Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/tod-goldberg-17468_angry_i-do-less-of-that-stuff-now-because-i-fi_2961148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/tod-goldberg-17468_angry_i-do-less-of-that-stuff-now-because-i-fi_2961148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c0/tod-goldberg-17468_angry_i-do-less-of-that-stuff-now-because-i-fi_2961148.jpg) > “I do less of that stuff now because I figured out that when I was writing things I didn't care about, it made me angry and depressed, so I turned my focus to what does make me happy, and also I recognized that one of the things that gives me great happiness is teaching creative writing, and so I could write profiles of professional golfers or I could be a professor. Being a professor made me much happier.” [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shifting focus from unfulfilling work to teaching and writing about passions leads to happiness. **In simple terms:** Focus on work you love for happiness. Key Takeaway Prioritize meaningful work. Themes career happiness purpose teaching writing Mood inspirational optimistic Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - teaching - writing - career counseling - personal development - mental health Key Concepts intrinsic motivation career change ful fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What passions could you turn into a career? - How does teaching impact your well‑being? A Different Perspective Changing careers can be risky and uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-writing/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Golfers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golfers/) [Great happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-happiness/) [Happier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happier/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Be sure you don't lose your happiness teaching others people how to be happy. Your happiness is your teaching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/be-sure-you-don-t-lose-your-happiness-teaching-others-people-how-to/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-have-just-one-day-today-and-i-m-going-to-be-happy-in-it/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [In high school, in 1956, at the age of sixteen, we were not taught "creative writing." We were taught literature and grammar. So no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-high-school-in-1956-at-the-age-of-sixteen-we-were-not-taught/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Shakespeare was a dramatist of note who lived by writing things to quote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-c-bunner/shakespeare-was-a-dramatist-of-note-who-lived-by-writing-things-to/) H. C. Bunner > [But I think writing should be a bit of a struggle. We're not writing things that are going to change the world in big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evie-wyld/but-i-think-writing-should-be-a-bit-of-a-struggle-we-re-not-writing/) [Evie Wyld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evie-wyld/) > [Encourage aspiring writers to continue writing when things are going against them, when it feels hard. Explain the typical obstacles that occur, and encourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/encourage-aspiring-writers-to-continue-writing-when-things-are-going/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I started writing my own things when I was about 8. I used to try to bully my friends into imitating the Spice Girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charli-xcx/i-started-writing-my-own-things-when-i-was-about-8-i-used-to-try-to/) [Charli XCX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charli-xcx/) > [As my kid gets a little bit older, if I feel like I have a little bit more time on my hands, I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/busy-philipps/as-my-kid-gets-a-little-bit-older-if-i-feel-like-i-have-a-little-bit/) [Busy Philipps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/busy-philipps/) > [I write in a slangy colloquial speech that has not been common in the Israeli tradition of writing, and that is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-write-in-a-slangy-colloquial-speech-that-has-not-been-common-in-the/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [I lost my voice. I'd never had to cancel a show before and I had to walk around with a pad and a pen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-lost-my-voice-i-d-never-had-to-cancel-a-show-before-and-i-had-to/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I'm much more interested in writing about the things that engage and enrage me as an adult rather than in wallowing in childhood sorrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-m-much-more-interested-in-writing-about-the-things-that-engage-and/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I don't feel like I have the greatest memory, so finding selfish motivations for writing things down helps... I'm like, it would be really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-the-greatest-memory-so-finding-selfish/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I think I have a harder time writing about things that I am not actually going through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-mark/i-think-i-have-a-harder-time-writing-about-things-that-i-am-not/) [Amber Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-mark/) > [The lovely thing about writing is, well, two things. One, writing fiction allows us to bring an order to our lives that doesn't exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/the-lovely-thing-about-writing-is-well-two-things-one-writing-fiction/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [I'm a planner, an organizer. I write things down because you can visually check them off and see progress. Writing things down is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-grier/i-m-a-planner-an-organizer-i-write-things-down-because-you-can/) [Will Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-grier/) ## More by Tod Goldberg > [I found myself thinking a lot about my own spirituality. What it means to be Jewish, what it means to forgive, what it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-found-myself-thinking-a-lot-about-my-own-spirituality-what-it-means/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [I think, generally, the flawed anti-hero is much more interesting than the normal hero, and that's really what we're talking about here as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-think-generally-the-flawed-anti-hero-is-much-more-interesting-than/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [I think my philosophy has evolved over the years. I started teaching almost 15 years ago and I've learned that how one student learns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-think-my-philosophy-has-evolved-over-the-years-i-started-teaching/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [We understand a person with problems, someone who is wrong about a lot of things in his or her life, who makes messes. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/we-understand-a-person-with-problems-someone-who-is-wrong-about-a-lot/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [You don't see Los Angeles erecting a museum dedicated to the birth place of the Crips and the Bloods and the Mexican Mafia, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/you-don-t-see-los-angeles-erecting-a-museum-dedicated-to-the-birth/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [“The danger of drawing parallels is that some things are always inequalities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/the-danger-of-drawing-parallels-is-that-some-things-are-always/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [We like the idea of a guy who gets away with it ("it" in this case being a variety of things: murder, robbery, general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/we-like-the-idea-of-a-guy-who-gets-away-with-it-it-in-this-case-being/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [“Sam took another sip of the pruno. It went down smoother this time, possibly because he no longer had feeling in his extremities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/sam-took-another-sip-of-the-pruno-it-went-down-smoother-this-time/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [So for a long time, I did a lot of freelance writing in addition to writing fiction and such - I was a food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/so-for-a-long-time-i-did-a-lot-of-freelance-writing-in-addition-to/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [The fact is, though, what I think we really like is Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and James Gandolfini. We like what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/the-fact-is-though-what-i-think-we-really-like-is-marlon-brando-al/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [“I think you two forgot how to love each other, and that’s just like poison. Worst thing you can do is forgot how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-think-you-two-forgot-how-to-love-each-other-and-that-s-just-like/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [It's an unusual way to write a crime novel, to have these lingering, fairly large story points, but it's something I knew I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/it-s-an-unusual-way-to-write-a-crime-novel-to-have-these-lingering/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [There's an old, private cemetery here in Palm Springs, where I live, just down the street from the airport, that belongs to one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/there-s-an-old-private-cemetery-here-in-palm-springs-where-i-live/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [I was thinking a lot about the aftermath of bad choices, how people deal with the trauma of having survived trauma, if that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-was-thinking-a-lot-about-the-aftermath-of-bad-choices-how-people/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [My god, people are selling their work and people are reading it! The horror! That MFA programs have to advertise that they'll let you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/my-god-people-are-selling-their-work-and-people-are-reading-it-the/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) [Explore all 37 Tod Goldberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) ## More Angry quotes > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) > [I'm an angry guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gandolfini/i-m-an-angry-guy/) [James Gandolfini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gandolfini/) > [Apparently, I'm the angriest man. I don't know. It's just an interpretation. If it was someone else, they might be called focused or competitive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/apparently-i-m-the-angriest-man-i-don-t-know-it-s-just-an/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) [Browse all 3,857 Angry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do less of that stuff now because I figured out that when I was writing things I didn't care about, it made me angry and depressed, so I turned my focus to what does make me happy, and also I recognized that one of the things that gives me great happiness is teaching creative writing, and so I could write profiles of professional golfers or I could be a professor. 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