---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was criticized by some people for my…"
description: "\"I was criticized by some people for my first album because they said I was taking sacred music. They knew nothing about what I was doing. That was no s..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/dr-john-13961_about_i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-f_2905423.jpg"
---

#  I was criticized by some people for my first album because…

![“I was criticized by some people for my first album because they said I was taking sacred music. They knew nothing about what I was doing. That was no sacred music; that's music I wrote.” quote by Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/dr-john-13961_about_i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-f_2905423.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/dr-john-13961_about_i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-f_2905423.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/dr-john-13961_about_i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-f_2905423.jpg)

> “I was criticized by some people for my first album because they said I was taking sacred music. They knew nothing about what I was doing. That was no sacred music; that's music I wrote.”

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

## About This Quote

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

Defends original music against accusations of appropriating sacred music.

**In simple terms:** Defends his music as original.

Key Takeaway

Clarify artistic intent and originality.

Themes

art culture authenticity

Mood

defensive thoughtful

Type

artistic cultural

When to use this quote

- album releases
- public statements
- media interviews

Key Concepts

Cultural appropriation creative ownership

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you address cultural concerns?
- What defines sacredness in music?

A Different Perspective

Critics may still label work as inappropriate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Criticized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticized/) [Criticized People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticized-people-1216281/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-knew-267968/) [Music Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-wrote-592837/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sacred Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-music-451664/)

## Related quotes

> [If you get criticized, good - I don't think people get criticized enough. People talk behind your back and they criticize you, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/if-you-get-criticized-good-i-don-t-think-people-get-criticized-enough/)

[Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/)

> [When 'The Thin Blue Line' came out, I was criticized by many people for using reenactments, as if I wasn't dedicated to the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/when-the-thin-blue-line-came-out-i-was-criticized-by-many-people-for/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [What the nation's built on is discussion, contradiction and growth, and at the moment you can't discuss anything. If you do start to discuss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/what-the-nation-s-built-on-is-discussion-contradiction-and-growth-and/)

[Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/)

> [“being criticized by people you care about is almost always a part of exercising leadership.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-linsky/being-criticized-by-people-you-care-about-is-almost-always-a-part-of/)

[Martin Linsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-linsky/)

> [I find most 'sacred music' pretty dismal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-find-most-sacred-music-pretty-dismal/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [“Wind is the sacred music of the leaves; wherever and whenever the wind blows, over there leaves start their holy dancing frantically!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/wind-is-the-sacred-music-of-the-leaves-wherever-and-whenever-the-wind/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Ironically, we live in times that are awash in authentic sacred music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-morris/ironically-we-live-in-times-that-are-awash-in-authentic-sacred-music/)

[Richard Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-morris/)

> [An authentic updating of sacred music can take place only in the lineage of the great tradition of the past, of Gregorian chant and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/an-authentic-updating-of-sacred-music-can-take-place-only-in-the/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [It bothers me when I hear it in a car commercial or some such. But for the most part, it's better than seeing sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-morris/it-bothers-me-when-i-hear-it-in-a-car-commercial-or-some-such-but-for/)

[Richard Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-morris/)

> [“You have only to feel the sacred music of your soul, to dance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-bowen/you-have-only-to-feel-the-sacred-music-of-your-soul-to-dance/)

[Connie Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-bowen/)

> [Rome is a city where in every corner you have a reminder of the sacred world. That's why I have sacred music, minimalist sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-sorrentino/rome-is-a-city-where-in-every-corner-you-have-a-reminder-of-the/)

[Paolo Sorrentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-sorrentino/)

> [In church, sacred music would make believers of us all — but preachers can be counted on to restore the balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/in-church-sacred-music-would-make-believers-of-us-all-but-preachers/)

[Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/)

> [I've played music since I was six, and I always wrote songs just for myself. I did it for fun, posting songs on Tumblr,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/i-ve-played-music-since-i-was-six-and-i-always-wrote-songs-just-for/)

[Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/)

