--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He once said that he wished to be famous…" description: "\"He once said that he wished to be famous, but unknown.\" — Edgar Degas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/edgar-degas-4615_fame_he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous_2700229.png" --- # He once said that he wished to be famous, but unknown. ![“He once said that he wished to be famous, but unknown.” quote by Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/edgar-degas-4615_fame_he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous_2700229.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/edgar-degas-4615_fame_he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous_2700229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/edgar-degas-4615_fame_he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous_2700229.png) > “He once said that he wished to be famous, but unknown.” [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He desired fame yet wanted anonymity, highlighting the paradox of wanting recognition without personal exposure. **In simple terms:** Wants fame but also anonymity. Key Takeaway Balance desire for success with privacy. Themes fame anonymity paradox Mood conflicted thoughtful Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - career ambition - personal branding - social media - public life Key Concepts identity public perception Questions to Reflect On - Do you crave recognition without personal privacy? - How can one maintain anonymity while being famous? A Different Perspective Fame can bring loss of privacy and scrutiny. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) ## Related quotes > [I should like to be famous and unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/i-should-like-to-be-famous-and-unknown/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I want to be famous but unknown!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/i-want-to-be-famous-but-unknown/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I would like to be famous but unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/i-would-like-to-be-famous-but-unknown/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [The success of Heine -- to become a world-famous 'unknown poet.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/the-success-of-heine-to-become-a-world-famous-unknown-poet/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [My mom has said she wished I were gay... I don't think she likes my taste in men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/my-mom-has-said-she-wished-i-were-gay-i-don-t-think-she-likes-my/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [“Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/then-she-told-me-all-about-the-bad-place-and-i-said-i-wished-i-was/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“We both got our Point Zero wishes―each other. He said he wished for me every time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/we-both-got-our-point-zero-wishes-each-other-he-said-he-wished-for-me/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“There was nothing I wished I'd said to him. There was nothing I wished I hadn't said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-flood/there-was-nothing-i-wished-i-d-said-to-him-there-was-nothing-i-wished/) [C.J. Flood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-flood/) > [“Then she told me all about the bad place, and said I wished I was there. She got mad, then, but I didn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/then-she-told-me-all-about-the-bad-place-and-said-i-wished-i-was/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“He had told her he wasn’t Prince Charming, but what he hadn’t said, was he wished he could be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/he-had-told-her-he-wasn-t-prince-charming-but-what-he-hadn-t-said-was/) [C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/) > [I wish you did return my regard," he said. "More than I have ever wished anything in my life! 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To eat dinner with the wrong people by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-said-it-would-be-very-nice-to-conic-home-and-be-in-the-wrong-house/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Because,” Mark said, “I wished to ride with you in the Hunt one last time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/because-mark-said-i-wished-to-ride-with-you-in-the-hunt-one-last-time/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) ## More by Edgar Degas > [There are some women who should barely be spoken to; they should only be caressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/there-are-some-women-who-should-barely-be-spoken-to-they-should-only/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/the-air-we-see-in-the-paintings-of-the-old-masters-is-never-the-air/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Even in front of nature one must compose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/even-in-front-of-nature-one-must-compose/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Art is vice. One does not wed it, one rapes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/art-is-vice-one-does-not-wed-it-one-rapes-it/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/what-a-delightful-thing-is-the-conversation-of-specialists-one/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Instantaneity is photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/instantaneity-is-photography/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Women can never forgive me; they hate me, they feel that I am disarming them. I show them without their coquetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/women-can-never-forgive-me-they-hate-me-they-feel-that-i-am-disarming/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [In painting you must give the idea of the true by means of the false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/in-painting-you-must-give-the-idea-of-the-true-by-means-of-the-false/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I would have been in mortal misery all my life for fear my wife might say, 'That's a pretty little thing,' after I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/i-would-have-been-in-mortal-misery-all-my-life-for-fear-my-wife-might/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Great patience is called for on the hard path that I have entered on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/great-patience-is-called-for-on-the-hard-path-that-i-have-entered-on/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [There is too much talk and gossip; pictures are apparently made, like stock-market prices, by competition of people eager for profits... All this traffic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/there-is-too-much-talk-and-gossip-pictures-are-apparently-made-like/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [What is certain is that setting a piece of nature in place and drawing it are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/what-is-certain-is-that-setting-a-piece-of-nature-in-place-and/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I should like to be famous and unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/i-should-like-to-be-famous-and-unknown/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Art is really a battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/art-is-really-a-battle/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [A picture is an artificial work, outside nature. It calls for as much cunning as the commission of a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/a-picture-is-an-artificial-work-outside-nature-it-calls-for-as-much/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) [Explore all 108 Edgar Degas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) ## More Fame quotes > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [Some people say that 'Drag Race' is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame. For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trixie-mattel/some-people-say-that-drag-race-is-about-glory-and-immortalizing/) [Trixie Mattel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trixie-mattel/) > [The News of the World made me more famous than being in Atomic Kitten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/the-news-of-the-world-made-me-more-famous-than-being-in-atomic-kitten/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [There's nothing like getting feedback that's positive and supportive. That's what I'm all about. I'm really just genuinely doing good music. I'm not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-villarreal/there-s-nothing-like-getting-feedback-that-s-positive-and-supportive/) [Tiffany Villarreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-villarreal/) > [Don't crave fame, do what you do and just apply. I don't think many of them here today are that interested in fashion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilson/don-t-crave-fame-do-what-you-do-and-just-apply-i-don-t-think-many-of/) [Louise Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilson/) > [If I had never gotten famous or rich, I think I'd be equally neurotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/if-i-had-never-gotten-famous-or-rich-i-think-i-d-be-equally-neurotic/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Unfortunately, celebrity is a powerful thing. It can influence people, but if it can influence people in a good way, then that's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-furnish/unfortunately-celebrity-is-a-powerful-thing-it-can-influence-people/) [David Furnish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-furnish/) > [I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/i-think-you-either-live-a-real-life-or-you-live-a-weird-celebrity/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [I am uninterested in Jennifer Aniston's take on anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dillon/i-am-uninterested-in-jennifer-aniston-s-take-on-anything/) [Tim Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dillon/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [I don't want to have anything to do with that: just the fame without personal respect for your privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/i-don-t-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-that-just-the-fame-without/) [Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/) > [I wanted to have money; I wanted to be special; I wanted people to like me; I wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-wanted-to-have-money-i-wanted-to-be-special-i-wanted-people-to-like/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) [Browse all 6,971 Fame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He once said that he wished to be famous, but unknown.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edgar Degas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous-but-unknown/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fame" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous-but-unknown/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/edgar-degas-4615_fame_he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous_2700229.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/edgar-degas-4615_fame_he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous_2700229.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/edgar-degas-4615_fame_he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous_2700229.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He once said that he wished to be famous, but unknown.” — Edgar Degas", "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": "Edgar Degas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He once said that he wished...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous-but-unknown/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/he-once-said-that-he-wished-to-be-famous-but-unknown/#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 } } ] } ```