--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd much rather be in the world than in…" description: "\"I'd much rather be in the world than in some ivory tower somewhere.\" — Andrew Garfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7b/andrew-garfield-8863_ivory-tower_i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in_1239478.jpg" --- # I'd much rather be in the world than in some ivory tower… ![“I'd much rather be in the world than in some ivory tower somewhere.” quote by Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7b/andrew-garfield-8863_ivory-tower_i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in_1239478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7b/andrew-garfield-8863_ivory-tower_i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in_1239478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7b/andrew-garfield-8863_ivory-tower_i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in_1239478.jpg) > “I'd much rather be in the world than in some ivory tower somewhere.” [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prefers real-world experience over isolated academic life. **In simple terms:** Values practical engagement over detached theory. Key Takeaway Seek real experiences. Themes practicality experience humility Mood reflective grounded Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choices - education decisions - travel - community involvement Key Concepts existentialism social realism Questions to Reflect On - What does “ivory tower” symbolize for you? - How can theory and practice complement each other? A Different Perspective May overlook benefits of scholarly study. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ivory/) [Ivory tower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ivory-tower/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rather/) [Somewhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhere/) [Tower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tower/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-ivory-3863798/) ## Related quotes > [Anything that promotes a kernel of science, even though it's exaggerated and hyped by Hollywood, I think is a step forward. We in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/anything-that-promotes-a-kernel-of-science-even-though-it-s/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Determining the value of individual texts has been an ideological scuffle in literary criticism for centuries: but the environmental cost of printing them hauls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/determining-the-value-of-individual-texts-has-been-an-ideological/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [I don't see myself in an ivory tower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/i-don-t-see-myself-in-an-ivory-tower/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [I make friends easily. I'm a gregarious guy, I'm open, I'm easy to get to know - I don't lock myself in an ivory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-weintraub/i-make-friends-easily-i-m-a-gregarious-guy-i-m-open-i-m-easy-to-get/) [Jerry Weintraub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-weintraub/) > [Socrates was a great walker. They say he was a fiend for exercise. He was absolutely not shut away in some ivory tower somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/socrates-was-a-great-walker-they-say-he-was-a-fiend-for-exercise-he/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Maybe what I admired most about John Steinbeck is that he never mortgaged his 45-acre heart for a suite in an ivory tower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/maybe-what-i-admired-most-about-john-steinbeck-is-that-he-never/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [For me or a Bruce Springsteen to sit up in our ivory towers and make comments about racism, well, were not really in it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/for-me-or-a-bruce-springsteen-to-sit-up-in-our-ivory-towers-and-make/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I don't ascribe to the idea of the ivory tower composer who sits alone in a room composing his masterpieces and then comes down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-don-t-ascribe-to-the-idea-of-the-ivory-tower-composer-who-sits/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [Great question in science - questions like the ones Herschel raised about the structure of the universe - are seldom answered by ivory-tower types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-trefil/great-question-in-science-questions-like-the-ones-herschel-raised/) [James Trefil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-trefil/) > [If you shut yourself up disdainfully in your ivory tower and insist that you have your own conscience and are satisfied with its approval,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/if-you-shut-yourself-up-disdainfully-in-your-ivory-tower-and-insist/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [I am an idealist. I often feel I would like to be an artist in an ivory tower. Yet it is imperative that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-eugene-smith/i-am-an-idealist-i-often-feel-i-would-like-to-be-an-artist-in-an/) [W. Eugene Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-eugene-smith/) > [The ivory tower of the artist may be the only stronghold left for human values, cultural treasures, man’s cult of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-ivory-tower-of-the-artist-may-be-the-only-stronghold-left-for/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [As for mathematicians themselves: don't expect too much help. Most of them are too far removed in their ivory towers to take up such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apostolos-doxiadis/as-for-mathematicians-themselves-don-t-expect-too-much-help-most-of/) [Apostolos Doxiadis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apostolos-doxiadis/) > [The commonest ivory tower is that of the average man, the state of passivity towards experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-commonest-ivory-tower-is-that-of-the-average-man-the-state-of/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Andrew Garfield > [I'm always having a crisis of faith, with everything. People who are certain are terrifying to me. That's how religious wars get started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-m-always-having-a-crisis-of-faith-with-everything-people-who-are/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I see it as a massive challenge in many ways. To make it authentic. To make the character live and breathe in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-see-it-as-a-massive-challenge-in-many-ways-to-make-it-authentic-to/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I read Naomi Klein's 'No Logo' when I was 15. It's one of the things that's shaped my relationship to fame - to endorsements,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-read-naomi-klein-s-no-logo-when-i-was-15-it-s-one-of-the-things/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [When I found out about being cast in 'Spider-Man,' it was like this bubble developed around me. I was floating in it for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/when-i-found-out-about-being-cast-in-spider-man-it-was-like-this/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I was brought up on American films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-was-brought-up-on-american-films/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [When I was 6 I thought that I wanted to be a musician - like a singer-songwriter. That's what I romantically envisioned for myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/when-i-was-6-i-thought-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-musician-like-a-singer/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [In film, there's this kind of constant fear that you're going to be doing too much. That