> [One of the earliest memories I have of feeling the power of film music was watching Willy Wonka &amp; the Chocolate Factory. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-zanelli/one-of-the-earliest-memories-i-have-of-feeling-the-power-of-film/)

[Geoff Zanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-zanelli/)

> [I accept all of the music that I wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-penderecki/i-accept-all-of-the-music-that-i-wrote/)

[Krzysztof Penderecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-penderecki/)

## More by Dr. John

> [Where Charlie Christian left off, Papoose started a new thing; he was an innovator of the guitar. The things he did during his recording…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/where-charlie-christian-left-off-papoose-started-a-new-thing-he-was/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [Like the tangled veins of cypress roots that meander this way and that in the swamp, everything in New Orleans is interrelated, wrapped around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/like-the-tangled-veins-of-cypress-roots-that-meander-this-way-and/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [I been trying to clean up my act with my children for a long time. And I pretty much got them all talking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-been-trying-to-clean-up-my-act-with-my-children-for-a-long-time-and/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [The whole Lower Ninth Ward hasn't really recovered, but I feel a good spirit in my heart that something is going on - music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/the-whole-lower-ninth-ward-hasn-t-really-recovered-but-i-feel-a-good/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [New Orleans cats don't play a lot of solos unless they got something to say. It's not an ego thing like it is with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/new-orleans-cats-don-t-play-a-lot-of-solos-unless-they-got-something/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [I think that any of the places that's cut off from money, things come up, what the people have to rely on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-think-that-any-of-the-places-that-s-cut-off-from-money-things-come/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [The specter of color is apparent even when it goes unmentioned, and it is all too often the unseen force that influences public policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/the-specter-of-color-is-apparent-even-when-it-goes-unmentioned-and-it/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [Everybody in my neighborhood in the '40s, they played pianos. That's how people partied. They didn't try the TV, the radio was OK, records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/everybody-in-my-neighborhood-in-the-40s-they-played-pianos-that-s-how/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [Doc has been my name all my life, and John is my middle name. I'm proud of all my names - Malcolm John Michael…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/doc-has-been-my-name-all-my-life-and-john-is-my-middle-name-i-m-proud/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [It was the first time I was looking, really, right after the storm, that I saw maybe the amount of devastation that had happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/it-was-the-first-time-i-was-looking-really-right-after-the-storm-that/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [There was a lot of freedom, so bands in those days did not have to play for the public. They played for club owners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/there-was-a-lot-of-freedom-so-bands-in-those-days-did-not-have-to/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [I hung at the studio. Myself and James Booker and several other musicians, as kids, we just literally hung at the studio, hoping somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-hung-at-the-studio-myself-and-james-booker-and-several-other/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [I'd rather have the whole world against me than my own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-d-rather-have-the-whole-world-against-me-than-my-own-soul/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [I had somebody call and make a joke about it: 'Oh, Buddy Guy won the Grammy - You should have won.' I said, 'No.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-had-somebody-call-and-make-a-joke-about-it-oh-buddy-guy-won-the/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

> [In 1972, I recorded Gumbo, an album that was both a tribute to and my interpretation of the music I had grown up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/in-1972-i-recorded-gumbo-an-album-that-was-both-a-tribute-to-and-my/)

[Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

[Explore all 48 Dr. John quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/)

## More About quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/)

[Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

[Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was criticized by some people for my first album because they said I was taking sacred music. They knew nothing about what I was doing. That was no sacred music; that's music I wrote.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dr. John"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-first-album-because-they-said/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-first-album-because-they-said/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/dr-john-13961_about_i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-f_2905423.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/dr-john-13961_about_i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-f_2905423.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/dr-john-13961_about_i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-f_2905423.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was criticized by some people for my first album because they said I was taking sacred music. They knew…” — Dr. John",
                "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": "Dr. John",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was criticized by some people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-first-album-because-they-said/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/i-was-criticized-by-some-people-for-my-first-album-because-they-said/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
