"I was very careful never to take an interesting job. If you have an interesting job, you get interested in it"
About this Quote
Mary Oliver's quote, "I was very mindful never ever to take an interesting task. If you have a fascinating job, you get interested in it", carries an interesting paradox that welcomes reflection on the nature of work and personal satisfaction.
At its core, this statement can be seen as a commentary on the seductive nature of work and how it can consume one's passion and imagination, potentially at the expenditure of personal pursuits. Mary Oliver, a celebrated poet, may have been recommending that by avoiding overtly interesting work, she maintained the essential distance to support her own creativity and commitment to her poetry.
The caution within the quote has to do with the risk of ending up being fascinated in a job to the point where it monopolizes one's psychological and emotional resources. A fascinating task can provide complete satisfaction and engagement but can also result in a scenario where individual dreams and tasks are overlooked. For an author like Oliver, the main goal might have been to reserve her inmost interest and energy for her art, rather than invest it within the confines of employment.
Oliver's choice implies an intentional strategy to maintain creative autonomy. By avoiding tasks that could mesmerize her, she guaranteed her imaginative energy remained focused on her poetry. There is a wider universal style here about keeping balance and setting boundaries between work and one's true enthusiasms. In contemporary society, where career identity frequently forms personal identity, Oliver's perspective uses a reminder that work need not define one's entire existence.
Additionally, the quote mean a commentary on societal values and the pressures to continuously pursue profession improvement and accomplishment. It recommends that fulfillment and satisfaction may be found in prioritizing individual enthusiasms over expert allure, and encourages us to assess what we truly worth in life.
