--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing is, I knew from the very first…" description: "\"The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.\" — James Arthur" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/james-arthur-3067_audition_the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first_1154843.png" --- # The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I… ![“The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.” quote by James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/james-arthur-3067_audition_the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first_1154843.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/james-arthur-3067_audition_the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first_1154843.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/james-arthur-3067_audition_the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first_1154843.png) > “The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.” [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early recognition of misfit status can guide authentic artistic choices. **In simple terms:** Knowing you don’t fit the norm helps you stay true. Key Takeaway Embrace uniqueness, pursue paths that suit you. Themes identity authenticity career music Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - auditions - career planning - personal branding - creative collaborations Key Concepts self‑concept creative industries Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance authenticity with commercial success? - What strategies help maintain self‑belief? A Different Perspective Industry pressure may push conformity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audition/) [X factor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/x-factor/) ## Related quotes > ['The X Factor' saved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/the-x-factor-saved-me/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I wish I knew that when I go in for an audition and I don't get the part, it actually doesn't have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-coupe/i-wish-i-knew-that-when-i-go-in-for-an-audition-and-i-don-t-get-the/) [Eliza Coupe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-coupe/) > [I don't think my acting was ever bad; I always knew that I could do it. But when you go to audition for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lynn-rajskub/i-don-t-think-my-acting-was-ever-bad-i-always-knew-that-i-could-do-it/) [Mary Lynn Rajskub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lynn-rajskub/) > [I knew you had to go in and audition and maybe they'd hire you, and that's where you start. I had a good understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/i-knew-you-had-to-go-in-and-audition-and-maybe-they-d-hire-you-and/) [Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/) > [I don't have anything against Simon Cowell and 'The X Factor.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-have-anything-against-simon-cowell-and-the-x-factor/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [It has been hard for me in a sense because from an industry point of view - I don't care if I'm from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/it-has-been-hard-for-me-in-a-sense-because-from-an-industry-point-of/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [I didn't even know I could sing or write songs. I didn't have that education. But people shouldn't think they can look down on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/i-didn-t-even-know-i-could-sing-or-write-songs-i-didn-t-have-that/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [I've seen 'X Factor' but I don't watch it. I don't watch 'Takeaway' either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-edmonds/i-ve-seen-x-factor-but-i-don-t-watch-it-i-don-t-watch-takeaway-either/) [Noel Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-edmonds/) > [My advice is, if you are going to go on 'X Factor,' you have to know who you are as an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-ferguson/my-advice-is-if-you-are-going-to-go-on-x-factor-you-have-to-know-who/) [Rebecca Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-ferguson/) > [I lost 'The X Factor,' and I lost 'Deal or No Deal' twice. I'm good at losing game shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/i-lost-the-x-factor-and-i-lost-deal-or-no-deal-twice-i-m-good-at/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [You don't have to be the sexiest girl or the most talented person to have the X factor. X factor is something you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-nigam/you-don-t-have-to-be-the-sexiest-girl-or-the-most-talented-person-to/) [Sonu Nigam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-nigam/) > [I have nothing negative to say about 'X Factor,' it's the best show in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-walsh/i-have-nothing-negative-to-say-about-x-factor-it-s-the-best-show-in/) [Louis Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-walsh/) > [Obviously, the Sixties was a time when everyone wanted to experiment, and then everything became very formulated and corporate, so artists tended to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/obviously-the-sixties-was-a-time-when-everyone-wanted-to-experiment/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > ['The X Factor' seems to be more about building up personalities and people in tears. And it's not a new idea. The pre-Beatles pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/the-x-factor-seems-to-be-more-about-building-up-personalities-and/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) ## More by James Arthur > [Me and my mum didn't see eye-to-eye for a lot of years, and I've never really felt connected with my dad, because he wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/me-and-my-mum-didn-t-see-eye-to-eye-for-a-lot-of-years-and-i-ve-never/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I'm a mix; I'm sure some of my Canadian friends find me very American, both in person and on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-m-a-mix-i-m-sure-some-of-my-canadian-friends-find-me-very-american/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I often write from memory by walking around and talking to myself. Even when I'm working at a computer I write out loud, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-often-write-from-memory-by-walking-around-and-talking-to-myself/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I'd like to think that maybe the average person is rational, and they realise that I'm not this crazy monster that, at times, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-d-like-to-think-that-maybe-the-average-person-is-rational-and-they/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I had nothing and lived in the most insignificant place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-had-nothing-and-lived-in-the-most-insignificant-place/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [It can feel like your whole world is caving in on you, and if you don't speak about it, it gets worse. