--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I found that disappointing people is…" description: "\"But I found that disappointing people is a good thing, because disapproval is freedom.\" — Demetri Martin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/demetri-martin-511_disappointing_but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is_1557244.jpg" --- # But I found that disappointing people is a good thing… ![“But I found that disappointing people is a good thing, because disapproval is freedom.” quote by Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/demetri-martin-511_disappointing_but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is_1557244.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/demetri-martin-511_disappointing_but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is_1557244.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/demetri-martin-511_disappointing_but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is_1557244.jpg) > “But I found that disappointing people is a good thing, because disapproval is freedom.” [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Disappointing others is framed as liberating because it removes the need for their approval. **In simple terms:** Disappointing people gives you freedom. Key Takeaway Embrace honesty over seeking approval. Themes freedom honesty social expectations Mood reflective defiant Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - public speaking - creative work Key Concepts existentialism personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - When did honesty cost you? - Can you separate self‑worth from others’ opinions? A Different Perspective Not everyone will appreciate honesty, leading to conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disappointing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointing/) [Disappointing People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointing-people-898800/) [Disapproval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disapproval/) [Disapproval Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disapproval-freedom-2504798/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-good/) [Thing Disapproval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-disapproval-5834364/) ## Related quotes > [ When I dropped out \[from a law school\], everybody was disappointed... But I found that disappointing people is a good thing, because disapproval is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/when-i-dropped-out-from-a-law-school-everybody-was-disappointed-but-i/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I'm most scared of failing, of disappointing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/i-m-most-scared-of-failing-of-disappointing-people/) [Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/) > [I am so fearful of disappointing the people in my life, or even people in public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-ortega/i-am-so-fearful-of-disappointing-the-people-in-my-life-or-even-people/) [Jenna Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-ortega/) > [The process of coming out is normally very disappointing. It's not that people react badly to it - they really don't care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/the-process-of-coming-out-is-normally-very-disappointing-it-s-not/) [Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/) > [Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/leadership-is-the-art-of-disappointing-people-at-a-rate-they-can-stand/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [I do not like disappointing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-thee-stallion/i-do-not-like-disappointing-people/) [Megan Thee Stallion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-thee-stallion/) > [When you're a very ambitious person, the things that are disappointing are when other people around you aren't as enthusiastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/when-you-re-a-very-ambitious-person-the-things-that-are-disappointing/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [That’s my biggest fear – disappointing those people who look up to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/that-s-my-biggest-fear-disappointing-those-people-who-look-up-to-me/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [It's always bitterly disappointing to people to see how normally one can live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/it-s-always-bitterly-disappointing-to-people-to-see-how-normally-one/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [It's always disappointing when people decide for one reason or another that they don't like your work anymore, but you can't try to please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/it-s-always-disappointing-when-people-decide-for-one-reason-or/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I mean, at first, it was kind of disappointing. But people recover from disappointment. Otherwise we'd all be hanging from nooses. Right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-mean-at-first-it-was-kind-of-disappointing-but-people-recover-from/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I hate disappointing people and letting people down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-hate-disappointing-people-and-letting-people-down/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [When there's someone who's dead and then someone does something that that person would not have liked, they say that that person is spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/when-there-s-someone-who-s-dead-and-then-someone-does-something-that/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I think it's disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit any young woman's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-rodrigo/i-think-it-s-disappointing-to-see-people-take-things-out-of-context/) [Olivia Rodrigo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-rodrigo/) > [Its so disappointing how some people decide to act. But look at how hurtful words can be, and think twice before deciding to insult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-so-disappointing-how-some-people-decide-to-act-but-look-at-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Demetri Martin > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [When someone describes themself as a taxpayer, they're about to be an asshole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/when-someone-describes-themself-as-a-taxpayer-they-re-about-to-be-an/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I think they named the orange before the carrot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-they-named-the-orange-before-the-carrot/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I like to go to concerts because I love to see my favorite band through the phone of the asshole who's standing in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-like-to-go-to-concerts-because-i-love-to-see-my-favorite-band/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [How fast does a zebra have to run before it looks gray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/how-fast-does-a-zebra-have-to-run-before-it-looks-gray/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Skiing is my favorite sport, because, that's the only sport that is actually better to watch the worst the person is at