--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, music is in no way ornamental or…" description: "\"For me, music is in no way ornamental or decorative, it's constitutive of who I am.\" — Cornel West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/cornel-west-708_music_for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or_2484162.jpg" --- # For me, music is in no way ornamental or decorative, it's… ![“For me, music is in no way ornamental or decorative, it's constitutive of who I am.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/cornel-west-708_music_for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or_2484162.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/cornel-west-708_music_for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or_2484162.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/cornel-west-708_music_for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or_2484162.jpg) > “For me, music is in no way ornamental or decorative, it's constitutive of who I am.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music defines identity and shapes personal existence, not merely decoration. **In simple terms:** Music is core to my identity. Key Takeaway Recognize music's role in self‑definition. Themes identity art self‑expression Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - personal introspection - creative work - social gatherings - therapy Key Concepts existentialism cultural identity Questions to Reflect On - How does music influence your sense of self? - Can you imagine life without music? A Different Perspective Music may not capture all aspects of identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitutive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitutive-896831/) [Decorative Constitutive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decorative-constitutive-896832/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-is/) [Music Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-way/) [Ornamental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ornamental-896833/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Who i am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-i-am/) ## Related quotes > [I don't mind there being some medievalists around for ornamental purposes, but there is no reason for the State to pay for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-clarke/i-don-t-mind-there-being-some-medievalists-around-for-ornamental/) [Charles Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-clarke/) > [“Go and make yourself useful, since you are too big to be ornamental.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/go-and-make-yourself-useful-since-you-are-too-big-to-be-ornamental/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [What is constitutive is the action that divides madness, and not the science elaborated once this division is made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/what-is-constitutive-is-the-action-that-divides-madness-and-not-the/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [“institutional facts in general require language because the language is partly constitutive of the facts. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rogers-searle/institutional-facts-in-general-require-language-because-the-language/) [John Rogers Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rogers-searle/) > [Art is constitutive-the artist determines beauty. He does not take it over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/art-is-constitutive-the-artist-determines-beauty-he-does-not-take-it/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [To be free means to be lacking in constitutive identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/to-be-free-means-to-be-lacking-in-constitutive-identity/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [For me, the constitutive element of an affair is the secrecy. It is the secrecy that leads to the lying, to the deception, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-me-the-constitutive-element-of-an-affair-is-the-secrecy-it-is-the/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [My outlet is my music, and it's been this way since I was 4 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chubby-checker/my-outlet-is-my-music-and-it-s-been-this-way-since-i-was-4-years-old/) [Chubby Checker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chubby-checker/) > [Music became my way of processing things and a way to gain confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabel/music-became-my-way-of-processing-things-and-a-way-to-gain-confidence/) [Mabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mabel/) > [I think music is my way of showing people a different side of me, telling my story, how I got to this position that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bagley-iii/i-think-music-is-my-way-of-showing-people-a-different-side-of-me/) [Marvin Bagley III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bagley-iii/) > [I really like the art of music, the way that you can express yourself through music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-the-art-of-music-the-way-that-you-can-express-yourself/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [Music is way stronger than politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lloyd/music-is-way-stronger-than-politics/) [Dennis Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lloyd/) > [Music is the only way I can express myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-homie-quan/music-is-the-only-way-i-can-express-myself/) [Rich Homie Quan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-homie-quan/) > [Music was my one way to vent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-g/music-was-my-one-way-to-vent/) [Becky G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-g/) > [Even when my every inclination is to be otherwise, I don't want to live my life on the dark side of things. Sometimes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-sudol/even-when-my-every-inclination-is-to-be-otherwise-i-don-t-want-to/) [Alison Sudol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-sudol/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Music quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [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/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? Edge of the world, Should I sink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/i-m-at-the-edge-of-the-world-where-do-i-go-from-here-do-i-disappear/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) [Hubert Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-laws/) > [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/) > [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/) [Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) [Browse all 55,293 Music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, music is in no way ornamental or decorative, it's constitutive of who I am.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornel West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or-decorative-it-s-constitutive-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Music" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or-decorative-it-s-constitutive-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/cornel-west-708_music_for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or_2484162.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/cornel-west-708_music_for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or_2484162.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/cornel-west-708_music_for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or_2484162.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For me, music is in no way ornamental or decorative, it's constitutive of who I am.” — Cornel West", "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": "Cornel West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For me, music is in no...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or-decorative-it-s-constitutive-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-music-is-in-no-way-ornamental-or-decorative-it-s-constitutive-2/#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 } } ] } ```