--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes it is very useful to have a…" description: "\"“Sometimes it is very useful to have a reputation for being a reclusive, amoral jerk.”\" — Brandon Sanderson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/brandon-sanderson-112_jerk_sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-re_1608368.jpg" --- # Sometimes it is very useful to have a reputation for being… ![“Sometimes it is very useful to have a reputation for being a reclusive, amoral jerk.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/brandon-sanderson-112_jerk_sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-re_1608368.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/brandon-sanderson-112_jerk_sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-re_1608368.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/brandon-sanderson-112_jerk_sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-re_1608368.jpg) > ““Sometimes it is very useful to have a reputation for being a reclusive, amoral jerk.”” [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cultivating a controversial reputation can be strategically useful for creative independence and boundary-pushing work. **In simple terms:** A bad reputation can protect creative freedom. Key Takeaway Embrace the outsider image when it serves your art. Themes creativity reputation independence Mood defiant strategic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - author branding - artistic risk‑taking - personal boundaries Key Concepts strategic self‑presentation social perception Questions to Reflect On - How does a controversial image affect your opportunities? - When is it worth protecting a bad reputation? A Different Perspective A negative reputation may alienate collaborators or audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“It was useful to have a reputation, so long as it didn't crush you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/it-was-useful-to-have-a-reputation-so-long-as-it-didn-t-crush-you/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I had reclusive tendencies for a reason, I couldn’t be trusted to live in the world and make decisions on my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/i-had-reclusive-tendencies-for-a-reason-i-couldn-t-be-trusted-to-live/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [I'd say that I've been reclusive the last 34 years. That was my big thing as a kid, staying home from school. 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Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [The Manhattan district attorney has closed the well-publicized investigation of the handling of the $300 million fortune of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark - without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/the-manhattan-district-attorney-has-closed-the-well-publicized/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [I am just a quiet reclusive person who has managed to hang around for a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/i-am-just-a-quiet-reclusive-person-who-has-managed-to-hang-around-for/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [I'm just like any other man. I understand why people become reclusive. One of my weaknesses is that I sometimes allow people in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-loftin/i-m-just-like-any-other-man-i-understand-why-people-become-reclusive/) Peter Loftin ## More by Brandon Sanderson > [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. 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My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) [Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More Jerk quotes > [“Even to be impaled by a happy fate makes you jerk against the knowledge of inevitability, of final commitment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-reid-banks/even-to-be-impaled-by-a-happy-fate-makes-you-jerk-against-the/) [Lynne Reid Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-reid-banks/) > [A jerk will keep hurting you then apologize to keep you from leaving them, and then do it all over again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/a-jerk-will-keep-hurting-you-then-apologize-to-keep-you-from-leaving/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Guys are like roller-coasters¦everytime you recover from the last one theres another JERK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/guys-are-like-roller-coasters-everytime-you-recover-from-the-last-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The word relationship best refers to the connection between parasite and host, or shark and remora. It's a biological term. I'd rather be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/the-word-relationship-best-refers-to-the-connection-between-parasite/) [Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/) > [It's hard to know exactly how people develop the characters they do. There could be people from humble beginnings that turn into jerks. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-people-develop-the-characters-they-do/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [If you're working on better conditions for prisoners, if you make that a popular issue and you invite mainstream media to weigh in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/if-you-re-working-on-better-conditions-for-prisoners-if-you-make-that/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Even the jerks earn some of our affection. We can be glad they're gone and yet still mourn the good parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/even-the-jerks-earn-some-of-our-affection-we-can-be-glad-they-re-gone/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [True success is figuring out your life and career so you never have to be around jerks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/true-success-is-figuring-out-your-life-and-career-so-you-never-have/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [If I'd had a great level of success early on, who knows how I would have responded. I might have been a complete jerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/if-i-d-had-a-great-level-of-success-early-on-who-knows-how-i-would/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [“A sadistic jerk?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-shen/a-sadistic-jerk/) [L.J. Shen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-shen/) > [I have tons of tunes, maybe 30 tunes that I still think are great, and only because some jerk at a record company didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/i-have-tons-of-tunes-maybe-30-tunes-that-i-still-think-are-great-and/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Love is bullshit. Emotion is bullshit. I am a rock. A jerk. I'm an uncaring asshole and proud of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/love-is-bullshit-emotion-is-bullshit-i-am-a-rock-a-jerk-i-m-an/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Sure it's bad when someone is a Jerk to you... But things could be worse... You could be that Jerk...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sure-it-s-bad-when-someone-is-a-jerk-to-you-but-things-could-be-worse/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What's success anyway? Is success about making the most money? No, money for the most part turns people into jerks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/what-s-success-anyway-is-success-about-making-the-most-money-no-money/) [Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/) > [Wah, wah, wah wah wah You're a jerk!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/new-boyz/wah-wah-wah-wah-wah-you-re-a-jerk/) [New Boyz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/new-boyz/) Browse all 513 Jerk quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes it is very useful to have a reputation for being a reclusive, amoral jerk.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brandon Sanderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-reputation-for-being-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Jerk" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-reputation-for-being-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/brandon-sanderson-112_jerk_sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-re_1608368.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/brandon-sanderson-112_jerk_sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-re_1608368.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/brandon-sanderson-112_jerk_sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-re_1608368.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes it is very useful to have a reputation for being a reclusive, amoral jerk.” — Brandon Sanderson", "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": "Brandon Sanderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes it is very useful to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-reputation-for-being-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/sometimes-it-is-very-useful-to-have-a-reputation-for-being-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 } } ] } ```