may be an unfounded fear because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/in-film-there-s-this-kind-of-constant-fear-that-you-re-going-to-be/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [Obviously there's something very seductive about movies, which can be attractive in a bad way if you're doing them for the wrong reasons -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/obviously-there-s-something-very-seductive-about-movies-which-can-be/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [It's much easier to gain control over a mass population when you pit them against each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/it-s-much-easier-to-gain-control-over-a-mass-population-when-you-pit/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I worked in a Starbucks that wasn't very popular - before the big coffee boom in London. My boss didn't take kindly to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-worked-in-a-starbucks-that-wasn-t-very-popular-before-the-big/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I have very strong feelings about what modern fame means, and the toxicity of it. I read Naomi Klein's No Logo when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-have-very-strong-feelings-about-what-modern-fame-means-and-the/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [As an actor, one is so appreciative when one is working. I think I am lucky that I have the opportunity to work having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/as-an-actor-one-is-so-appreciative-when-one-is-working-i-think-i-am/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [When I first saw Emma Stone, it was like I woke up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/when-i-first-saw-emma-stone-it-was-like-i-woke-up/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [Cting came from me being depressed. I was a gymnast and swimmer until 13. Then I gave sports up and started naval gazing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/cting-came-from-me-being-depressed-i-was-a-gymnast-and-swimmer-until/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I want to feel stronger than I've ever felt, and I want to feel more flexible than I've ever felt. I want to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-want-to-feel-stronger-than-i-ve-ever-felt-and-i-want-to-feel-more/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) [Explore all 77 Andrew Garfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) ## More Ivory quotes > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I remember watching the mascara tears flood the ivories and I thought, "It's OK to be sad." I've been trained to love my darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-remember-watching-the-mascara-tears-flood-the-ivories-and-i-thought/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [The commonest ivory tower is that of the average man, the state of passivity towards experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-commonest-ivory-tower-is-that-of-the-average-man-the-state-of/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [As for mathematicians themselves: don't expect too much help. Most of them are too far removed in their ivory towers to take up such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apostolos-doxiadis/as-for-mathematicians-themselves-don-t-expect-too-much-help-most-of/) [Apostolos Doxiadis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apostolos-doxiadis/) > [The majority of the cocoa that we eat, it is actually produced by young kids which are being enslaved in the plantations of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-napoleoni/the-majority-of-the-cocoa-that-we-eat-it-is-actually-produced-by/) [Loretta Napoleoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-napoleoni/) > [More birds have adapted to a changing world than have failed. Very few have the narrow tolerance of the ivory-billed woodpecker or the Bachman's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/more-birds-have-adapted-to-a-changing-world-than-have-failed-very-few/) [Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/) > [Our problem with limited resources is not primarily overpopulation; it is greed. Our problem with pollution is not the invention of fluorocarbons or mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winkie-pratney/our-problem-with-limited-resources-is-not-primarily-overpopulation-it/) [Winkie Pratney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winkie-pratney/) > [The ivory tower of the artist may be the only stronghold left for human values, cultural treasures, man’s cult of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-ivory-tower-of-the-artist-may-be-the-only-stronghold-left-for/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Beauty is an evil in an ivory setting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theocritus/beauty-is-an-evil-in-an-ivory-setting/) [Theocritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theocritus/) > [Ivory's the kind of girl who gets drunk and immediately starts slurring. I have a lot of friends like that, and I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/ivory-s-the-kind-of-girl-who-gets-drunk-and-immediately-starts/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [Gambling houses are temples where the most sordid and turbulent passions contend; there no spectator can be indifferent. A card or a small square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-georg-ritter-von-zimmermann/gambling-houses-are-temples-where-the-most-sordid-and-turbulent/) [Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-georg-ritter-von-zimmermann/) > [A group of artists in Ivory Coast recorded a song about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gervinho/a-group-of-artists-in-ivory-coast-recorded-a-song-about-me/) [Gervinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gervinho/) > [Having a stadium in France named after a footballer from the Ivory Coast, even if I'm proud of my France-Ivory Coast background, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-drogba/having-a-stadium-in-france-named-after-a-footballer-from-the-ivory/) [Didier Drogba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-drogba/) > [I am an idealist. I often feel I would like to be an artist in an ivory tower. Yet it is imperative that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-eugene-smith/i-am-an-idealist-i-often-feel-i-would-like-to-be-an-artist-in-an/) [W. Eugene Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-eugene-smith/) [Browse all 177 Ivory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ivory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd much rather be in the world than in some ivory tower somewhere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Garfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in-some-ivory-tower-somewhere/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ivory" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in-some-ivory-tower-somewhere/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7b/andrew-garfield-8863_ivory-tower_i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in_1239478.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7b/andrew-garfield-8863_ivory-tower_i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in_1239478.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7b/andrew-garfield-8863_ivory-tower_i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in_1239478.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd much rather be in the world than in some ivory tower somewhere.” — Andrew Garfield", "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": "Andrew Garfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'd much rather be in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in-some-ivory-tower-somewhere/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in-some-ivory-tower-somewhere/#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 } } ] } ```