--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't have a burning desire to go out…" description: "\"I don't have a burning desire to go out and document anything. It just happens when it happens. It's not a conscious effort, nor is it a struggle. Woul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/william-eggleston-12373_art_i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out_2908164.jpg" --- # I don't have a burning desire to go out and document… ![“I don't have a burning desire to go out and document anything. It just happens when it happens. It's not a conscious effort, nor is it a struggle. Wouldn't do it if it was. The idea of the suffering artist has never appealed to me. Being here is suffering enough.” quote by William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/william-eggleston-12373_art_i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out_2908164.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/william-eggleston-12373_art_i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out_2908164.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/william-eggleston-12373_art_i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out_2908164.jpg) > “I don't have a burning desire to go out and document anything. It just happens when it happens. It's not a conscious effort, nor is it a struggle. Wouldn't do it if it was. The idea of the suffering artist has never appealed to me. Being here is suffering enough.” [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He lacks a compulsive urge to document; creation occurs spontaneously, without struggle, rejecting the suffering artist myth. **In simple terms:** He creates spontaneously, rejecting the suffering artist myth. Key Takeaway Embrace spontaneous creation without forcing it. Themes creativity spontaneity artist myth effort authenticity Mood relaxed authentic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - photography - writing - music - visual arts - daily life Key Concepts artistic philosophy authentic expression creative flow Questions to Reflect On - Do you rely on spontaneity for all work? - How do you handle creative blocks? A Different Perspective Spontaneity may lead to inconsistency in output. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Burning desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-desire/) [Conscious effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-effort/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [ A writer or any suffering artist-to-be is just an instrument too finely set to the human condition \[...\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/a-writer-or-any-suffering-artist-to-be-is-just-an-instrument-too/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“It is well known that great art, great music and great literature can emerge out of great pain. This does not lessen the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-j-h-wright-2/it-is-well-known-that-great-art-great-music-and-great-literature-can/) [Christopher J.H. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-j-h-wright-2/) > [Kill the idea of the lone, suffering artist. Don't make it any harder on yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/kill-the-idea-of-the-lone-suffering-artist-don-t-make-it-any-harder/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I haven't been walking around for years with some burning desire to do a solo record. If I had, maybe I'd have made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-marr/i-haven-t-been-walking-around-for-years-with-some-burning-desire-to/) [Johnny Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-marr/) > [Happiness isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition. You must define what it looks like for you and then make a conscious effort to access whatever gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/happiness-isn-t-a-one-size-fits-all-proposition-you-must-define-what/) [Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/) > [Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-papanek/design-is-the-conscious-effort-to-impose-a-meaningful-order/) [Victor Papanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-papanek/) > [If you don't make a conscious effort to control your focus-and decide in advance which things you're going to focus on-you'll be so pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/if-you-don-t-make-a-conscious-effort-to-control-your-focus-and-decide/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [I made a conscious effort to focus on television so I could stay in Los Angeles, so I wasn't on a location all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-made-a-conscious-effort-to-focus-on-television-so-i-could-stay-in/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I made a conscious effort to make a record that would affect people in a good way rather than the last one, which affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-johns/i-made-a-conscious-effort-to-make-a-record-that-would-affect-people/) [Daniel Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-johns/) > [I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-make-no-conscious-effort-to-be-tough-or-hard-boiled-or-grim-or-any/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [The people in my life are friends I have by choice. I've made a conscious effort to have them in life. I only have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-zinser/the-people-in-my-life-are-friends-i-have-by-choice-i-ve-made-a/) [Gillian Zinser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-zinser/) > [“It would also require a conscious effort to look at the world from unfamiliar standpoints and admit that the West has no monopoly on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/it-would-also-require-a-conscious-effort-to-look-at-the-world-from/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [I came to the big city and I started to get involved in the punk scene and stuff, and I wanted to sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-came-to-the-big-city-and-i-started-to-get-involved-in-the-punk/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [What is difficult to understand is that without conscious effort, nothing is possible. Conscious effort is related to higher nature. My lower nature alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-de-salzmann/what-is-difficult-to-understand-is-that-without-conscious-effort/) [Jeanne de Salzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-de-salzmann/) > [“In a world muddled with madness, I made a conscious effort to stay sane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-colleen-prendergast/in-a-world-muddled-with-madness-i-made-a-conscious-effort-to-stay-sane/) Angela Colleen Prendergast ## More by William Eggleston > [I like to think that my works flow like music. That may be one reason I work in large groups versus one picture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-like-to-think-that-my-works-flow-like-music-that-may-be-one-reason/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I don't look at other photographs much at all. I don't know why. I study my own a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-don-t-look-at-other-photographs-much-at-all-i-don-t-know-why-i/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I had the attitude that I would work with this present-day material and do the best I could to describe it with photography, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-had-the-attitude-that-i-would-work-with-this-present-day-material/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Generally, that's what happens-a fundamental rotting of the idea. They woke up with the wrong idea. It's just like music: If you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/generally-that-s-what-happens-a-fundamental-rotting-of-the-idea-they/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I knew it was happening, but I never paid much attention to it . . . just to the passage of time. Something new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-knew-it-was-happening-but-i-never-paid-much-attention-to-it-just-to/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [You become technically proficient whether you want to or not, the more you take pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/you-become-technically-proficient-whether-you-want-to-or-not-the-more/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Unfortunately they're practically all dead. And many were my closest associates: friends, co-directors, whatever you want to say - my partners in crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/unfortunately-they-re-practically-all-dead-and-many-were-my-closest/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I had this notion of what I called a democratic way of looking around, that nothing was more or less important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-had-this-notion-of-what-i-called-a-democratic-way-of-looking-around/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I met and became close with John Szarkowski of the Museum of Modern Art. He was incredibly supportive about me working in color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-met-and-became-close-with-john-szarkowski-of-the-museum-of-modern/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [The immediate reviews were very hostile, but they didn't bother me-I had the attitude that I was right. The poor guys who were critics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/the-immediate-reviews-were-very-hostile-but-they-didn-t-bother-me-i/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Only the few times I've been to so-called treatment centers, which were a complete waste of money and useless. I didn't know what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/only-the-few-times-i-ve-been-to-so-called-treatment-centers-which/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I quite frequently don't look through the camera, which is very close to being blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-quite-frequently-don-t-look-through-the-camera-which-is-very-close/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [A lot of my friends were mostly working in black-and-white-people like Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, and others. We would exchange prints with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/a-lot-of-my-friends-were-mostly-working-in-black-and-white-people/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Everything must work in concert. Composition is important, but so are many other things, from content to the way colours work with or against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/everything-must-work-in-concert-composition-is-important-but-so-are/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [My friend who I went to boarding school with was interested in photography. He insisted that I buy a camera and marched me downtown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/my-friend-who-i-went-to-boarding-school-with-was-interested-in/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) [Explore all 55 William Eggleston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't have a burning desire to go out and document anything. It just happens when it happens. It's not a conscious effort, nor is it a struggle. Wouldn't do it if it was. The idea of the suffering artist has never appealed to me. Being here is suffering enough.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Eggleston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out-and-document-anything-it-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out-and-document-anything-it-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/william-eggleston-12373_art_i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out_2908164.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/william-eggleston-12373_art_i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out_2908164.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/william-eggleston-12373_art_i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out_2908164.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't have a burning desire to go out and document anything. It just happens when it happens. It's not a…” — William Eggleston", "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": "William Eggleston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't have a burning desire...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out-and-document-anything-it-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-don-t-have-a-burning-desire-to-go-out-and-document-anything-it-just/#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 } } ] } ```