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/it-can-feel-like-your-whole-world-is-caving-in-on-you-and-if-you-don/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [If art doesn't require an audience, can an intimate conversation be a work of art? Can a thought be a work of art? Maybe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/if-art-doesn-t-require-an-audience-can-an-intimate-conversation-be-a/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [And treating poetry as a performing art emphasizes its ephemerality. A printed poem can be endlessly reprinted, photocopied, scanned, uploaded, cut and pasted -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/and-treating-poetry-as-a-performing-art-emphasizes-its-ephemerality-a/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I want each poem to be ambiguous enough that its meaning can shift, depending on the reader's own frame of reference, and depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-want-each-poem-to-be-ambiguous-enough-that-its-meaning-can-shift/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [Memorizing the work of others definitely made me a better writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/memorizing-the-work-of-others-definitely-made-me-a-better-writer/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [People were telling me it was refreshing I was real because previous 'X Factor' winners were too afraid to say anything. I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/people-were-telling-me-it-was-refreshing-i-was-real-because-previous/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [Everyone wrote me off, including me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/everyone-wrote-me-off-including-me/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I believe strongly in what John Keats called negative capability: the trait or practice that allows a poet to remain in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-believe-strongly-in-what-john-keats-called-negative-capability-the/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [When I had my first panic attack, I believed that it was a heart attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/when-i-had-my-first-panic-attack-i-believed-that-it-was-a-heart-attack/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [As a species, we create tools to control our environment. What excites my imagination is wilderness: our materials' ability to escape our control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/as-a-species-we-create-tools-to-control-our-environment-what-excites/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) [Explore all 141 James Arthur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) ## More Audition quotes > [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [The first audition I went out on was because my father was on an audition for a TV show called the 'Gilmore Girls,' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/the-first-audition-i-went-out-on-was-because-my-father-was-on-an/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [I have a large watch collection, and classic watches are especially important to me. I had a silver Rolex, and I actually gave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-have-a-large-watch-collection-and-classic-watches-are-especially/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [It's funny, I get really nervous when I audition for voiceovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/it-s-funny-i-get-really-nervous-when-i-audition-for-voiceovers/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [When I was six years old my friend was auditioning for 'Annie,' and I decided I wanted to audition with her. My mom was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-emerson/when-i-was-six-years-old-my-friend-was-auditioning-for-annie-and-i/) [Jacqueline Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-emerson/) > [I believe this: If an actor wants a role or wants to work with somebody, then you do everything within reason to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-believe-this-if-an-actor-wants-a-role-or-wants-to-work-with/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [ If they \[at the audition\] don't like the way you sound they won't buy you anyway, ripped dress or no ripped dress, ass hanging… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/if-they-at-the-audition-don-t-like-the-way-you-sound-they-won-t-buy/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [In L.A., I'm twice the size - height and everything else - of most of the other actresses who are going for an audition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keira-knightley/in-l-a-i-m-twice-the-size-height-and-everything-else-of-most-of-the/) [Keira Knightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keira-knightley/) > [I didn't audition or anything like that. But I went into John Loganhis office... It was his screening room in his office, actually, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/i-didn-t-audition-or-anything-like-that-but-i-went-into-john-loganhis/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [In films, I didn't crave the type of attention I had sort of stumbled into in my music career. And I do not audition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-timberlake/in-films-i-didn-t-crave-the-type-of-attention-i-had-sort-of-stumbled/) [Justin Timberlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-timberlake/) > [When I was 8, my dad asked me if I wanted to audition, just for fun. I did just a little short film, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodi-smit-mcphee/when-i-was-8-my-dad-asked-me-if-i-wanted-to-audition-just-for-fun-i/) [Kodi Smit-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodi-smit-mcphee/) > [When I was younger, I did my first audition at 'Eurovision.' I was about 17. After my first audition, I blacked out; I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/when-i-was-younger-i-did-my-first-audition-at-eurovision-i-was-about/) [Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/) > [I suppose the biggest thing I learned is that I'm in it for the right reasons. I love my job as much now as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-blum/i-suppose-the-biggest-thing-i-learned-is-that-i-m-in-it-for-the-right/) [Steven Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-blum/) > [Before recording my 'Homeland' audition on my iPhone in my bedroom in Streatham, I hadn't worked or had an audition in the U.K. for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harewood/before-recording-my-homeland-audition-on-my-iphone-in-my-bedroom-in/) [David Harewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harewood/) > [I like doing films and I wish that I could do more but I still have to audition. I don't get offered starring roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/i-like-doing-films-and-i-wish-that-i-could-do-more-but-i-still-have/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) [Browse all 704 Audition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Arthur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first-audition-that-i-did-not-fit/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first-audition-that-i-did-not-fit/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/james-arthur-3067_audition_the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first_1154843.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/james-arthur-3067_audition_the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first_1154843.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/james-arthur-3067_audition_the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first_1154843.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.” — James Arthur", "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": "James Arthur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The thing is, I knew from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first-audition-that-i-did-not-fit/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first-audition-that-i-did-not-fit/#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 } } ] } ```