---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never seem to get past - I feel like a…"
description: "\"I never seem to get past - I feel like a stupid guy from the Midwest.\" — Alex Graves"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alex-graves-21348_feel_i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-s_1600825.jpg"
---

#  I never seem to get past - I feel like a stupid guy from…

![“I never seem to get past - I feel like a stupid guy from the Midwest.” quote by Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alex-graves-21348_feel_i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-s_1600825.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alex-graves-21348_feel_i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-s_1600825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alex-graves-21348_feel_i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-s_1600825.jpg)

> “I never seem to get past - I feel like a stupid guy from the Midwest.”

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker feels stuck, perceiving himself as unintelligent and limited by regional bias.

**In simple terms:** He doubts his abilities and feels inferior.

Key Takeaway

Challenge self‑limiting beliefs.

Themes

self‑esteem identity regional bias career psychology

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- job interview
- creative writing
- public speaking
- team collaboration

Key Concepts

imposter syndrome confidence building

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence contradicts this belief?
- How can you reframe regional identity?

A Different Perspective

Self‑doubt can be reinforced by external feedback.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-like/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Guy Midwest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy-midwest-6087577/) [I feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-feel/) [I feel like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-feel-like/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Midwest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midwest/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-feel-1062933/) [Seem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seem/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-guy/)

## Related quotes

> [“I'd forgotten so many important things. I'd stolen away my own past. It made me feel like a coward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-palmieri/i-d-forgotten-so-many-important-things-i-d-stolen-away-my-own-past-it/)

[Suzanne Palmieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-palmieri/)

> [“It does not seem to me, Austerlitz added, that we understand the laws governing the return of the past, but I feel more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald-2/it-does-not-seem-to-me-austerlitz-added-that-we-understand-the-laws/)

[W.G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald-2/)

> [Guide to the world of the dead. When you are certain that the body has left you, feel sad for the good you didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodrigo-rey-rosa/guide-to-the-world-of-the-dead-when-you-are-certain-that-the-body-has/)

[Rodrigo Rey Rosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodrigo-rey-rosa/)

> [“But the past is the biggest country of all, and there's a reason one gives in to the desire to set stories in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/but-the-past-is-the-biggest-country-of-all-and-there-s-a-reason-one/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [Once you let go of the past you feel FREE. Free to be you, free to enjoy life, and free to chase after everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/once-you-let-go-of-the-past-you-feel-free-free-to-be-you-free-to/)

[Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/)

> [“I’m not lonely. There are too many people inside of me, too many from my past to ever feel lonely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-liviero/i-m-not-lonely-there-are-too-many-people-inside-of-me-too-many-from/)

[Gemma Liviero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-liviero/)

> [If you have a past with which you feel dissatisfied, then forget it, now. Imagine a new story for your life and believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-you-have-a-past-with-which-you-feel-dissatisfied-then-forget-it/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [In the past, I feel like I've been my own worst enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-gastelum/in-the-past-i-feel-like-i-ve-been-my-own-worst-enemy/)

[Kelvin Gastelum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-gastelum/)

> [“The only thing you can change about the past is how you feel about it in the present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-dylandy/the-only-thing-you-can-change-about-the-past-is-how-you-feel-about-it/)

[Neil Dylandy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-dylandy/)

> [The harvest-home or supper is a thing of the past. To those who feel the fascination of the past this may appear sad, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-thompson/the-harvest-home-or-supper-is-a-thing-of-the-past-to-those-who-feel/)

[Flora Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flora-thompson/)

> [If you have a past with which you feel dissatisfied, then forget it. Now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-you-have-a-past-with-which-you-feel-dissatisfied-then-forget-it-now/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [It's not my story anymore: whenever I speak about the past now, I feel as if I were talking about something that has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-s-not-my-story-anymore-whenever-i-speak-about-the-past-now-i-feel/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [some of us have so much defeat in our past that we feel we lost the race before we knew it started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/some-of-us-have-so-much-defeat-in-our-past-that-we-feel-we-lost-the/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [“If I ever got this stupid over a guy I hoped someone would slap some sense into me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lynch/if-i-ever-got-this-stupid-over-a-guy-i-hoped-someone-would-slap-some/)

[Karen Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lynch/)

