"But I find the best things I do, I do when I'm trying to avoid doing something else I'm supposed to be doing. You know, you're working on something. You get bugged, or you lose your enthusiasm or something. So you turn to something else with an absolute vengeance"
About this Quote
The intent is quietly practical. As an architect, Juster lived inside long timelines, constraint-heavy problem solving, and the slow grind of revision. When "enthusiasm" drops, you don’t wait for it to return; you redirect momentum. The subtext is that creativity isn’t a pure, linear calling - it’s scavenged from moods, irritations, and the need to feel effective. "You get bugged" is almost comically mild language for what can be a professional panic: the creeping suspicion you’re stuck. The workaround is to choose a different stuckness you can actually move.
There’s also an implicit argument against the romantic myth of the disciplined genius. Juster makes room for the messy, opportunistic reality: some of your best work is collateral damage from avoiding another responsibility. It’s not an excuse so much as a map of how real makers survive their own attention spans.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Juster, Norton. (2026, January 18). But I find the best things I do, I do when I'm trying to avoid doing something else I'm supposed to be doing. You know, you're working on something. You get bugged, or you lose your enthusiasm or something. So you turn to something else with an absolute vengeance. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-i-find-the-best-things-i-do-i-do-when-im-6974/
Chicago Style
Juster, Norton. "But I find the best things I do, I do when I'm trying to avoid doing something else I'm supposed to be doing. You know, you're working on something. You get bugged, or you lose your enthusiasm or something. So you turn to something else with an absolute vengeance." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-i-find-the-best-things-i-do-i-do-when-im-6974/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"But I find the best things I do, I do when I'm trying to avoid doing something else I'm supposed to be doing. You know, you're working on something. You get bugged, or you lose your enthusiasm or something. So you turn to something else with an absolute vengeance." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-i-find-the-best-things-i-do-i-do-when-im-6974/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.






