--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The moment you begin to depend on…" description: "\"The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right. You can't all..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audien_77123.jpg" --- # The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction… ![“The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right. You can't allow yourself, no matter what, to depend on them.” quote by Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audien_77123.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audien_77123.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audien_77123.jpg) > “The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right. You can't allow yourself, no matter what, to depend on them.” [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Relying on external approval undermines authentic creation; true mastery comes from internal standards, not audience validation. **In simple terms:** Authenticity over applause Key Takeaway Create for yourself, not for others Themes creativity self-reliance authenticity confidence artistic integrity Mood determined focused defiant Type advice philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing a novel - performing music - designing a product - public speaking - teaching a class Key Concepts intrinsic motivation self-discipline Practical Applications - self‑assessment tools - personal goal setting Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when you’re creating for yourself? - What internal metrics guide your work? A Different Perspective Some argue feedback is essential for growth, but the quote emphasizes internal compass over external validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-reaction-994638/) [Depend Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depend-audience-994636/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Doin Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doin-wrong-994637/) [Doing Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-wrong/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [No matter what](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-matter-what/) [Reaction Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaction-doing-994639/) [Reactions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reactions/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wrong things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-things/) ## Related quotes > [I had the best teacher in the business. Kevin Costner was my teacher. I was acting opposite him and he was directing me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-williams/i-had-the-best-teacher-in-the-business-kevin-costner-was-my-teacher-i/) [Olivia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-williams/) > [If I try to act cool and do things that get a positive reaction, then I'm not doing anything for the person I'm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmella/if-i-try-to-act-cool-and-do-things-that-get-a-positive-reaction-then/) [Carmella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmella/) > [“A wrong is just wrong no matter who’s doin’ it or who it’s done to. 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Learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam/you-may-love-somebody-but-most-of-y-all-sad-because-that-person-doin/) [Sam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam/) > [If you give up on your principles I don’t think that’s being pragmatic... Doing the wrong thing, even partially, isn’t being practical...if you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/if-you-give-up-on-your-principles-i-don-t-think-that-s-being/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [There is nothing worse than doing the wrong thing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/there-is-nothing-worse-than-doing-the-wrong-thing-well/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Better to fail at doing the right thing than to succeed at doing the wrong thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/better-to-fail-at-doing-the-right-thing-than-to-succeed-at-doing-the/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [We must do what we conceive to be the right thing, and not bother our heads or burden our souls with whether we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/we-must-do-what-we-conceive-to-be-the-right-thing-and-not-bother-our/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [The less unnecessary effort you put into learning, the more successful you'll be . . . Doing the wrong thing with more intensity rarely improves the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-less-unnecessary-effort-you-put-into-learning-the-more-successful/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [We are being ruined by the best efforts of people who are doing the wrong thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/we-are-being-ruined-by-the-best-efforts-of-people-who-are-doing-the/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [I was doing the wrong thing, at the time I thought I was doing the right thing. It's like if you're dealing with somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/i-was-doing-the-wrong-thing-at-the-time-i-thought-i-was-doing-the/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [The more efficient you are at doing the wrong thing, the wronger you become. It is much better to do the right thing wronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-l-ackoff/the-more-efficient-you-are-at-doing-the-wrong-thing-the-wronger-you/) [Russell L. Ackoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-l-ackoff/) > [If you're not doing some things that are crazy, then you're doing the wrong things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/if-you-re-not-doing-some-things-that-are-crazy-then-you-re-doing-the/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) ## More by Bruce Springsteen > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ I don't know if I know anyone, with the exception of the early inventors of rock music \[who wasn't influenced by something\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-don-t-know-if-i-know-anyone-with-the-exception-of-the-early/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy.I want to be that guy myself very often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/people-see-you-onstage-and-yeah-i-d-want-to-be-that-guy-i-want-to-be/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You know, my music utilizes things from the past, because that's what the past is for. It's to learn from. It's not to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/you-know-my-music-utilizes-things-from-the-past-because-that-s-what/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I want a thousand guitars . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-want-a-thousand-guitars/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [In America everything's about who's number one today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/in-america-everything-s-about-who-s-number-one-today/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [A pop song is a condensed version of a life in three minutes, whereas, when you go to write your prose, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-pop-song-is-a-condensed-version-of-a-life-in-three-minutes-whereas/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-walked-a-thousand-miles-just-to-slip-this-skin/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The name 'Boss' started with people that worked for me... It was not meant like Boss, capital B, it was meant like 'Boss, where's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-name-boss-started-with-people-that-worked-for-me-it-was-not-meant/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-country-we-carry-in-our-hearts-is-waiting/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Those wounds stay with you, and you turn them into a language and a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/those-wounds-stay-with-you-and-you-turn-them-into-a-language-and-a/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) [Explore all 484 Bruce Springsteen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right. 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