---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, we all start thinking we're going…"
description: "\"Well, we all start thinking we're going to be Romantic rock stars, but then reality hits and you realize no one reads you but other poets.\" — George Mu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/george-murray-21733_going_well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-t_1948585.jpg"
---

#  Well, we all start thinking we're going to be Romantic…

![“Well, we all start thinking we're going to be Romantic rock stars, but then reality hits and you realize no one reads you but other poets.” quote by George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/george-murray-21733_going_well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-t_1948585.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/george-murray-21733_going_well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-t_1948585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/george-murray-21733_going_well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-t_1948585.jpg)

> “Well, we all start thinking we're going to be Romantic rock stars, but then reality hits and you realize no one reads you but other poets.”

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

## About This Quote

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

Aspirations often clash with reality, revealing limited audience for personal art.

**In simple terms:** Dreams vs reality; few read your work.

Key Takeaway

Accept creative limits while staying true to your voice.

Themes

dreams reality artistic struggle recognition

Mood

contemplative realistic

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- songwriting
- poetry workshops
- self‑publishing
- career planning

Key Concepts

creative ambition self‑validation literary market

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you measure artistic success?
- What motivates you to keep creating?

A Different Perspective

Success may be defined differently by each artist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock/) [Rock stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-stars/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [I got really into rock - soft, romantic rock was my jam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/i-got-really-into-rock-soft-romantic-rock-was-my-jam/)

[Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/)

> [I was meant to date the captain of the football team, I was going to be on a romantic excursion every Saturday night, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-was-meant-to-date-the-captain-of-the-football-team-i-was-going-to/)

[Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/)

> [If you're going to do a romantic comedy it was about housing it in something that we haven't seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/if-you-re-going-to-do-a-romantic-comedy-it-was-about-housing-it-in/)

[George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/)

> [If youre going to be a romantic idol and try to get every teenage girl to love you, then youd be an ass to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/if-youre-going-to-be-a-romantic-idol-and-try-to-get-every-teenage/)

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

> [I think when you are trying to be intimate with people that are so incredibly self-obsessed, it's not going to work. It's not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-wells/i-think-when-you-are-trying-to-be-intimate-with-people-that-are-so/)

[Noel Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-wells/)

> [It is best to prepare to take on the real world as soon as possible. Reality hits quicker than you might think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/it-is-best-to-prepare-to-take-on-the-real-world-as-soon-as-possible/)

Isaiah Harden (Me

> [When yew are in l0ve yew start l0sing t0uch of reality of everything ar0und yew and once that person disappears reality hits yew hard...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami/when-yew-are-in-l0ve-yew-start-l0sing-t0uch-of-reality-of-everything/)

[Tami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami/)

> [As Hoffman later lamented, “The reality distortion field can serve as a spur, but then reality itself hits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-hoffman/as-hoffman-later-lamented-the-reality-distortion-field-can-serve-as-a/)

Joanna Hoffman

> [Reality hits people hard in the most unexpected way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/reality-hits-people-hard-in-the-most-unexpected-way/)

[Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/)

> [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [“When I wake up in the morning, it's always sort of a letdown as reality hits me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-draper/when-i-wake-up-in-the-morning-it-s-always-sort-of-a-letdown-as/)

Sharon Draper

> [When you're in love, you start losing touch of reality, of everything around you, and once that person disappears, reality hits you hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-re-in-love-you-start-losing-touch-of-reality-of-everything/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Take no heed of her… She reads a lot of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/take-no-heed-of-her-she-reads-a-lot-of-books/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [My family life reads a bit like 'Little House on the Prairie.' I was big sister to Joan, Renee, and brother William, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/my-family-life-reads-a-bit-like-little-house-on-the-prairie-i-was-big/)

[Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/)

> [There are Michael Scott moments, which are character choices, but there are also Steve's reads. Usually the things that I'm the biggest fan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-daniels/there-are-michael-scott-moments-which-are-character-choices-but-there/)

