--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think that prizes were damaging…" description: "\"I used to think that prizes were damaging and divisive, until I got one. And now they seem sort of meaningful and real.\" — Bill Nighy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/bill-nighy-4521_humor_i-used-to-think-that-prizes-were-damagin_2539165.jpg" --- # I used to think that prizes were damaging and divisive… ![“I used to think that prizes were damaging and divisive, until I got one. And now they seem sort of meaningful and real.” quote by Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/bill-nighy-4521_humor_i-used-to-think-that-prizes-were-damagin_2539165.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/bill-nighy-4521_humor_i-used-to-think-that-prizes-were-damagin_2539165.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/bill-nighy-4521_humor_i-used-to-think-that-prizes-were-damagin_2539165.jpg) > “I used to think that prizes were damaging and divisive, until I got one. And now they seem sort of meaningful and real.” [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Winning a prize changed my view, showing that recognition can be meaningful rather than harmful. **In simple terms:** Recognition can feel valuable after experience. Key Takeaway Consider how awards affect your motivation. Themes recognition pride motivation Mood reflective thoughtful Type personal insightful When to use this quote - career advancement - artistic pursuits - sports competition - personal growth Key Concepts psychology social perception Questions to Reflect On - Do you value external validation? - How can you stay humble after success? A Different Perspective Awards may create pressure to maintain performance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Validation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/validation/) ## Related quotes > [I used to think that prizes were damaging and divisive, until I got one, and now they seem sort of meaningful and important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-used-to-think-that-prizes-were-damaging-and-divisive-until-i-got/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [“The real story can never be told. It is untellable. The real (as real) is inaccessible, being gone in time. There is no point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/the-real-story-can-never-be-told-it-is-untellable-the-real-as-real-is/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [It's great to win a few prizes early on. It helps a writer to get noticed and to get some sales. It can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-great-to-win-a-few-prizes-early-on-it-helps-a-writer-to-get/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Congratulations!! You are the 100th person to view my status. To see your prize please click Control + W.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-you-are-the-100th-person-to-view-my-status-to-see/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wouldn't it be wonderful if I won a helicopter in a crossword puzzle competition? There is not much hope though I am afraid, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonora-carrington/wouldn-t-it-be-wonderful-if-i-won-a-helicopter-in-a-crossword-puzzle/) [Leonora Carrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonora-carrington/) > [On the £20,000 Mercedes prizes for each winner at the World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart- Anyone good enough to win already has one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-johnson/on-the-20-000-mercedes-prizes-for-each-winner-at-the-world-athletics/) [Michael Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-johnson/) > [You don't want to be ungenerous toward people who give you prizes, but it is never the social or political message that interests me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-don-t-want-to-be-ungenerous-toward-people-who-give-you-prizes-but/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I have been very lucky, I have won prizes and I've even won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erro/i-have-been-very-lucky-i-have-won-prizes-and-i-ve-even-won-the-lottery/) [Erro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erro/) > [I'm not much interested in prizes, whether from the Arab world or from the Western world. Writing is a very difficult process and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-blasim/i-m-not-much-interested-in-prizes-whether-from-the-arab-world-or-from/) [Hassan Blasim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-blasim/) > [Literary prizes serve a purpose if they allow for discussion of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/literary-prizes-serve-a-purpose-if-they-allow-for-discussion-of-books/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [There are very few institutions that give prizes to people who may not have got to be number one, but are possibly better at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/there-are-very-few-institutions-that-give-prizes-to-people-who-may/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Life will always remain a gamble, with prizes sometimes for the imprudent, and blanks so often to the wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/life-will-always-remain-a-gamble-with-prizes-sometimes-for-the/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [Prizes do not mean anything to me. I think it is more important to make a child aware of the existence of a weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/prizes-do-not-mean-anything-to-me-i-think-it-is-more-important-to/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [ Maybe it's a little crazy, but it's good to have it, but I just don't like \[prizes or honors\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/maybe-it-s-a-little-crazy-but-it-s-good-to-have-it-but-i-just-don-t/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The effect of prizes on one's career - if that is what to call it - is considerable, since they give one more clout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/the-effect-of-prizes-on-one-s-career-if-that-is-what-to-call-it-is/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) ## More by Bill Nighy > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I speed up past mirrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-speed-up-past-mirrors/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When I do a play, it's like agreeing to be ill for a couple of months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/when-i-do-a-play-it-s-like-agreeing-to-be-ill-for-a-couple-of-months/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm always happy when actors get rich, because the odds on it are so long!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-always-happy-when-actors-get-rich-because-the-odds-on-it-are-so/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm not famous for my back story investigations; I'm lucky that I work with good writers and it's usually in the script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-not-famous-for-my-back-story-investigations-i-m-lucky-that-i-work/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I have never owned a computer. I am one of those weirdos. I've never needed a computer. I'm lucky that I have a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-have-never-owned-a-computer-i-am-one-of-those-weirdos-i-ve-never/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I've always slightly worried the kids who play football around my house. They know I'm an actor, but felt sorry for me because they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-ve-always-slightly-worried-the-kids-who-play-football-around-my/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I was never a hippy, per se.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-was-never-a-hippy-per-se/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [It's more than usually possible that I won't do a play again. But Skylight is one of the great plays in the English language.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/it-s-more-than-usually-possible-that-i-won-t-do-a-play-again-but/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When you are in something that you're proud of and it's funny and it's a good night out and all of those things, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/when-you-are-in-something-that-you-re-proud-of-and-it-s-funny-and-it/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm one of those weird people who doesn't even own a computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-one-of-those-weird-people-who-doesn-t-even-own-a-computer/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I have a perfectly average skewed perception of myself. We often don't know what we're like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-have-a-perfectly-average-skewed-perception-of-myself-we-often-don-t/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [The degree of notoriety I have is fine and easy. There's nothing hysterical about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/the-degree-of-notoriety-i-have-is-fine-and-easy-there-s-nothing/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [You get older and you see yourself and say, 'God, he's old, who's that?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/you-get-older-and-you-see-yourself-and-say-god-he-s-old-who-s-that/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) [Explore all 110 Bill Nighy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) ## More Humor quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [“...I haven't guessed where your shirt is from yet Bane, but I don't think it'll matter once it's underwater!' Tristan looked at Bane questioningly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-k-munt/i-haven-t-guessed-where-your-shirt-is-from-yet-bane-but-i-don-t-think/) S.K. 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Yes, I say--Northerners.” Roy Blount, Jr., Roy Blount’s Book of Southern Humor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/do-southerners-laugh-at-different-things-than-northerners-do-yes-i/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [I love being my silly ole self! 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