--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think I'm modest so much as I'm…" description: "\"I don't think I'm modest so much as I'm realistic. I know what I can do and what I can't do. I know what I am, and more importantly, I know what I'm no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba1/david-sanborn-13730_am_i-don-t-think-i-m-modest-so-much-as-i-m_779758.jpg" --- # I don't think I'm modest so much as I'm realistic. I know… ![“I don't think I'm modest so much as I'm realistic. I know what I can do and what I can't do. I know what I am, and more importantly, I know what I'm not. I'm not really a major innovator; I don't know if I contribute to the language of the saxophone or of jazz. I don't consider myself an innovator…” quote by David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba1/david-sanborn-13730_am_i-don-t-think-i-m-modest-so-much-as-i-m_779758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba1/david-sanborn-13730_am_i-don-t-think-i-m-modest-so-much-as-i-m_779758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba1/david-sanborn-13730_am_i-don-t-think-i-m-modest-so-much-as-i-m_779758.jpg) > “I don't think I'm modest so much as I'm realistic. I know what I can do and what I can't do. I know what I am, and more importantly, I know what I'm not. I'm not really a major innovator; I don't know if I contribute to the language of the saxophone or of jazz. I don't consider myself an innovator of jazz. I've just got a distinctive voice.” [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges realistic self‑assessment, recognizing personal limits and strengths without claiming grand innovation. **In simple terms:** He knows his abilities and limits, focusing on his unique voice. Key Takeaway Embrace honest self‑knowledge and play to your strengths. Themes self‑awareness humility authenticity Mood reflective confident Type personal artistic When to use this quote - performance preparation - career planning - collaboration - skill development Key Concepts identity personal branding artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How does honest self‑assessment shape artistic growth? - What risks arise from under‑estimating one's influence? A Different Perspective May undervalue broader impact by focusing too narrowly on self‑limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Innovator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovator/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Saxophone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saxophone/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [It would be nice if at least 1/3 of the people in Korea think that I'm modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/it-would-be-nice-if-at-least-1-3-of-the-people-in-korea-think-that-i/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“People think I am being modest when I tell them I know absolutely nothing about art. But if they show me a piece of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/people-think-i-am-being-modest-when-i-tell-them-i-know-absolutely/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [I don't think that I'm modest by any means, but I'm also not an exhibitionist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-bell/i-don-t-think-that-i-m-modest-by-any-means-but-i-m-also-not-an/) [Kristen Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-bell/) > [My goal is to be an innovator, to break boundaries within my industry, and to branch out to multiple other industries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-marie/my-goal-is-to-be-an-innovator-to-break-boundaries-within-my-industry/) [Eva Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-marie/) > [It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-ought-to-be-remembered-that-there-is-nothing-more-difficult-to/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Ray Johnson was a great innovator of mail art and photocopying and sending people photocopies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-fitzpatrick/ray-johnson-was-a-great-innovator-of-mail-art-and-photocopying-and/) [Leo Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-fitzpatrick/) > [Don't be an imitator be an innovator, design your life and live it your way, not someone else's way. Stand up, stand out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-housham/don-t-be-an-imitator-be-an-innovator-design-your-life-and-live-it/) [Ricardo Housham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-housham/) > [“Advances in technology can be empowering, progressive and enriching. History has shown this across civilisations and societies. 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You know, keeping people playful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/i-guess-i-d-like-to-be-known-for-being-an-innovator-fostering/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [What's the DNA of a marketer? We call it the 4-I's: instigator, implementer, innovator, and integrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/what-s-the-dna-of-a-marketer-we-call-it-the-4-i-s-instigator/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [My father was an innovator. He's the first person who sang and set Rumi's poetry into music 35 years, 40 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez-nazeri/my-father-was-an-innovator-he-s-the-first-person-who-sang-and-set/) [Hafez Nazeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez-nazeri/) > [What counts alone is the innovator, the dissenter, the harbinger of things unheard of, the man who rejects the traditional standards and aims at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-counts-alone-is-the-innovator-the-dissenter-the-harbinger-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) ## More by David Sanborn > [Jazz music should be inclusive. Smooth jazz to me rules out a certain kind of drama and a certain tension that I think all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/jazz-music-should-be-inclusive-smooth-jazz-to-me-rules-out-a-certain/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [In regard to music, I just think that it's always best to have an attitude of being a perpetual student and always look to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/in-regard-to-music-i-just-think-that-it-s-always-best-to-have-an/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [Its all about finding the right note at the right place and knowing when to leave well enough alone. And that's a lifelong quest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/its-all-about-finding-the-right-note-at-the-right-place-and-knowing/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [While St. Louis is technically regarded as part of the Mid-West, it's actually - geographically and emotionally - more part of the South. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/while-st-louis-is-technically-regarded-as-part-of-the-mid-west-it-s/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [I have a certain temperament, a disposition that I think lends itself to not playing outside the lines that much. 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I think some of it has been more commercially successful than others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/all-the-music-that-i-ve-made-in-the-past-i-ve-believed-in-i-think/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [Well, I guess my unease with that is... I'm always a little uneasy with that phrase - smooth jazz, as opposed to what?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/well-i-guess-my-unease-with-that-is-i-m-always-a-little-uneasy-with/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [Music is like an open sky. You know it's out there... and there you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/music-is-like-an-open-sky-you-know-it-s-out-there-and-there-you-are/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [I think that that's the way the music grows and changes and becomes new and creative and vital. 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I like to move around and play in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/i-try-to-do-things-that-keep-me-interested-and-play-music-that-moves/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [I think that, given a real choice, people would like to hear something interesting, not something bland and right down the middle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/i-think-that-given-a-real-choice-people-would-like-to-hear-something/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) > [If you're playing with somebody from another idiom, you can't react to them in the same way that you react to somebody that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sanborn/if-you-re-playing-with-somebody-from-another-idiom-you-can-t-react-to/) [David Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) [Explore all 49 David Sanborn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sanborn/) ## More Am quotes > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [I think I am against stereotype. 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When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [I am strongly opposed to any form of amnesty, including, especially, executive amnesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/i-am-strongly-opposed-to-any-form-of-amnesty-including-especially/) [Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/) > [I am no different from a lot of people. 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