--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In general, I always make it my mission…" description: "\"In general, I always make it my mission to focus on the one person in the audience who seems to be absolutely miserable about being there and try to co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/davy-rothbart-28974_audience_in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-t_59400.jpg" --- # In general, I always make it my mission to focus on the… ![“In general, I always make it my mission to focus on the one person in the audience who seems to be absolutely miserable about being there and try to convert them.” quote by Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/davy-rothbart-28974_audience_in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-t_59400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/davy-rothbart-28974_audience_in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-t_59400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/davy-rothbart-28974_audience_in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-t_59400.jpg) > “In general, I always make it my mission to focus on the one person in the audience who seems to be absolutely miserable about being there and try to convert them.” [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on the most disengaged audience member to transform their experience, turning negativity into connection. **In simple terms:** Engage the unhappy listener. Key Takeaway Convert misery into engagement. Themes Empathy Audience Engagement Leadership Transformation Communication Mood Compassionate Optimistic Type Motivational Instructional When to use this quote - Public speaking - Team meetings - Customer service - Workshops - Training sessions Key Concepts Active Listening Emotional Intelligence Motivation Practical Applications - Improving audience retention - Boosting morale Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify the most disengaged participant? - What strategies help shift their perception? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) [Missions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missions/) ## Related quotes > [“is it that the moment I live for myself, everyone around me becomes miserable, but when I try to live for others, I become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sivils/is-it-that-the-moment-i-live-for-myself-everyone-around-me-becomes/) John Sivils > [Unless you are willing to try, fail miserable, and try again, success won't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-adams/unless-you-are-willing-to-try-fail-miserable-and-try-again-success/) [Phillip Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-adams/) > [Some people are miserable so they want others to be miserable too. Try to make what they are doing backfire and they will know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-hamilton/some-people-are-miserable-so-they-want-others-to-be-miserable-too-try/) [Nadia Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-hamilton/) > [Nobody ever wins by the cavalry coming to rescue you. It isn't a question of you're happy if you get married, or you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/nobody-ever-wins-by-the-cavalry-coming-to-rescue-you-it-isn-t-a/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [You spend so much time making everyone else happy that you fail to realize you are absolutely miserable!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-spend-so-much-time-making-everyone-else-happy-that-you-fail-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I would expostulate with myself why Providence should thus completely ruin His creatures, and render them so absolutely miserable; so without help, abandoned, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/i-would-expostulate-with-myself-why-providence-should-thus-completely/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [He sounded absolutely miserable. “Are you ever going to speak to me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/he-sounded-absolutely-miserable-are-you-ever-going-to-speak-to-me/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [If you want to create a great product, just focus on one person. Make that one person have the most amazing experience ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chesky/if-you-want-to-create-a-great-product-just-focus-on-one-person-make/) [Brian Chesky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chesky/) > [Making a difference in a few lives is entirely possible and usually fairly easy. You just have to focus on one person at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/making-a-difference-in-a-few-lives-is-entirely-possible-and-usually/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [If I focus on one person, the idea is that, oh, now you've attained this goal and beaten one person. One person. Well, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-barnett/if-i-focus-on-one-person-the-idea-is-that-oh-now-you-ve-attained-this/) [Josh Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-barnett/) > [“One of the greatest skills—and gifts—is to focus on a person. Make them feel as though they’re the only person in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-rhyne/one-of-the-greatest-skills-and-gifts-is-to-focus-on-a-person-make/) Rhonda Rhyne > [“Forgiveness was not a one-time act. It was decision to move on and focus on a person's good features each time the hurt over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-horn/forgiveness-was-not-a-one-time-act-it-was-decision-to-move-on-and/) [J.D. Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-horn/) > [The intrinsic path to success is to focus on being the person that you are, and put all of your energy and drive into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/the-intrinsic-path-to-success-is-to-focus-on-being-the-person-that/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [I prefer to focus on who I am as a person and what I stand for. We all want to look good, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alesha-dixon/i-prefer-to-focus-on-who-i-am-as-a-person-and-what-i-stand-for-we-all/) [Alesha Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alesha-dixon/) > [If you focus on another person you take their energy in your body completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-focus-on-another-person-you-take-their-energy-in-your-body/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Davy Rothbart > [The place I write best is at the Angell Hall computer center on the University of Michigan campus, where I went to school. