---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you cannot please everyone with your…"
description: "\"If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad.\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/anonymous-1_art_if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your_1503553.jpg"
---

#  If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your…

![“If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/anonymous-1_art_if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your_1503553.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/anonymous-1_art_if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your_1503553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/anonymous-1_art_if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your_1503553.jpg)

> “If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad.”

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests focusing on a small, appreciative audience rather than trying to satisfy everyone, as pleasing many can dilute authenticity.

**In simple terms:** Target a few who truly value you.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize genuine connections over broad approval.

Themes

authenticity audience values

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- artistic creation
- public performance
- social media
- leadership

Key Concepts

relationship building personal integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- Who truly appreciates your work?
- How does limiting your audience affect your creativity?

A Different Perspective

Trying to please everyone can lead to burnout and loss of self.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/)

## Related quotes

> [Archaeology, I found, comprehended all manner of excitement and achievement. Adventure is coupled with bookish toil. Romantic excursions go hand in hand with scholarly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/archaeology-i-found-comprehended-all-manner-of-excitement-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My good works, however wretched and imperfect, have been made better and perfected by Him Who is my Lord: He has rendered them meritorious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-good-works-however-wretched-and-imperfect-have-been-made-better/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Yet seldom do they fail of their seed, And that will lie in the dust and rot to spring up again in times and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-seldom-do-they-fail-of-their-seed-and-that-will-lie-in-the-dust/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-deeds-you-do-may-be-the-only-sermon-some-persons-will-hear-today/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [... People with great passions, people who accomplish great deeds, people who possess strong feelings, even people with great minds and a strong personality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-with-great-passions-people-who-accomplish-great-deeds-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Small deeds done are better than great deeds plannd..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/small-deeds-done-are-better-than-great-deeds-plannd/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Do not think little of any good deed, even if it is just greeting your brother with a smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-think-little-of-any-good-deed-even-if-it-is-just-greeting-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-great-wisdom-to-know-how-to-be-silent-and-to-look-at-neither/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The essence of drama is that man cannot walk away from the consequences of his own deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-essence-of-drama-is-that-man-cannot-walk-away-from-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is time to fill the world with strong and powerful deeds. It is common knowledge that no great captain in the world has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-time-to-fill-the-world-with-strong-and-powerful-deeds-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-go-now-to-the-halls-of-waiting-to-sit-beside-my-fathers-until-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Better have a black face than be worried about black deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/better-have-a-black-face-than-be-worried-about-black-deeds/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Ill deeds are doubled with an evil word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ill-deeds-are-doubled-with-an-evil-word/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The principle office of history I take to be this: to prevent virtuous actions from being forgotten, and that evil words and deeds should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-principle-office-of-history-i-take-to-be-this-to-prevent-virtuous/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Remember that there is meaning beyond absurdity. Know that every deed counts, that every word is power...Above all, remember that you must build your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-that-there-is-meaning-beyond-absurdity-know-that-every-deed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [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/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your-deeds-and-your-art-please-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your-deeds-and-your-art-please-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/anonymous-1_art_if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your_1503553.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/anonymous-1_art_if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your_1503553.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/anonymous-1_art_if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your_1503553.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad.” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you cannot please everyone with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your-deeds-and-your-art-please-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-cannot-please-everyone-with-your-deeds-and-your-art-please-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
