--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Torture yourself about your failures. And…" description: "\"Torture yourself about your failures. And then get back to work.\" — Tony Kushner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/tony-kushner-2204_back-to-work_torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and_1346671.jpg" --- # Torture yourself about your failures. And then get back to… ![“Torture yourself about your failures. And then get back to work.” quote by Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/tony-kushner-2204_back-to-work_torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and_1346671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/tony-kushner-2204_back-to-work_torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and_1346671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/tony-kushner-2204_back-to-work_torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and_1346671.jpg) > “Torture yourself about your failures. And then get back to work.” [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages confronting personal failures harshly, then refocusing on work as a coping mechanism. **In simple terms:** Punish yourself for failures, then get back to work. Key Takeaway Use failure as motivation, not excuse. Themes self‑discipline resilience productivity Mood determined serious Type motivational advice When to use this quote - career setbacks - personal growth - workplace challenges Key Concepts psychology motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can you address failures constructively? - What strategies help maintain motivation after setbacks? A Different Perspective Harsh self‑criticism can damage mental health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back to work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-to-work/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It's time for all Americans to get off of welfare and get back to work. You're going to love it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/it-s-time-for-all-americans-to-get-off-of-welfare-and-get-back-to/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I'm just trying to suppress my natural impulses and get back to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-m-just-trying-to-suppress-my-natural-impulses-and-get-back-to-work/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [When you finish for the day, write a note reminding yourself of what you plan to do next. This helps you to remember today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/when-you-finish-for-the-day-write-a-note-reminding-yourself-of-what/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [After I had my youngest son,I took time for him and just spent more time with my family. But, I know it's time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-headley/after-i-had-my-youngest-son-i-took-time-for-him-and-just-spent-more/) [Heather Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-headley/) > [There is an art to grieving. To grieve well the loss of anyone or anything--a parent, a love, a child, an era, a home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/there-is-an-art-to-grieving-to-grieve-well-the-loss-of-anyone-or/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [I always have a few ideas that are percolating, and then after I've finished a book and it's a year later, and things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-always-have-a-few-ideas-that-are-percolating-and-then-after-i-ve/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [It would be great for everyone to grow up like I grew up, where everyone had a job. It would be nice for everybody.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stallone/it-would-be-great-for-everyone-to-grow-up-like-i-grew-up-where/) [Frank Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stallone/) > [Enough of this foreign fiasco distraction. Get back to work. It is time to bomb Obamacare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/enough-of-this-foreign-fiasco-distraction-get-back-to-work-it-is-time/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [Fast food is both evil and genius. Because of it we can feed a large number of people fairly decently at an affordable price.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ripert/fast-food-is-both-evil-and-genius-because-of-it-we-can-feed-a-large/) [Eric Ripert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ripert/) > [Get back to work all of you! I'm not running a happy factory here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-krabs/get-back-to-work-all-of-you-i-m-not-running-a-happy-factory-here/) [Mr. Krabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-krabs/) > [I think one thing we went through was common to a lot of people: You work your whole life to achieve something, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-easton/i-think-one-thing-we-went-through-was-common-to-a-lot-of-people-you/) Elliot Easton > [To question the legitimacy of the next United States president, you know, and you're worried about a tweet that says, hey, why don't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/to-question-the-legitimacy-of-the-next-united-states-president-you/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [In my mind I first felt like, Oh, I'll be back to work right after the babies are born. But then you don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/in-my-mind-i-first-felt-like-oh-i-ll-be-back-to-work-right-after-the/) [Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/) > [Well, I needed the work - that's the honest answer. I haven't worked for a while, a couple of years. So I thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/well-i-needed-the-work-that-s-the-honest-answer-i-haven-t-worked-for/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [It's hard no to work, so I find a way to put myself back to work. And I think it's important, in between projects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/it-s-hard-no-to-work-so-i-find-a-way-to-put-myself-back-to-work-and-i/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) ## More by Tony Kushner > [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-big-influence-on-me-was-robert-altman-who-especially-in-nashville/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“Fabulous. If you possess it, you don’t need to ask what it is. When you attempt to delineate it, you move away from it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/fabulous-if-you-possess-it-you-don-t-need-to-ask-what-it-is-when-you/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [People are more easily manipulated when they don't have information. If you ensure that kids grow up without basic reading skills, math skills, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/people-are-more-easily-manipulated-when-they-don-t-have-information/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“If the snake sheds his skin before a new skin is ready, naked he will be in the world, prey to the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-the-snake-sheds-his-skin-before-a-new-skin-is-ready-naked-he-will/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“MATAMORE: I never fight with my love face on, I worry that it might get scratched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/matamore-i-never-fight-with-my-love-face-on-i-worry-that-it-might-get/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I never really feel that I’m stuck. I