> [Yes, I feel jealous when I saw a beautiful girl with a stupid guy, its not cause she is not looking good with him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-singh/yes-i-feel-jealous-when-i-saw-a-beautiful-girl-with-a-stupid-guy-its/)

[Raj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-singh/)

## More by Alex Graves

> [I was really, really stagnating and getting bored in the steady work of television and didn't really know what movies I would be making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/i-was-really-really-stagnating-and-getting-bored-in-the-steady-work/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> ['Terra Nova,' more than anything I've ever done in my life, is for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/terra-nova-more-than-anything-i-ve-ever-done-in-my-life-is-for/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [And one of the things that's interesting about how they're doing the show is that the audience almost knows more than the characters do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/and-one-of-the-things-that-s-interesting-about-how-they-re-doing-the/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [My experience on 'The West Wing' was, I think, now rare in that I was pretty young, and I walked into this environment where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/my-experience-on-the-west-wing-was-i-think-now-rare-in-that-i-was/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [For 'Game of Thrones,' I realized immediately that it was about the characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/for-game-of-thrones-i-realized-immediately-that-it-was-about-the/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [Especially as a director on 'West Wing,' I directed a lot of different things in a lot of different ways and really stretched my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/especially-as-a-director-on-west-wing-i-directed-a-lot-of-different/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [The hardest part of 'Game of Thrones' is there is so much incredible talent bouncing off the walls that you'll actually miss some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/the-hardest-part-of-game-of-thrones-is-there-is-so-much-incredible/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [Obviously the highest pressure scene, I guess it might've been a tie - what was the bigger death, Tyrion with Shae, Tyrion wth Twyin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/obviously-the-highest-pressure-scene-i-guess-it-might-ve-been-a-tie/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [Because if you remember - and people forget this - the first two years of Game of Thrones everybody was going, "I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/because-if-you-remember-and-people-forget-this-the-first-two-years-of/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [Death is either an incredible ending to a story or, more often than not if you ask the right questions, it's the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/death-is-either-an-incredible-ending-to-a-story-or-more-often-than/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [For someone making a pilot, assuming the talent is there and you can maneuver the system properly, it's just a matter of standing your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/for-someone-making-a-pilot-assuming-the-talent-is-there-and-you-can/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [There weren't any deleted scenes, it was just a matter of tightening stuff. I didn't have any deleted scenes in what I did as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/there-weren-t-any-deleted-scenes-it-was-just-a-matter-of-tightening/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [You can certainly shorten things and tighten things, we tightened up Jon's walk to Mance Rayder's tent. That was something that got tightened up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/you-can-certainly-shorten-things-and-tighten-things-we-tightened-up/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> [I was, and am, a frustrated filmmaker and film student, and my passion and love for movies was so broad that, in the earlier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/i-was-and-am-a-frustrated-filmmaker-and-film-student-and-my-passion/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

> ['Game of Thrones' is the broadest of narratives. I don't know if anyone in the U.S. has done a story on such a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/game-of-thrones-is-the-broadest-of-narratives-i-don-t-know-if-anyone/)

[Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

[Explore all 29 Alex Graves quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/)

## More Feel quotes

> [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [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/)

> [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/)

[AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/)

[Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

[Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/)

> [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/)

[Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/)

> [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/)

[Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/)

> [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/)

[Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/)

> [You make me feel brand new today. Even my day is full of trials and pain…Thanks for everything...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lantapi/you-make-me-feel-brand-new-today-even-my-day-is-full-of-trials-and/)

[Richard Lantapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lantapi/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I don't know how people feel,that's the beauty of TV, is they can see us, but we can't see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-don-t-know-how-people-feel-that-s-the-beauty-of-tv-is-they-can-see/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/)

[Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/)

[Browse all 26,675 Feel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I never seem to get past - I feel like a stupid guy from the Midwest.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alex Graves"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-stupid-guy-from-the-midwest/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feel"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-stupid-guy-from-the-midwest/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alex-graves-21348_feel_i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-s_1600825.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alex-graves-21348_feel_i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-s_1600825.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alex-graves-21348_feel_i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-s_1600825.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I never seem to get past - I feel like a stupid guy from the Midwest.” — Alex Graves",
                "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": "Alex Graves",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I never seem to get past...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-stupid-guy-from-the-midwest/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/i-never-seem-to-get-past-i-feel-like-a-stupid-guy-from-the-midwest/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