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/the-place-i-write-best-is-at-the-angell-hall-computer-center-on-the/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [My parents have seen their ups-and-downs but are still married after 40 years, so that's something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/my-parents-have-seen-their-ups-and-downs-but-are-still-married-after/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [“I started playing that game I play when I'm feeling lonely, the one where I review all of my prior relationships, marveling that so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/i-started-playing-that-game-i-play-when-i-m-feeling-lonely-the-one/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [I have a black Grandma and white Grandma. My white Grandma lives in Fort Lauderdale, paints, and teaches bridge. She's wonderful. My black Grandma,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/i-have-a-black-grandma-and-white-grandma-my-white-grandma-lives-in/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [“That's how the universe worked at times: little things - the tiniest things - could catapult you toward a good life, but you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/that-s-how-the-universe-worked-at-times-little-things-the-tiniest/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [There’s no key to the universe, you just have to point your way in one direction, keep going, keep going, keep going, and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/there-s-no-key-to-the-universe-you-just-have-to-point-your-way-in-one/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [But in the end, I suppose, we only have one life to lead, and the roads not taken would always outnumber and outshine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/but-in-the-end-i-suppose-we-only-have-one-life-to-lead-and-the-roads/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [I'm trying to quit huffing epoxy glue out of grocery bags.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/i-m-trying-to-quit-huffing-epoxy-glue-out-of-grocery-bags/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [“My dashed hopes putt-putted bravely to life once more, like a bug that gets stomped on but keeps pulling itself across the floor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/my-dashed-hopes-putt-putted-bravely-to-life-once-more-like-a-bug-that/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [I get emails from strangers every day asking for love advice, which is kind of counter-intuitive since I'm making a movie about what an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/i-get-emails-from-strangers-every-day-asking-for-love-advice-which-is/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [The questions people have are sometimes soulful, sometimes zany, sometimes incoherent. I want to make a 'zine with just the questions I get emailed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/the-questions-people-have-are-sometimes-soulful-sometimes-zany/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [“I had abandoned Elana; I deserved her uncertainty. I closed my eyes and focused on her touch. Perhaps she wouldn't have understood had I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/i-had-abandoned-elana-i-deserved-her-uncertainty-i-closed-my-eyes-and/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [ “I often wished that I could split myself a hundred ways and live a hundred separate lives \[...\]. But in the end, I supposed,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/i-often-wished-that-i-could-split-myself-a-hundred-ways-and-live-a/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [“Marry her right away. Tomorrow, if you want. You don’t know how much time you get with someone, so you might as well start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/marry-her-right-away-tomorrow-if-you-want-you-don-t-know-how-much/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [ “It's appealing to imagine that if we can just get that one thing in our life to work out-- \[...\] that everything will be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/it-s-appealing-to-imagine-that-if-we-can-just-get-that-one-thing-in/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) [Explore all 19 Davy Rothbart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) ## 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": "In general, I always make it my mission to focus on the one person in the audience who seems to be absolutely miserable about being there and try to convert them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Davy Rothbart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-to-focus-on-the-one-person-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-to-focus-on-the-one-person-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/davy-rothbart-28974_audience_in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-t_59400.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/davy-rothbart-28974_audience_in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-t_59400.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/davy-rothbart-28974_audience_in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-t_59400.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In general, I always make it my mission to focus on the one person in the audience who seems to be…” — Davy Rothbart", "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": "Davy Rothbart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In general, I always make it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-to-focus-on-the-one-person-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-to-focus-on-the-one-person-in/#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 } } ] } ```