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I have no apprehension whatsoever. I've been through this so many times. And I found that one way or the other, your life doesn't change at all. Which is sad, in a way. Because the people love your film... nothing great happens. And people hate your film... nothing terrible happens. Many years ago, I would... I would... a film of mine would open, and it would get great reviews, and I would go down and look at the movie theater. There'd be a line around the block. And when a film is reviled, you open a film and people say 'Oh, it's the stupidest thing, it's the worst movie.' You think: oh, nobody's going to ever speak to you again. But, it doesn't happen. Nobody cares. You know, they read it and they say 'Oh, they hated your film.' You care, at the time. But they don't. Nobody else cares. They're not interested. They've got their own lives, and their own problems, and their own shadows on their lungs, and their x-rays. And, you know, they've got their own stuff they're dealing with.... So, I'm just never nervous about it.

Woody Allen#13

LifeEgoFameIndifference

About this quote

What does it mean?
Public reaction to your work doesn’t change your life, revealing how little others care about you.
In plain terms
Reviews don’t change your life; people are too focused on themselves.
What can you take from it?
Stop expecting others to care deeply about your achievements.

Where it applies

  • dealing with critics
  • career highs/lows
  • public life

Putting it to work

  • detach from public opinion
  • accept solitude

Questions to consider

  • Do you crave public approval?
  • Does fame change your life?

Another view

It may foster isolation by normalizing indifference.

More from Woody Allen

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  2. I remember when I was a little boy, I once stole a pornographic book that was printed in Braille. I used to rub the dirty parts.

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  3. The man who said 'I'd rather be lucky than good' saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to t…

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