[Greg Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-daniels/)

## More by George Murray

> [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I think the main influence has been living in New York City. Aside from all the crap around 9/11, I find it very demanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-think-the-main-influence-has-been-living-in-new-york-city-aside/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [In my opinion, Al Moritz may be the best poet of his generation in Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/in-my-opinion-al-moritz-may-be-the-best-poet-of-his-generation-in/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [The poetry community here has been extraordinarily welcoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/the-poetry-community-here-has-been-extraordinarily-welcoming/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I think, for me, humour needs to be used like a strong spice - sparingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-think-for-me-humour-needs-to-be-used-like-a-strong-spice-sparingly/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I guess there is also an element of deliberate change involved. Each of my books has been, at least from my point of view,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-guess-there-is-also-an-element-of-deliberate-change-involved-each/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [My self-editing process is intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/my-self-editing-process-is-intense/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [Even the people who have had success and made money writing these books of fiction seem to feel the need to pretend it's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/even-the-people-who-have-had-success-and-made-money-writing-these/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I am certainly suffering from a modicum of performance anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-am-certainly-suffering-from-a-modicum-of-performance-anxiety/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I do try to let what is obviously unintended yet naturally good stay in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-do-try-to-let-what-is-obviously-unintended-yet-naturally-good-stay/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I've often entertained paranoid suspicions about my fridge and what it's been doing to my poetry when I'm not looking, but I never even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-ve-often-entertained-paranoid-suspicions-about-my-fridge-and-what/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [With 'Carousel' I had an idea and it all came out quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/with-carousel-i-had-an-idea-and-it-all-came-out-quickly/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I no longer feel pressure to produce fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-no-longer-feel-pressure-to-produce-fiction/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [It's a bit of a crapshoot out there with young writers right now anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/it-s-a-bit-of-a-crapshoot-out-there-with-young-writers-right-now/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [A sequence works in a way a collection never can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/a-sequence-works-in-a-way-a-collection-never-can/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

[Explore all 28 George Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

## More Going quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/)

[Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/)

> [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/)

[Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

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

> [I really enjoy going to play for the national team and be with the guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedi-osman/i-really-enjoy-going-to-play-for-the-national-team-and-be-with-the/)

[Cedi Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedi-osman/)

> [“I’m not even going to ask you where you got that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mackey/i-m-not-even-going-to-ask-you-where-you-got-that/)

Mark Mackey

> [This is how McGregor is, waging mental warfare before the fights. There's no way that guy is going to get in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/this-is-how-mcgregor-is-waging-mental-warfare-before-the-fights-there/)

[Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/)

> [For me, going to Minneapolis is like going to Mecca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/for-me-going-to-minneapolis-is-like-going-to-mecca/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/)

Ryan Newman

> [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/)

[Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/)

> [Any position I was going to be in, I was going to make the best of it. I always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/any-position-i-was-going-to-be-in-i-was-going-to-make-the-best-of-it/)

[Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/)

> [I want to help people struggling with whatever it is they're going through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santan-dave/i-want-to-help-people-struggling-with-whatever-it-is-they-re-going/)

[Santan Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santan-dave/)

Browse all 15,485 Going quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Well, we all start thinking we're going to be Romantic rock stars, but then reality hits and you realize no one reads you but other poets.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Murray"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-to-be-romantic-rock-stars-but/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Going"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-to-be-romantic-rock-stars-but/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/george-murray-21733_going_well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-t_1948585.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/george-murray-21733_going_well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-t_1948585.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/george-murray-21733_going_well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-t_1948585.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Well, we all start thinking we're going to be Romantic rock stars, but then reality hits and you realize no…” — George Murray",
                "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": "George Murray",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Well, we all start thinking we're...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-to-be-romantic-rock-stars-but/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/well-we-all-start-thinking-we-re-going-to-be-romantic-rock-stars-but/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
