--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only think in the following terms…" description: "\"I only think in the following terms: writing, recording, releasing. That's what I have control of. What I don't have control is whether critics or the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/gilbert-o-sullivan-8367_control_i-only-think-in-the-following-terms-writ_1325893.jpg" --- # I only think in the following terms: writing, recording… ![“I only think in the following terms: writing, recording, releasing. That's what I have control of. What I don't have control is whether critics or the public like what I do.” quote by Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/gilbert-o-sullivan-8367_control_i-only-think-in-the-following-terms-writ_1325893.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/gilbert-o-sullivan-8367_control_i-only-think-in-the-following-terms-writ_1325893.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/gilbert-o-sullivan-8367_control_i-only-think-in-the-following-terms-writ_1325893.jpg) > “I only think in the following terms: writing, recording, releasing. That's what I have control of. What I don't have control is whether critics or the public like what I do.” [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on controllable aspects of creative work, ignoring external validation. **In simple terms:** Control what you can; ignore what you can't. Key Takeaway Prioritize your own process. Themes creativity control validation artist mindset self‑reliance Mood determined reflective Type advice personal When to use this quote - studio sessions - songwriting - self‑promotion - handling criticism - career planning Key Concepts self‑determination creative autonomy external feedback Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay motivated when feedback is negative? - What strategies protect your creative confidence? A Different Perspective External opinions can still affect mental health and opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Control Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-critics-4433056/) [Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics/) [Critics Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics-public-3610569/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Terms Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terms-writing-1137231/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I have so much going on inside my head in terms of writing, there's such a large space in my life taken up by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/i-have-so-much-going-on-inside-my-head-in-terms-of-writing-there-s/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [When you're doing a film, it's your film and it's, you know, your blood and - is in it along with everybody else's, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-zanuck/when-you-re-doing-a-film-it-s-your-film-and-it-s-you-know-your-blood/) [Richard D. Zanuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-zanuck/) > [Movies, far more than the traditional arts, are tied to big money. Without a few independent critics, there's nothing between the public and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/movies-far-more-than-the-traditional-arts-are-tied-to-big-money/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Our day-to-day lives are pretty chaotic. So in terms of the writing part, you have to get pretty disciplined about finding quiet moments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/our-day-to-day-lives-are-pretty-chaotic-so-in-terms-of-the-writing/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [The music is the thing. I am not writing for critics; I don't want to become a personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/the-music-is-the-thing-i-am-not-writing-for-critics-i-don-t-want-to/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [I think about death all the time. I think that's a good thing because we're all going to die, and the only thing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/i-think-about-death-all-the-time-i-think-that-s-a-good-thing-because/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [There's nothing you can't tell to an audience, because they're all people who've had lives. 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All the film critics were square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/there-was-a-cultural-war-going-on-the-60s-was-going-on-all-the-film/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) [Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Gilbert O'Sullivan > [Whenever I write lyrics and an Americanism slips in, I always cut it straight out. I can't use the word 'babe,' for instance. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/whenever-i-write-lyrics-and-an-americanism-slips-in-i-always-cut-it/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [The music is the thing. I am not writing for critics; I don't want to become a personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/the-music-is-the-thing-i-am-not-writing-for-critics-i-don-t-want-to/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [Song writing is very serious; it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/song-writing-is-very-serious-it-is-hard/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [The writing is everything of course but you can't be making records and not be willing to go out there and perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/the-writing-is-everything-of-course-but-you-can-t-be-making-records/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [The perception that if you're not on 'Top Of The Pops' you're dead and buried is a good one for pop music, because 'TOTP'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/the-perception-that-if-you-re-not-on-top-of-the-pops-you-re-dead-and/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [I'd love to see myself on sale in shops. It tickles me, does the idea of me being marketed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/i-d-love-to-see-myself-on-sale-in-shops-it-tickles-me-does-the-idea/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [I didn't come into the music business to make money. I came into it to be a success. Of course, if you're successful, you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/i-didn-t-come-into-the-music-business-to-make-money-i-came-into-it-to/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [Nothing Rhymed,' my first single in England, was a nice ballad, which I thought would sound like a songwriter typical of the day -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/nothing-rhymed-my-first-single-in-england-was-a-nice-ballad-which-i/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [I never wanted global fame you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/i-never-wanted-global-fame-you-know/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [I think if every song I had was, 'I love you, you love me,' there would be a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/i-think-if-every-song-i-had-was-i-love-you-you-love-me-there-would-be/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [What I would hate to go through is what happened in the mid-90s playing in front of a half-empty theatre, which prompted me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/what-i-would-hate-to-go-through-is-what-happened-in-the-mid-90s/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [I'm not a great socialiser. Nor am I a red carpet person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/i-m-not-a-great-socialiser-nor-am-i-a-red-carpet-person/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [When I started out I thought just hearing one of my records on the radio would be magical. Fortunately, that naivety has always stayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/when-i-started-out-i-thought-just-hearing-one-of-my-records-on-the/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [You see, I read reviews of people like Paul Simon, and they don't talk about the fact that he's looking old or whether he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/you-see-i-read-reviews-of-people-like-paul-simon-and-they-don-t-talk/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [At school, I was basically a loner, it was hard until I was 15 or so. Then I went to art school and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/at-school-i-was-basically-a-loner-it-was-hard-until-i-was-15-or-so/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) [Explore all 81 Gilbert O'Sullivan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) ## More Control quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/) [Thomas Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-miller/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I only think in the following terms: writing, recording, releasing. That's what I have control of. 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