--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've survived inattention. I hope to God…" description: "\"I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.\" — Twyla Tharp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/twyla-tharp-1069_attention_i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god_544329.png" --- # I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive… ![“I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.” quote by Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/twyla-tharp-1069_attention_i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god_544329.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/twyla-tharp-1069_attention_i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god_544329.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/twyla-tharp-1069_attention_i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god_544329.png) > “I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.” [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Struggling with inattention makes focused attention feel like a survival challenge. **In simple terms:** Inattention is hard; focus feels vital. Key Takeaway Practice mindfulness to strengthen attention. Themes attention mindfulness mental health Mood thoughtful hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - Studying - working - creative projects - daily routines Key Concepts Cognitive control neuroplasticity Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help you stay present? - How does attention shape your creative output? A Different Perspective Attention can be fleeting; external demands may overwhelm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Inattention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inattention/) ## Related quotes > [“We've survived the Black Plague, the Titanic, and Pearl Harbor just to name a few. Not to mention the Disco Period.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-wisdom/we-ve-survived-the-black-plague-the-titanic-and-pearl-harbor-just-to/) [Linda Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-wisdom/) > [“Secrets are truths that show what we’ve been through—what we’ve survived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dannika-dark/secrets-are-truths-that-show-what-we-ve-been-through-what-we-ve/) [Dannika Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dannika-dark/) > [Every person you see has stories, and every person you see has a few that would break your heart. We deserve each other's respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/every-person-you-see-has-stories-and-every-person-you-see-has-a-few/) [Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/) > [I've survived quite a few generations. That's because I never lost my enthusiasm. I wake up every morning like on Christmas Day, waiting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/i-ve-survived-quite-a-few-generations-that-s-because-i-never-lost-my/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [I'm a legend because I've survived over a long period of time and still seem to be master of my fate - I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/i-m-a-legend-because-i-ve-survived-over-a-long-period-of-time-and/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [I even move out onto the front porch and see my own limited view of the world. I want to take that world, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-even-move-out-onto-the-front-porch-and-see-my-own-limited-view-of/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [While I put forth the suntan and the teeth and the cavalier attitude, I've survived under the worst of eras and times, and I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/while-i-put-forth-the-suntan-and-the-teeth-and-the-cavalier-attitude/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [“Don’t you see, angel?” His arms tightened around me. “You’re still on your feet. You may hate yourself for every little mistake you make,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-c-gormley/don-t-you-see-angel-his-arms-tightened-around-me-you-re-still-on-your/) [Amelia C. Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-c-gormley/) > [Trust yourself. You've survived a lot, and you'll survive whatever is coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tew/trust-yourself-you-ve-survived-a-lot-and-you-ll-survive-whatever-is/) [Robert Tew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tew/) > [I've survived a lot of managers, so I must have been doing something right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-doherty/i-ve-survived-a-lot-of-managers-so-i-must-have-been-doing-something/) [Matt Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-doherty/) > [I'm surprised that I've survived my own dysfunction, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/i-m-surprised-that-i-ve-survived-my-own-dysfunction-really/) [George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/) > [We've survived by believing our life is going to get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/we-ve-survived-by-believing-our-life-is-going-to-get-better/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I want to share the things I've done, the things I've survived, the things I've struggled through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lachanze/i-want-to-share-the-things-i-ve-done-the-things-i-ve-survived-the/) [LaChanze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lachanze/) > [I feel like I've been through a lot. I've survived a lot, and I'm still creative. And I'm still working, which makes me very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-feel-like-i-ve-been-through-a-lot-i-ve-survived-a-lot-and-i-m-still/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I feel like the reason I've survived in this business is because I love acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conchata-ferrell/i-feel-like-the-reason-i-ve-survived-in-this-business-is-because-i/) [Conchata Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conchata-ferrell/) ## More by Twyla Tharp > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-you-should-never-save-for-two/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I always find that the best collaborations are when you work with people that know what they're doing, and you leave them alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-always-find-that-the-best-collaborations-are-when-you-work-with/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't mean this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't really think of pop art and serious art as being that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-mean-this-but-i-m-going-to-say-it-anyway-i-don-t-really-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [The art of these Fifties movies was in sustaining forever the moment before sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/the-art-of-these-fifties-movies-was-in-sustaining-forever-the-moment/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [This is not a pleasant route for many young people to consider. You have to be either hopelessly passionate, or very stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/this-is-not-a-pleasant-route-for-many-young-people-to-consider-you/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I often say that in making dances I can make a world where I think things are done morally, done democratically, done honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-often-say-that-in-making-dances-i-can-make-a-world-where-i-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I had received my first establishment grants in response to applications filed the year before. To the pages of baffling forms I had simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-had-received-my-first-establishment-grants-in-response-to/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I find the aesthetics of the 20th century hopelessly barren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-find-the-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century-hopelessly-barren/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't think that scheduling is uncreative. I think that structure is required for creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-think-that-scheduling-is-uncreative-i-think-that-structure-is/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have always felt one of the things dance should do - its business being so clearly physical - is challenge the culture's gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-always-felt-one-of-the-things-dance-should-do-its-business/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [There really is nothing I ever had access to that I didn't appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/there-really-is-nothing-i-ever-had-access-to-that-i-didn-t-appreciate/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Destiny, quite often, is a determined parent. Mozart was hardly some naive prodigy who sat down at the keyboard and, with God whispering in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/destiny-quite-often-is-a-determined-parent-mozart-was-hardly-some/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [When it all comes together, a creative life has the nourishing power we normally associate with food, love and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/when-it-all-comes-together-a-creative-life-has-the-nourishing-power/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Things change all the time, so why do people make such a philosophical to-do that things are constantly in transition?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/things-change-all-the-time-so-why-do-people-make-such-a-philosophical/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) [Explore all 298 Twyla Tharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Twyla Tharp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god-i-survive-attention/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god-i-survive-attention/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/twyla-tharp-1069_attention_i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god_544329.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/twyla-tharp-1069_attention_i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god_544329.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/twyla-tharp-1069_attention_i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god_544329.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.” — Twyla Tharp", "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": "Twyla Tharp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've survived inattention. I hope to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god-i-survive-attention/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-ve-survived-inattention-i-hope-to-god-i-survive-attention/#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 } } ] } ```