--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think I was very structured in…" description: "\"I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/ai-weiwei-824_believe_i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-t_2981699.png" --- # I don't think I was very structured in that society and I… ![“I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/ai-weiwei-824_believe_i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-t_2981699.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/ai-weiwei-824_believe_i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-t_2981699.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/ai-weiwei-824_believe_i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-t_2981699.png) > “I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques societal structures that prioritize personal success, expressing skepticism toward mainstream American values. **In simple terms:** Questioning the focus on personal success. Key Takeaway Reevaluate societal metrics. Themes culture success individualism Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - career planning - social critique - artistic expression Key Concepts capitalism social norms Questions to Reflect On - What defines success for you? - How does society shape your goals? A Different Perspective May ignore personal fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-believe/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-personal-456169/) [Personal success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-success/) [Structured Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structured-society-3090360/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-americans-1126478/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-ve-come-to-believe-that-each-of-us-has-a-personal-calling-that-s-as/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“As our organized system perfects itself, there is less "open" environment. It is hard for a social animal to grow when there is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/as-our-organized-system-perfects-itself-there-is-less-open/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [ After all, the American society has been also based on the premise of expanding education very early. That's been \[one\] of the main sources… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/after-all-the-american-society-has-been-also-based-on-the-premise-of/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [The success that Americans are said to worship is success of a specific sort: accomplished not through hard work, primarily, but through the ingenious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/the-success-that-americans-are-said-to-worship-is-success-of-a/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [We believe in personal choice, rather than society dictating how we must live our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-peters/we-believe-in-personal-choice-rather-than-society-dictating-how-we/) [Mike Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-peters/) > [I believe I have a personal responsibility to make a positive impact on society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-i-have-a-personal-responsibility-to-make-a-positive-impact/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yeah, I guess I'm not a particularly religious person, but I do really believe strongly that we all need to believe in something, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-gugino/yeah-i-guess-i-m-not-a-particularly-religious-person-but-i-do-really/) [Carla Gugino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-gugino/) > [I was not content to believe in a personal devil and serve him, in the ordinary sense of the word. 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And I don't believe in resurrection as it is in the New Testament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvyn-bragg/i-don-t-believe-in-a-personal-god-no-and-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Melvyn Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvyn-bragg/) > [In 'The Next Three Days,' even though it was a prison breakout movie, I was asking myself, 'What would I do? How far would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/in-the-next-three-days-even-though-it-was-a-prison-breakout-movie-i/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [I believe the personal is the collective. One of the ironies of writing memoir is in using the "I" it becomes an alchemical "we."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-the-personal-is-the-collective-one-of-the-ironies-of/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. 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I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ai Weiwei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-that-society-and-i-don-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-that-society-and-i-don-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/ai-weiwei-824_believe_i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-t_2981699.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/ai-weiwei-824_believe_i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-t_2981699.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/ai-weiwei-824_believe_i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-t_2981699.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which…” — Ai Weiwei", "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": "Ai Weiwei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't think I was very...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-that-society-and-i-don-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-i-was-very-structured-in-that-society-and-i-don-t/#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 } } ] } ```