--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creative people have to be fundamentally…" description: "\"“Creative people have to be fundamentally egoistic. This may sound pompous, but it happens to be the truth. People who live their lives watching what g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/haruki-murakami-21_creative-people_creative-people-have-to-be-fundamentally_2367759.jpg" --- # Creative people have to be fundamentally egoistic. This… ![“Creative people have to be fundamentally egoistic. This may sound pompous, but it happens to be the truth. People who live their lives watching what goes on around them, trying not to make waves, and looking for the easy compromise are not going to be able to do creative work, whatever their…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/haruki-murakami-21_creative-people_creative-people-have-to-be-fundamentally_2367759.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/haruki-murakami-21_creative-people_creative-people-have-to-be-fundamentally_2367759.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/haruki-murakami-21_creative-people_creative-people-have-to-be-fundamentally_2367759.jpg) > ““Creative people have to be fundamentally egoistic. This may sound pompous, but it happens to be the truth. People who live their lives watching what goes on around them, trying not to make waves, and looking for the easy compromise are not going to be able to do creative work, whatever their field. To”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work demands self‑centered confidence; compromising to please others stifles originality. **In simple terms:** Creativity needs ego, not conformity. Key Takeaway Embrace your own vision. Themes creativity ego individualism Mood determined reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - artistic projects - entrepreneurial ventures - personal branding Key Concepts self‑confidence risk‑taking Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑interest fuel innovation? - When might humility aid creativity? A Different Perspective Egoism can alienate collaborators. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-people/) [Creative work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-work/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Egoistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egoistic/) [Fundamentally Egoistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentally-egoistic-586433/) [People Fundamentally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-fundamentally-382523/) ## Related quotes > [“Creative people have to be fundamentally egoistic. This may sound pompous, but it happens to be the truth. People who live their lives watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/creative-people-have-to-be-fundamentally-egoistic-this-may-sound/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [You know how creative people are, we have to try everything until we find our niche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-how-creative-people-are-we-have-to-try-everything-until-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Speed is not always a constituent to great work, the process of creation should be given time and thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/speed-is-not-always-a-constituent-to-great-work-the-process-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Being creative is a beautiful thing. Being creative for other people is work. No one wants to work at being creative.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-dalcourt/being-creative-is-a-beautiful-thing-being-creative-for-other-people/) [A. Dalcourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-dalcourt/) > [“Dear Jeff, I happened to see the Channel 7 TV program "Hooray for Hollywood" tonight with the segment on Blade Runner . (Well, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/dear-jeff-i-happened-to-see-the-channel-7-tv-program-hooray-for/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-ask-creative-people-how-they-did-something-they-feel-a/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Consuming the content and culture of creatives does not make one a creative. Creating makes a creative.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/consuming-the-content-and-culture-of-creatives-does-not-make-one-a/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [“She preferred the quiet solitary atmosphere, to create in her own world of paint and colour, the thrill of anticipating how her works would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/she-preferred-the-quiet-solitary-atmosphere-to-create-in-her-own/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [“You don’t learn creativity, you unlearn the rigidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/you-don-t-learn-creativity-you-unlearn-the-rigidity/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [All too often, when creative people pick out someone else's creative work as an inspiration, what they end up with is very, very far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/all-too-often-when-creative-people-pick-out-someone-else-s-creative/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“In making art you need to give yourself room to respond authentically, both to your subject matter and to your materials. Art happens between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/in-making-art-you-need-to-give-yourself-room-to-respond-authentically/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“The point of dreams was never to be the affordable option, it was the one everyone else saw as a mistake and every creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-bolinder/the-point-of-dreams-was-never-to-be-the-affordable-option-it-was-the/) [Anastasia Bolinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-bolinder/) > [“I find that all people are fundamentally alike. We are one human family. Perhaps we have different clothes, our skin is of a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-houck/i-find-that-all-people-are-fundamentally-alike-we-are-one-human/) [Colleen Houck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-houck/) > [Most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally evil, but by people being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/most-of-the-great-triumphs-and-tragedies-of-history-are-caused-not-by/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [People are not fundamentally bad. It only takes the smallest of correctives to take care of that tiny minority that wants to disrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/people-are-not-fundamentally-bad-it-only-takes-the-smallest-of/) [Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. 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Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Creative people quotes > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [“Where visual artists are concerned, the Baroque sculptor and architect Bernini and the painter and sculptor Picasso were clearly adept at both experiential and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/where-visual-artists-are-concerned-the-baroque-sculptor-and-architect/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [Neither of my parents are involved in theater or acting, but they are very artistic. My mom is a painter; she's an artist. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-kampouris/neither-of-my-parents-are-involved-in-theater-or-acting-but-they-are/) [Elena Kampouris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-kampouris/) > [All I'm interested in is being creative and working with creative people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/all-i-m-interested-in-is-being-creative-and-working-with-creative/) [Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/) > [I understand why creative people like dark, but American audiences dont like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/i-understand-why-creative-people-like-dark-but-american-audiences/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [My husband is a musician. He cooks and he's a chef but he also, he makes basement recordings. So many people in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/my-husband-is-a-musician-he-cooks-and-he-s-a-chef-but-he-also-he/) [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) > [“... an artist should paint from the heart, and not always what people expect. Predictability often leads to the dullest work, in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-artist-should-paint-from-the-heart-and-not-always-what-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Creative people don't behave very well generally. If you're looking for examples of good relationships in show business, you're gonna be depressed real fast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/creative-people-don-t-behave-very-well-generally-if-you-re-looking/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [Hollywood's like a warehouse. It's just a place that you go. What's interesting in the warehouse has to do with the creative people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/hollywood-s-like-a-warehouse-it-s-just-a-place-that-you-go-what-s/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I'm very supportive of creative people being paid for the work that they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/i-m-very-supportive-of-creative-people-being-paid-for-the-work-that/) [Matthew Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-weiner/) > [You know a shooter when you see it. At least the creative people do. If a picture isn't obvious in the first draft you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/you-know-a-shooter-when-you-see-it-at-least-the-creative-people-do-if/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [“Autonomous people assert themselves against the status quo. They don't accept the prevailing opinion just because it's the one given to them. Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) [Maria Brito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brito/) > [The traditional model for a company like Coca-Cola is to hire one big advertising agency and essentially outsource all of its creativity in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-traditional-model-for-a-company-like-coca-cola-is-to-hire-one-big/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) [Browse all 463 Creative people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Creative people have to be fundamentally egoistic. This may sound pompous, but it happens to be the truth. People who live their lives watching what goes on around them, trying not to make waves, and looking for the easy compromise are not going to be able to do creative work, whatever their field. 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