it. "That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/skiing-is-my-favorite-sport-because-that-s-the-only-sport-that-is/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I know about Woodstock probably as much as your average person who is over 30, where I'd know Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-know-about-woodstock-probably-as-much-as-your-average-person-who-is/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Never be less interesting than your refrigerator magnets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/never-be-less-interesting-than-your-refrigerator-magnets/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-bought-a-cactus-a-week-later-it-died-and-i-got-depressed-because-i/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [A Wednesday with no rain is a dry hump day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/a-wednesday-with-no-rain-is-a-dry-hump-day/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [THING TO TRY: If you are asked to describe a suspect to a police sketch artist, describe in precise detail, the features of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/thing-to-try-if-you-are-asked-to-describe-a-suspect-to-a-police/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [If you happen to catch on fire during the show, do not panic or wave your arms around or scream or we wil give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/if-you-happen-to-catch-on-fire-during-the-show-do-not-panic-or-wave/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [They say that structure is freedom, and in a sense it is. When you're dealing with multiple constraints, you have to figure out what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/they-say-that-structure-is-freedom-and-in-a-sense-it-is-when-you-re/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I think my favorite sound is the sound of someone not playing the bongos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-my-favorite-sound-is-the-sound-of-someone-not-playing-the/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) [Explore all 508 Demetri Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) ## More Disappointing quotes > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [I never felt I was quite the ticket academically. I always felt I had to put in an enormous amount of effort not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mortimer/i-never-felt-i-was-quite-the-ticket-academically-i-always-felt-i-had/) [Emily Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mortimer/) > [I was depressed. I knew I was lost, but I had no idea how to find myself again. It was as though I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/i-was-depressed-i-knew-i-was-lost-but-i-had-no-idea-how-to-find/) [Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/) > [There's plenty of great stuff out there. I think it's just what we do is we all spend our allowance on the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/there-s-plenty-of-great-stuff-out-there-i-think-it-s-just-what-we-do/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [It is always disappointing when you miss a match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuvneshwar-kumar/it-is-always-disappointing-when-you-miss-a-match/) [Bhuvneshwar Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuvneshwar-kumar/) > [I really like the George Clooney of Solaris also filmed by Andrei Tarkovsky, before Steven Soderbergh: that's very obviously sci-fi, and it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-really-like-the-george-clooney-of-solaris-also-filmed-by-andrei/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [The exit polls suggest that after a relatively disappointing first term, Obama managed to reassemble almost all of his 2008 electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/the-exit-polls-suggest-that-after-a-relatively-disappointing-first/) [John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/) > [“How very disappointing truth is sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/how-very-disappointing-truth-is-sometimes/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [You're born and then you're on your own, you start having relationships, you're developing relationships to the world and your wider community, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirah/you-re-born-and-then-you-re-on-your-own-you-start-having/) [Mirah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirah/) > [What's disappointing about @usopengolf is the fans not being about to walk around the course/get close enough to most of the greens to cheer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-horschel/what-s-disappointing-about-usopengolf-is-the-fans-not-being-about-to/) [Billy Horschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-horschel/) > [For the world is an ever-elusive and ever-disappointing mirage only from the standpoint of someone standing aside from it—as if it were quite other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-the-world-is-an-ever-elusive-and-ever-disappointing-mirage-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Christianity persecuted, tortured, and burned. Like a hound it tracked the very scent of heresy. It kindled wars, and nursed furious hatreds and ambitions...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/christianity-persecuted-tortured-and-burned-like-a-hound-it-tracked/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/from-this-instant-on-vow-to-stop-disappointing-yourself-separate/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Don't ever love anything too much, or expect too much it will just end up disappointing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-ever-love-anything-too-much-or-expect-too-much-it-will-just-end/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [All those men who end up disappointing you. After a while, you don't even want to have feelings anymore. You just want to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/all-those-men-who-end-up-disappointing-you-after-a-while-you-don-t/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) [Browse all 364 Disappointing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But I found that disappointing people is a good thing, because disapproval is freedom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Demetri Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is-a-good-thing-because/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disappointing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is-a-good-thing-because/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/demetri-martin-511_disappointing_but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is_1557244.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/demetri-martin-511_disappointing_but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is_1557244.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/demetri-martin-511_disappointing_but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is_1557244.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I found that disappointing people is a good thing, because disapproval is freedom.” — Demetri Martin", "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": "Demetri Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But I found that disappointing people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is-a-good-thing-because/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/but-i-found-that-disappointing-people-is-a-good-thing-because/#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 } } ] } ```