---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I guess, taking away all the theatrics or…"
description: "\"I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I write.\" — David Bowie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/david-bowie-508_away_i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or_1807304.jpg"
---

#  I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming…

![“I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I write.” quote by David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/david-bowie-508_away_i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or_1807304.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/david-bowie-508_away_i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or_1807304.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/david-bowie-508_away_i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or_1807304.jpg)

> “I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I write.”

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

## About This Quote

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

Stripping away personas reveals the core identity: at heart, I am a writer who creates.

**In simple terms:** The writer is the essential self.

Key Takeaway

Embrace your true craft beyond image.

Themes

identity creativity authenticity

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing sessions
- creative retreats
- public appearances
- media interviews

Key Concepts

literature performance art

Questions to Reflect On

- What masks do you hide behind?
- How can you stay true while performing?

A Different Perspective

Public expectations can pressure authenticity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [It's such a beautiful moment where costuming meets fashion and current trends, and also references beautiful historical fashion. I just find it to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-barbaro/it-s-such-a-beautiful-moment-where-costuming-meets-fashion-and/)

[Monica Barbaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-barbaro/)

> [But I've always loved the whole costuming part of acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-purser/but-i-ve-always-loved-the-whole-costuming-part-of-acting/)

[Shannon Purser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-purser/)

> [Ice shows give us the opportunity to forget ourselves and just perform. They are amazing opportunities to be in front of audience to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-weir/ice-shows-give-us-the-opportunity-to-forget-ourselves-and-just/)

[Johnny Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-weir/)

> [The woman in charge of costuming assigned us our outfits and gave us a lecture on keeping things clean. She held up a calendar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/the-woman-in-charge-of-costuming-assigned-us-our-outfits-and-gave-us/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [Costuming and clothing plays a really important role in my drag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/costuming-and-clothing-plays-a-really-important-role-in-my-drag/)

[Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/)

> [The sole aim of the arts of scene-designing, costuming, lighting, is to enhance the natural powers of the actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-edmond-jones/the-sole-aim-of-the-arts-of-scene-designing-costuming-lighting-is-to/)

[Robert Edmond Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-edmond-jones/)

> [I'm very much into the costuming of any character that I portray and it's one of the great things about making movies is it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/i-m-very-much-into-the-costuming-of-any-character-that-i-portray-and/)

[Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/)

> [I'm saying the federal government is taking away the freedom of Americans to make choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lepage/i-m-saying-the-federal-government-is-taking-away-the-freedom-of/)

[Paul LePage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lepage/)

> [Many will be busied in taking away from a thing, which will grow in proportion as it is diminished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/many-will-be-busied-in-taking-away-from-a-thing-which-will-grow-in/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [I was blown away, what could I say? It all seemed to make sense You're taking away everything And I can't do without I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/i-was-blown-away-what-could-i-say-it-all-seemed-to-make-sense-you-re/)

She's\_gone

> [“Taking away coffee from Americans is like taking away oil from the motors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/taking-away-coffee-from-americans-is-like-taking-away-oil-from-the/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [I am interested in madness. I believe it is the biggest thing in the human race, and the most constant. How do you take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-am-interested-in-madness-i-believe-it-is-the-biggest-thing-in-the/)

[William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/)

> [You can't start taking away benefits if people don't have any opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-koch/you-can-t-start-taking-away-benefits-if-people-don-t-have-any/)

[Charles Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-koch/)

> [The more I got into presenting things to the world, the further it was taking me away from what I was, which was someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/the-more-i-got-into-presenting-things-to-the-world-the-further-it-was/)

[Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/)

> [“I want him to live if HE wants to live. If he doesn't, then by forcing him to carry on, you, me… we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-want-him-to-live-if-he-wants-to-live-if-he-doesn-t-then-by-forcing/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

## More by David Bowie

> [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [No more free steps to heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/no-more-free-steps-to-heaven/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I'm not sure whether it is me changing my mind, or whether I lie a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-m-not-sure-whether-it-is-me-changing-my-mind-or-whether-i-lie-a-lot/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I do some kind of work, whether writing or painting or recording, on a daily basis. And it's so essential that when I'm involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-do-some-kind-of-work-whether-writing-or-painting-or-recording-on-a/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/to-not-be-modest-about-it-you-ll-find-that-with-only-a-couple-of/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I went mainstream in a major way with the song "Let's Dance." And what I found I had done was put a box around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-went-mainstream-in-a-major-way-with-the-song-let-s-dance-and-what-i/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [“Keep your 'lectric eye on me babe Put your ray gun to my head Press your space face close to mine, love Freak out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/keep-your-lectric-eye-on-me-babe-put-your-ray-gun-to-my-head-press/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I'm in awe of the universe, but I don't necessarily believe there's an intelligence or agent behind it. I do have a passion for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-m-in-awe-of-the-universe-but-i-don-t-necessarily-believe-there-s-an/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [TV has eaten up everything else, and Warhol films are all that are left, which is fabulous. Pork could become the next I Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/tv-has-eaten-up-everything-else-and-warhol-films-are-all-that-are/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [“My brain hurt like a warehouse It had no room to spare I had to cram so many things to store everything in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/my-brain-hurt-like-a-warehouse-it-had-no-room-to-spare-i-had-to-cram/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t-always-just-about-expressing/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [... And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/and-these-children-that-you-spit-on-as-they-try-to-change-their/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I think the first song I ever wrote ... was called "Can't Help Thinking About Me." That's an illuminating little piece, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-think-the-first-song-i-ever-wrote-was-called-can-t-help-thinking/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I've come to the realizations that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing half the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-ve-come-to-the-realizations-that-i-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-i-m/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I never really felt like a rock singer or a rock star or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-never-really-felt-like-a-rock-singer-or-a-rock-star-or-whatever/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

[Explore all 508 David Bowie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

## More Away quotes

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/)

[Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/)

> [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/)

[Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/)

> [You just say the word, and I'll make the rest of the world go away. I'll take you someplace safe, where no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-just-say-the-word-and-i-ll-make-the-rest-of-the-world-go-away-i/)

[Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/)

> [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [Beauty fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-fades-away/)

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

> [You can't kind of take away, you either do or you don't. If you kind of take away something you're a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/you-can-t-kind-of-take-away-you-either-do-or-you-don-t-if-you-kind-of/)

[John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/)

> [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/)

[Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/)

> [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/)

[Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/)

> [“Please don't go away. You--you matter. To me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/please-don-t-go-away-you-you-matter-to-me/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. You can make yourself quite unique right away by leaving this ocean of selfishness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/our-world-is-drowning-in-a-sea-of-self-centeredness-you-can-make/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

> [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/)

[Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/)

> [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/)

[Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/)

Browse all 4,933 Away quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I write.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Bowie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or-the-costuming-and-the-outer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Away"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or-the-costuming-and-the-outer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/david-bowie-508_away_i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or_1807304.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/david-bowie-508_away_i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or_1807304.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/david-bowie-508_away_i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or_1807304.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I…” — David Bowie",
                "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": "David Bowie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I guess, taking away all the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or-the-costuming-and-the-outer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-guess-taking-away-all-the-theatrics-or-the-costuming-and-the-outer/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
