--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a failed musician rather than a…" description: "\"I'm a failed musician rather than a successful writer.\" — Irvine Welsh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/irvine-welsh-843_failed_i-m-a-failed-musician-rather-than-a-succ_2091669.png" --- # I'm a failed musician rather than a successful writer. ![“I'm a failed musician rather than a successful writer.” quote by Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/irvine-welsh-843_failed_i-m-a-failed-musician-rather-than-a-succ_2091669.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/irvine-welsh-843_failed_i-m-a-failed-musician-rather-than-a-succ_2091669.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/irvine-welsh-843_failed_i-m-a-failed-musician-rather-than-a-succ_2091669.png) > “I'm a failed musician rather than a successful writer.” [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels they have failed in music but succeeded in writing, highlighting unexpected personal success. **In simple terms:** Failed musician, successful writer. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected strengths. Themes identity success self‑acceptance Mood reflective thoughtful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing career - music practice - self‑reflection Key Concepts career shifts personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - What hidden talents might you overlook? - How do you measure personal success? A Different Perspective Success may be defined differently by each person. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed/) [Failed Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed-musician-703551/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Musician Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician-successful-2817744/) [Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rather/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-writer-1030498/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You gotta pick yourself up. Sometimes you just gotta do it over and over, but you gotta do it. You can't give up. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-adler/you-gotta-pick-yourself-up-sometimes-you-just-gotta-do-it-over-and/) [Steven Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-adler/) > [I'd hit thirty, I'd sort of failed as a musician, I'd failed as an artist I felt at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kaye/i-d-hit-thirty-i-d-sort-of-failed-as-a-musician-i-d-failed-as-an/) [Paul Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kaye/) > [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [I have reached a point in my life where I would love to be known as a struggling musician rather than a successful TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditya-narayan/i-have-reached-a-point-in-my-life-where-i-would-love-to-be-known-as-a/) [Aditya Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditya-narayan/) > [I don't know any musician, successful or otherwise, that got in it to make money. 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You get into it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-springfield/i-don-t-know-any-musician-successful-or-otherwise-that-got-in-it-to/) [Rick Springfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-springfield/) > [One of the things you want as a successful writer is the anonymity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/one-of-the-things-you-want-as-a-successful-writer-is-the-anonymity/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I'm a semi-failed writer, but I'm a capital-F Failed musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-m-a-semi-failed-writer-but-i-m-a-capital-f-failed-musician/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [No matter how successful I may get, I'll always be a failed musician, sitting at a concert double-fisting overpriced twenty-ounce beers, wishing it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-kreischer/no-matter-how-successful-i-may-get-i-ll-always-be-a-failed-musician/) [Bert Kreischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-kreischer/) > [“I have a friend who is a very successful writer. 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I was a successful writer, I was a musician, but I was just always broke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/my-big-journey-was-around-money-i-was-a-successful-writer-i-was-a/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [“The secret of being a successful writer is--write. Every writer deserves that chance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-ashby/the-secret-of-being-a-successful-writer-is-write-every-writer/) [Millicent Ashby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-ashby/) ## More by Irvine Welsh > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. 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Ken?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nae-reasoning-wi-some-cats-you-say-reason-they-mew-treason-ken/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It's crazy for somebody who's kind of empowered and wealthy like myself to say, "Oh, I don't need to be patronized by the state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/it-s-crazy-for-somebody-who-s-kind-of-empowered-and-wealthy-like/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [When you go away, you see where you come from in a different light. I see Scotland, and the rest of Britain, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-go-away-you-see-where-you-come-from-in-a-different-light-i/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If it's something that I feel uncomfortable with, that's a reason for me to write it. 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I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-i-stop-working-and-publishing-and-tv-and-film-and-all-that-i-would/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I can see why the Russians love Robert Burns, I think that Russians and Koreans have a very similar outlook to Scots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-can-see-why-the-russians-love-robert-burns-i-think-that-russians/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If you continue to transfer the wealth of the population of the planet to a very small amount of people, it becomes untenable at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-you-continue-to-transfer-the-wealth-of-the-population-of-the/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Most middle-class people I know don't really live like me. Middle-class people worry a lot about money. They worry a lot about job security,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/most-middle-class-people-i-know-don-t-really-live-like-me-middle/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [As soon as you've written it, you're thinking about how it can move into different mediums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/as-soon-as-you-ve-written-it-you-re-thinking-about-how-it-can-move/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“Begbie doesnae even notice; he's in his element, particularly good at funerals in the way a lot ay psychopaths tend tae be. Ah suppose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/begbie-doesnae-even-notice-he-s-in-his-element-particularly-good-at/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I'm more of a warrior than you'll ever be. I believe in the class war. I believe in the battle of the sexes. 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The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) > [I wanted to be a huge star and I have failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-otway/i-wanted-to-be-a-huge-star-and-i-have-failed/) [John Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-otway/) > [When the enemy is driven back, we have failed, and when he is cut off, encircled and dispersed, we have succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-suvorov/when-the-enemy-is-driven-back-we-have-failed-and-when-he-is-cut-off/) [Alexander Suvorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-suvorov/) > [“Humility is what you strive for when you've failed at everything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/humility-is-what-you-strive-for-when-you-ve-failed-at-everything-else/) [Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I almost failed out of high school. I nearly gave in to the deep anger and resentment harbored by everyone around me... Whatever talents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-almost-failed-out-of-high-school-i-nearly-gave-in-to-the-deep-anger/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [Actually, I failed drama in high school because of nerves. I wasn't able to memorize the words. I had complete stage fright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-marie/actually-i-failed-drama-in-high-school-because-of-nerves-i-wasn-t/) [Constance Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-marie/) > [“WASHINGTON—Citigroup Inc. failed to get Federal Reserve”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/washington-citigroup-inc-failed-to-get-federal-reserve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I tried to go to college; I just picked a trade, did a plumbing test - and failed. 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