actually think that people are never stuck, there’s no such thing as writers block, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-never-really-feel-that-i-m-stuck-i-actually-think-that-people-are/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-act-of-thinking-and-interpreting-is-so-central-to-judaism-that-it/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The general consensus among historians, among the ones who can handle the fact that 'Lincoln' is, in fact, historical fiction, is that we demonstrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-general-consensus-among-historians-among-the-ones-who-can-handle/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-and-there-are-people-who-live/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [When really writing I'm not a good friend. Because writing disorganizes the social self, you become atomized. It scrambles you, sometimes to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/when-really-writing-i-m-not-a-good-friend-because-writing/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [My back went out and I gained 40 pounds while sweating over 'Perestroika.' It was incredibly hard, the hardest thing I had to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-back-went-out-and-i-gained-40-pounds-while-sweating-over/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Film is like tech starts on the first day of filming and it never stops. There's never a moment when the audience comes in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/film-is-like-tech-starts-on-the-first-day-of-filming-and-it-never/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) [Explore all 179 Tony Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## More Back to work quotes > [It's hard no to work, so I find a way to put myself back to work. And I think it's important, in between projects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/it-s-hard-no-to-work-so-i-find-a-way-to-put-myself-back-to-work-and-i/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [Well, I needed the work - that's the honest answer. I haven't worked for a while, a couple of years. So I thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/well-i-needed-the-work-that-s-the-honest-answer-i-haven-t-worked-for/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [I admire the women who can have babies and jump right back to work. As a nursing mother, I couldn’t sit there and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-admire-the-women-who-can-have-babies-and-jump-right-back-to-work-as/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [To question the legitimacy of the next United States president, you know, and you're worried about a tweet that says, hey, why don't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/to-question-the-legitimacy-of-the-next-united-states-president-you/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [How to make money from Facebook and Twitter: (1) Go to 'Account Settings' (2) Click 'Deactivate your account' (3) Go back to work!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/papa-cj/how-to-make-money-from-facebook-and-twitter-1-go-to-account-settings/) Papa CJ > [I think one thing we went through was common to a lot of people: You work your whole life to achieve something, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-easton/i-think-one-thing-we-went-through-was-common-to-a-lot-of-people-you/) Elliot Easton > [If I leave my computer, I'm probably not going to get back for hours. If I take a few minutes to answer questions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/if-i-leave-my-computer-i-m-probably-not-going-to-get-back-for-hours/) [Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) > [It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/it-occurred-to-me-that-anyway-one-more-sunday-was-over-that-maman-was/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor, Whip McCarthy and the entire republican conference as we repeal Obamacare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-upton/i-look-forward-to-standing-shoulder-to-shoulder-with-speaker-boehner/) [Fred Upton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-upton/) > [Your body has this instinct to start healing and then you go back to work and it hurts even more. It's almost better to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-kim/your-body-has-this-instinct-to-start-healing-and-then-you-go-back-to/) [Gail Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-kim/) > [But all over Ohio - all over America - men and women are going back to work with the pride of building something stamped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-strickland/but-all-over-ohio-all-over-america-men-and-women-are-going-back-to/) [Ted Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-strickland/) > [Today's misery is real unemployment, home foreclosures and bankruptcies. This is the Obama Misery Index - and it's at a record high. It's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/today-s-misery-is-real-unemployment-home-foreclosures-and/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [In order to change the direction of this country, we need to change presidents. Americans need a conservative businessman to get this economy moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/in-order-to-change-the-direction-of-this-country-we-need-to-change/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Young men keep telling me they don't 'have it all' either. And they may have a point. But if you define 'having it all'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-slaughter/young-men-keep-telling-me-they-don-t-have-it-all-either-and-they-may/) [Anne-Marie Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-slaughter/) > [Get back to work all of you! I'm not running a happy factory here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-krabs/get-back-to-work-all-of-you-i-m-not-running-a-happy-factory-here/) [Mr. Krabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-krabs/) [Browse all 136 Back to work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-to-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Torture yourself about your failures. And then get back to work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tony Kushner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and-then-get-back-to-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back to work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and-then-get-back-to-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/tony-kushner-2204_back-to-work_torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and_1346671.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/tony-kushner-2204_back-to-work_torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and_1346671.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/tony-kushner-2204_back-to-work_torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and_1346671.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Torture yourself about your failures. And then get back to work.” — Tony Kushner", "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": "Tony Kushner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Torture yourself about your failures. And...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and-then-get-back-to-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/torture-yourself-about-your-failures-and-then-get-back-to-work/#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 } } ] } ```