---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one likes to work for free. To copy an…"
description: "\"No one likes to work for free. To copy an artist's work and download it free is stealing. It's hard work writing and recording music, and it's morally ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/gary-wright-16219_art_no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an_287694.jpg"
---

#  No one likes to work for free. To copy an artist's work…

![“No one likes to work for free. To copy an artist's work and download it free is stealing. It's hard work writing and recording music, and it's morally wrong to steal it.” quote by Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/gary-wright-16219_art_no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an_287694.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/gary-wright-16219_art_no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an_287694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/gary-wright-16219_art_no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an_287694.jpg)

> “No one likes to work for free. To copy an artist's work and download it free is stealing. It's hard work writing and recording music, and it's morally wrong to steal it.”

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

## About This Quote

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

He condemns free downloading of music as theft, emphasizing the labor behind creation.

**In simple terms:** Free music download is stealing.

Key Takeaway

Support creators by paying for their work.

Themes

intellectual property artist rights ethical consumption

Mood

critical ethical

Type

social

When to use this quote

- streaming services
- concert attendance
- merchandise purchase

Key Concepts

copyright law creative labor

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you think all art should be paid for?
- How can artists be fairly compensated?

A Different Perspective

Access to art can be limited by cost.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Copy Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copy-artist-454928/) [Downloads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downloads/) [Free Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-copy-2776973/) [Free Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-stealing-2776972/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Morally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-morally-2776971/) [Recording music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recording-music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [When Any Women Ask Me For A Free Copy Of My Book, I Say Lets Do A SOD Sex On Delivery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/when-any-women-ask-me-for-a-free-copy-of-my-book-i-say-lets-do-a-sod/)

[Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/)

> [REPLICA, n. A reproduction of a work of art, by the artist that made the original. It is so called to distinguish it from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/replica-n-a-reproduction-of-a-work-of-art-by-the-artist-that-made-the/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [It was only after I had been out of the art school that I actually copied a small Seurat, and I copied it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-riley/it-was-only-after-i-had-been-out-of-the-art-school-that-i-actually/)

[Bridget Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-riley/)

> [I love recording music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/i-love-recording-music/)

[J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/)

> [Doing voice work is more like recording music that people are going to listen to. You're creating an oral experience using whatever bells and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/doing-voice-work-is-more-like-recording-music-that-people-are-going/)

[Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/)

> [I was just doing it for fun. I was in college recording music as a joke, so I really didn't think that a career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cakes-da-killa/i-was-just-doing-it-for-fun-i-was-in-college-recording-music-as-a/)

[Cakes da killa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cakes-da-killa/)

> [When I first started recording music, I was actually singing about microphones, equipment, recording.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elverum/when-i-first-started-recording-music-i-was-actually-singing-about/)

[Phil Elverum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elverum/)

> [I just want to make that my life: recording music and trying to write a good song every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-granduciel/i-just-want-to-make-that-my-life-recording-music-and-trying-to-write/)

[Adam Granduciel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-granduciel/)

> [With the advent of radio and recording, music became an industry rather than just a tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlo-guthrie/with-the-advent-of-radio-and-recording-music-became-an-industry/)

[Arlo Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlo-guthrie/)

> [If anything, I don't have any intention of recording music that's just me playing acoustic guitar singing a song anytime soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-khan/if-anything-i-don-t-have-any-intention-of-recording-music-that-s-just/)

[King Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-khan/)

> [I haven't figured out how to do anything yet besides recording music - I don't even entirely know how to do that. My favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-earl-beal/i-haven-t-figured-out-how-to-do-anything-yet-besides-recording-music/)

[Willis Earl Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-earl-beal/)

> [Let no one imagine that in owning a recording he has the music. The very practice of music is a celebration that we own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/let-no-one-imagine-that-in-owning-a-recording-he-has-the-music-the/)

[John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/)

> [The touring thing is such a huge time commitment. I'm really feeling like I want to start writing and recording music again. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-pecknold/the-touring-thing-is-such-a-huge-time-commitment-i-m-really-feeling/)

