--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I first got into music when I heard punk…" description: "\"I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the expectations various authorities have for you.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/ezra-furman-4439_expectations_i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk_286922.jpg" --- # I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was… ![“I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the expectations various authorities have for you.” quote by Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/ezra-furman-4439_expectations_i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk_286922.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/ezra-furman-4439_expectations_i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk_286922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/ezra-furman-4439_expectations_i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk_286922.jpg) > “I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the expectations various authorities have for you.” [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Punk music encourages questioning authority and accepting personal imperfections, fostering a mindset that it's okay not to meet external expectations. **In simple terms:** Punk says it's okay to defy expectations. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity over conformity. Themes rebellion self-acceptance authority music culture Mood defiant empowering Type cultural personal growth When to use this quote - personal expression - creative projects - social activism - educational curricula Key Concepts cultural critique identity formation Questions to Reflect On - What expectations do you challenge? - How do you channel rebellion constructively? A Different Perspective May lead to nihilism if not balanced with purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punk/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I wanted to be in a punk band before I had even heard any punk music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-wanted-to-be-in-a-punk-band-before-i-had-even-heard-any-punk-music/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Some people started to call me "the King of No" because with Daft Punk we were saying "no" to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-winter/some-people-started-to-call-me-the-king-of-no-because-with-daft-punk/) [Pedro Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-winter/) > [I was a suburban kid who fancied myself somehow intellectual. I was into punk rock but I couldn't get into the subcultural signifiers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-was-a-suburban-kid-who-fancied-myself-somehow-intellectual-i-was/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I was pretty much into punk rock and that's all I cared about. I was into Green Day and the Ramones. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-was-pretty-much-into-punk-rock-and-that-s-all-i-cared-about-i-was/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I always felt like I had a punk album waiting to be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-always-felt-like-i-had-a-punk-album-waiting-to-be-made/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [ I wanted to get a guitar \[when I was 13\] so I could play punk songs because kid taught me power chords at summer… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-wanted-to-get-a-guitar-when-i-was-13-so-i-could-play-punk-songs/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I was thinking very carefully about going into education, becoming a teacher, maybe becoming a rabbi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-was-thinking-very-carefully-about-going-into-education-becoming-a/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I like the bad-boy types. Generally the guy I'm attracted to is the guy in the club with all the tattoos and nail polish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-like-the-bad-boy-types-generally-the-guy-i-m-attracted-to-is-the/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [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/) > [To see classic rock, you had to go to an arena. But punk was happening everywhere, even in little towns in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-callahan/to-see-classic-rock-you-had-to-go-to-an-arena-but-punk-was-happening/) [Bill Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-callahan/) > [A lot of people think that punk rock musicians don't know what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-barker/a-lot-of-people-think-that-punk-rock-musicians-don-t-know-what-they/) [Travis Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-barker/) > [For me, creating the clothes of Givenchy is the way to make my tribe. It's related to religion, too, because it's people trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riccardo-tisci/for-me-creating-the-clothes-of-givenchy-is-the-way-to-make-my-tribe/) [Riccardo Tisci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riccardo-tisci/) > [My Nirvana experience was much different than the other three guys. For me, it was really new and exciting. I was just a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-smear/my-nirvana-experience-was-much-different-than-the-other-three-guys/) [Pat Smear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-smear/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) ## More by Ezra Furman > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I've always been drawn to ambiguity in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-ambiguity-in-pop-music/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love obsessive fandom because I'm an obsessive fan who flips out over music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-love-obsessive-fandom-because-i-m-an-obsessive-fan-who-flips-out/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I believe an authentic Judaism would legislate total equality for queer people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-believe-an-authentic-judaism-would-legislate-total-equality-for/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [Listening to songs is like eating and writing songs is like vomiting. You're putting a ton of stuff in, it combines in unpredictable ways,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/listening-to-songs-is-like-eating-and-writing-songs-is-like-vomiting/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I was thinking very carefully about going into education, becoming a teacher, maybe becoming a rabbi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-was-thinking-very-carefully-about-going-into-education-becoming-a/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I'm an amateur at music and an amateur at most things. I like the idea of offering some music and some records and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-an-amateur-at-music-and-an-amateur-at-most-things-i-like-the-idea/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [We music fans go to shows for transcendence; it's like being called to prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/we-music-fans-go-to-shows-for-transcendence-it-s-like-being-called-to/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I heard the Velvet Underground and that changed things when I was like, 15.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-heard-the-velvet-underground-and-that-changed-things-when-i-was/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [We need a lot more visibility of queer people in public life. People gotta get used to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/we-need-a-lot-more-visibility-of-queer-people-in-public-life-people/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I could write a joke song really easily, but I think something that might be true for my generation is that there's a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-could-write-a-joke-song-really-easily-but-i-think-something-that/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [Far from being a showbiz gimmick, for me dressing as I please has signalled the end of a lifelong performance of straightforward masculinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/far-from-being-a-showbiz-gimmick-for-me-dressing-as-i-please-has/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [The Bible was so revolutionary and against all that came before it. It was a force for siding with the oppressed and a rebellion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/the-bible-was-so-revolutionary-and-against-all-that-came-before-it-it/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [Not only am I a shy person, I take a little while to say what I mean, especially in a social situation, and usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/not-only-am-i-a-shy-person-i-take-a-little-while-to-say-what-i-mean/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [Chuck Berry invented rock 'n' roll. He was one of the best songwriters of the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/chuck-berry-invented-rock-n-roll-he-was-one-of-the-best-songwriters/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) [Explore all 111 Ezra Furman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) ## More Expectations quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the expectations various authorities have for you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ezra Furman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk-and-it-was-saying-maybe-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expectations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk-and-it-was-saying-maybe-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/ezra-furman-4439_expectations_i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk_286922.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/ezra-furman-4439_expectations_i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk_286922.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/ezra-furman-4439_expectations_i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk_286922.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the…” — Ezra Furman", "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": "Ezra Furman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I first got into music when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk-and-it-was-saying-maybe-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-first-got-into-music-when-i-heard-punk-and-it-was-saying-maybe-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```