--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Outsiders always look for a reason to…" description: "\"Outsiders always look for a reason to explain why they are not inside. They never look in the mirror. Let's face it, the profession I'm in is a very si..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/isaac-stern-28147_careers_outsiders-always-look-for-a-reason-to-ex_3039459.png" --- # Outsiders always look for a reason to explain why they are… ![“Outsiders always look for a reason to explain why they are not inside. They never look in the mirror. Let's face it, the profession I'm in is a very simple and a very cruel one. There is no way that you can create a career for someone without talent and no way to stop a career of someone with…” quote by Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/isaac-stern-28147_careers_outsiders-always-look-for-a-reason-to-ex_3039459.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/isaac-stern-28147_careers_outsiders-always-look-for-a-reason-to-ex_3039459.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/isaac-stern-28147_careers_outsiders-always-look-for-a-reason-to-ex_3039459.png) > “Outsiders always look for a reason to explain why they are not inside. They never look in the mirror. Let's face it, the profession I'm in is a very simple and a very cruel one. There is no way that you can create a career for someone without talent and no way to stop a career of someone with talent.” [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often blame external factors for their lack of success instead of self‑examination, and talent alone determines career outcomes. **In simple terms:** Blame others, ignore self; talent decides career. Key Takeaway Focus on self‑assessment and realistic expectations. Themes self‑awareness talent career responsibility Mood reflective critical Type advice motivational When to use this quote - job interviews - career counseling - performance reviews Key Concepts psychology meritocracy social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance self‑critique with external factors? - What role does effort play alongside talent? A Different Perspective Talent without effort rarely succeeds; external blame hinders growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) ## Related quotes > [Usually the Indian people are outsiders who have to look up at the people who look down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-gonzalez/usually-the-indian-people-are-outsiders-who-have-to-look-up-at-the/) [Luis Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-gonzalez/) > [He's had a lovely career for the talent he's got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pleat/he-s-had-a-lovely-career-for-the-talent-he-s-got/) [David Pleat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pleat/) > [Talent will not always find its way but commitment will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-crow/talent-will-not-always-find-its-way-but-commitment-will/) [Nancy Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-crow/) > [“What most people call talent is our way to vent, and if we’re not discovered it will never pay the rent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/what-most-people-call-talent-is-our-way-to-vent-and-if-we-re-not/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [What most people call talent is our way to vent, and if were not discovered it will never pay the rent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/what-most-people-call-talent-is-our-way-to-vent-and-if-were-not/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [There are two ways to become famous. Degrade yourself or have talent. The first way is easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-janetti/there-are-two-ways-to-become-famous-degrade-yourself-or-have-talent/) Gary Janetti > [I think being an actress is more how to cope with the fact that you can't do anything else than to express a talent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/i-think-being-an-actress-is-more-how-to-cope-with-the-fact-that-you/) [Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/) > [I heard a lot in school, 'You've got a really great talent, but there's no way you're going to be a dancer with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anderson/i-heard-a-lot-in-school-you-ve-got-a-really-great-talent-but-there-s/) [Tracy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anderson/) > [“God gives talent so that the ordinary person can become extraordinary. Talent is the only way the poor can become rich. Otherwise, in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/god-gives-talent-so-that-the-ordinary-person-can-become-extraordinary/) [Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/) > [Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/creativity-is-not-a-talent-it-is-a-way-of-operating/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I think if you have ability and talent in one way, you have it in all ways. I'm not a jack of all trades;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evel-knievel/i-think-if-you-have-ability-and-talent-in-one-way-you-have-it-in-all/) [Evel Knievel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evel-knievel/) > [I always felt like something of an outsider. But I identified with people up on the screen. That made me feel like I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-perry/i-always-felt-like-something-of-an-outsider-but-i-identified-with/) [Luke Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-perry/) > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“I like men and women who don't fit well in the dominant culture, or, as Alvar de Campos calls them, strangers in this place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-like-men-and-women-who-don-t-fit-well-in-the-dominant-culture-or-as/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Isaac Stern > [I have known Ori Kam for several years and have always regarded him as an extraordinarily talented young mucisian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/i-have-known-ori-kam-for-several-years-and-have-always-regarded-him/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [A great conductor possesses that certain charisma and talent that demand the ears and the attention of an audience. I can't tell you how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/a-great-conductor-possesses-that-certain-charisma-and-talent-that/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [Everywhere in the world, music enhances a hall, with one exception: Carnegie Hall enhances the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/everywhere-in-the-world-music-enhances-a-hall-with-one-exception/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [Music is not an acquired culture... it is an active part of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/music-is-not-an-acquired-culture-it-is-an-active-part-of-life/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [It is only through failure and through experiment that we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/it-is-only-through-failure-and-through-experiment-that-we-learn-and/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [I have a responsibility to pass on to the next generation what I learned from my teachers, ... It keeps me young and reminds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/i-have-a-responsibility-to-pass-on-to-the-next-generation-what-i/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [When you believe in something, you can move mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/when-you-believe-in-something-you-can-move-mountains/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [A man possesses talent; genius possesses the man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/a-man-possesses-talent-genius-possesses-the-man/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [Mozart's music is like an X-ray of your soul - it shows what is there, and what isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/mozart-s-music-is-like-an-x-ray-of-your-soul-it-shows-what-is-there/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [Music is like making love: either all or nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/music-is-like-making-love-either-all-or-nothing/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [A conductor has to know how to translate music into a communicative force that makes the listener want to hear what he has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/a-conductor-has-to-know-how-to-translate-music-into-a-communicative/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [New York is the dirtiest, largest, ugliest, broken-down city in the world-but it's the only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/new-york-is-the-dirtiest-largest-ugliest-broken-down-city-in-the/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [Listen, I will now tell you the truth and there is no other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/listen-i-will-now-tell-you-the-truth-and-there-is-no-other/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [Playing a concerto with Zubin is like being surrounded by a well-loved, cashmere-lined silk glove.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/playing-a-concerto-with-zubin-is-like-being-surrounded-by-a-well/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) > [For each glass, liberally large, the basic ingredients begin with ice cubes in a shaker and three or four drops of Angostura bitters on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-stern/for-each-glass-liberally-large-the-basic-ingredients-begin-with-ice/) [Isaac Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) [Explore all 19 Isaac Stern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-stern/) ## More Careers quotes > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [The only thing I try to watch carefully is that I never lose the love for the instrument. That's also why I decided against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nils-frahm/the-only-thing-i-try-to-watch-carefully-is-that-i-never-lose-the-love/) [Nils Frahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nils-frahm/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [Everything I've been through, everything I'm about to go through in my career and my life, if my family wasn't with me and didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/everything-i-ve-been-through-everything-i-m-about-to-go-through-in-my/) [Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/) > [An image has stuck for most of my career and it isn't flattering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/an-image-has-stuck-for-most-of-my-career-and-it-isn-t-flattering/) [Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/) Browse all 6,154 Careers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Outsiders always look for a reason to explain why they are not inside. They never look in the mirror. 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