[Robin Pecknold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-pecknold/)

> [I think that technology has both introduced new sounds but also allowed an increasingly painterly approach to recording music as you can now paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-harrison/i-think-that-technology-has-both-introduced-new-sounds-but-also/)

[Jerry Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-harrison/)

> [With writing music and writing songs and recording music and coming up with stuff, you need to kind of reengage that kind of inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kiwanuka/with-writing-music-and-writing-songs-and-recording-music-and-coming/)

[Michael Kiwanuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kiwanuka/)

## More by Gary Wright

> [I was the first artist, I think, to ever do an all-keyboard album. There were things that resembled it, like Stevie Wonder. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/i-was-the-first-artist-i-think-to-ever-do-an-all-keyboard-album-there/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [In 1972, George Harrison invited me to accompany him on a trip to India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/in-1972-george-harrison-invited-me-to-accompany-him-on-a-trip-to-india/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [My voice hasn't changed really very much. I still do all my songs when I perform live and still do them in the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/my-voice-hasn-t-changed-really-very-much-i-still-do-all-my-songs-when/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [My music and lyrics became an extension of this Indian philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/my-music-and-lyrics-became-an-extension-of-this-indian-philosophy/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [India profoundly changed my outlook on life because you see how people can be content and very happy with little or even no possessions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/india-profoundly-changed-my-outlook-on-life-because-you-see-how/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [I went to Berlin to study psychology but decided that I was more interested in music and started an R and B band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/i-went-to-berlin-to-study-psychology-but-decided-that-i-was-more/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [Every artist usually has one or two songs that really define their careers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/every-artist-usually-has-one-or-two-songs-that-really-define-their/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [As a kid, I used to love to play baseball and be in Little League and sleep outside with my friends and do all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/as-a-kid-i-used-to-love-to-play-baseball-and-be-in-little-league-and/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [Unfortunately, music devolved instead of evolved. The music business got into the hands of lawyers and accountants rather than the entrepreneurial creative people, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/unfortunately-music-devolved-instead-of-evolved-the-music-business/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [Music is an extremely powerful force if used properly to uplift people. I believe music should be uplifting and not downgrading... it's a very,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/music-is-an-extremely-powerful-force-if-used-properly-to-uplift/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [When you have a lot of hits and your career starts to go down, but then your music starts to slowly go up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/when-you-have-a-lot-of-hits-and-your-career-starts-to-go-down-but/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [My goal is really to continue to make music. I really don't make music to have platinum records and all that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/my-goal-is-really-to-continue-to-make-music-i-really-don-t-make-music/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [It's kind of weird. You can have hits, but it's hard to sustain a career. I went through that period where I didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/it-s-kind-of-weird-you-can-have-hits-but-it-s-hard-to-sustain-a/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [As far as a defining moment, that was a hugely successful and very busy time for me. 1975, 1976, 1977 - that whole time frame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/as-far-as-a-defining-moment-that-was-a-hugely-successful-and-very/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

> [The idea to do the album only on keyboards kind of happened by accident. I was quite happy with the sound and felt it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/the-idea-to-do-the-album-only-on-keyboards-kind-of-happened-by/)

[Gary Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

[Explore all 40 Gary Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No one likes to work for free. To copy an artist's work and download it free is stealing. It's hard work writing and recording music, and it's morally wrong to steal it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gary Wright"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an-artist-s-work-and-download/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an-artist-s-work-and-download/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/gary-wright-16219_art_no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an_287694.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/gary-wright-16219_art_no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an_287694.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/gary-wright-16219_art_no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an_287694.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No one likes to work for free. To copy an artist's work and download it free is stealing. It's hard work…” — Gary Wright",
                "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": "Gary Wright",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wright/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No one likes to work for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an-artist-s-work-and-download/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wright/no-one-likes-to-work-for-free-to-copy-an-artist-s-work-and-download/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
