--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never really wanted to be a star. I…" description: "\"I never really wanted to be a star. I didn't like entering a room with all eyes on me. I still don't really like the attention of a birthday party.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-never-really-wanted-to-be-a-star-i-did_406231.png" --- # I never really wanted to be a star. I didn't like entering… ![“I never really wanted to be a star. I didn't like entering a room with all eyes on me. I still don't really like the attention of a birthday party.” quote by Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-never-really-wanted-to-be-a-star-i-did_406231.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-never-really-wanted-to-be-a-star-i-did_406231.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-never-really-wanted-to-be-a-star-i-did_406231.png) > “I never really wanted to be a star. I didn't like entering a room with all eyes on me. I still don't really like the attention of a birthday party.” [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She prefers privacy over fame, feeling uncomfortable with intense public attention. **In simple terms:** She dislikes being the center of attention. Key Takeaway Value personal comfort over public acclaim. Themes privacy celebrity personal comfort Mood reflective reserved Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - social events - public performances - media interviews - celebrity culture Key Concepts introversion social anxiety public scrutiny Questions to Reflect On - Do you sacrifice privacy for success? - How do you handle unwanted attention? A Different Perspective Fame can bring opportunities that may conflict with personal well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention Birthday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-birthday-3631701/) [Birthday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthday/) [Birthday party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthday-party/) [Entering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entering/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Like Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-attention-379854/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Star Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star-didn-1361366/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-star-649886/) ## Related quotes > [I wanted to be a star. I wanted to become a dancing star but didn't think I would become an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhika-madan/i-wanted-to-be-a-star-i-wanted-to-become-a-dancing-star-but-didn-t/) [Radhika Madan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhika-madan/) > [I thought I'd have time to become a movie star. And it didn't happen, did it? We're still waiting. And they're saying, 'Don't hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-hamel/i-thought-i-d-have-time-to-become-a-movie-star-and-it-didn-t-happen/) [Veronica Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-hamel/) > [I never considered myself like a pop musician or rock star, because that didn't really exist when I started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/i-never-considered-myself-like-a-pop-musician-or-rock-star-because/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [I didn't feel entitled to become a star. I didn't expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/i-didn-t-feel-entitled-to-become-a-star-i-didn-t-expect-it/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being a star. I didn't really know what all that meant. I didn't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/when-i-was-a-little-girl-i-always-dreamed-of-being-a-star-i-didn-t/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I never expected to be a movie star. It's not that I didn't want to be, I didn't think about it. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-never-expected-to-be-a-movie-star-it-s-not-that-i-didn-t-want-to-be/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [I suppose I am reluctant about being any sort of 'star' and I didn't particularly want to be portrayed as one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-suppose-i-am-reluctant-about-being-any-sort-of-star-and-i-didn-t/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I drank the Kool-Aid of being a network star. Once it didn't happen, I realized it wasn't the best version of my comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-drank-the-kool-aid-of-being-a-network-star-once-it-didn-t-happen-i/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I was fanatically ambitious. All I ever wanted was to be a star. I didn't want to be a singer. I didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-bergen/i-was-fanatically-ambitious-all-i-ever-wanted-was-to-be-a-star-i-didn/) [Polly Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-bergen/) > [I never considered myself a movie star, and I didn't want to become a movie star, because as soon as you do, you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-never-considered-myself-a-movie-star-and-i-didn-t-want-to-become-a/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I do feel I have all the qualities of a film star but then why didn't I make it that big? I blame it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karishma-tanna/i-do-feel-i-have-all-the-qualities-of-a-film-star-but-then-why-didn-t/) [Karishma Tanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karishma-tanna/) > [ \[Otto Struve\] made the remark once that he never looked at the spectrum of a star, any star, where he didn't find something important… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilson-morgan/otto-struve-made-the-remark-once-that-he-never-looked-at-the-spectrum/) [William Wilson Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilson-morgan/) > [I think people got this idea that I wanted to be a star. Managers of the past don't have any kind of public persona…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scooter-braun/i-think-people-got-this-idea-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-star-managers-of/) [Scooter Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scooter-braun/) > [When you see the documentary, you'll see that there were parallels. Michael and I both wanted Daniel Craig, and it was the same as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-broccoli/when-you-see-the-documentary-you-ll-see-that-there-were-parallels/) [Barbara Broccoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-broccoli/) > [I was fanatically ambitious. All I ever wanted was to be a star. I didnt want to be a singer. I didnt want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-bergen/i-was-fanatically-ambitious-all-i-ever-wanted-was-to-be-a-star-i/) [Polly Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-bergen/) ## More by Joni Mitchell > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I have one piece of music, since 1997, and I don't see it having lyrics. Where does it go in this world? So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-have-one-piece-of-music-since-1997-and-i-don-t-see-it-having-lyrics/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Musically, I would never run dry. Any time I sit down to an instrument, I could write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/musically-i-would-never-run-dry-any-time-i-sit-down-to-an-instrument/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [You snipe so steady, you snub so snide, so rip and ready to diminish and deride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/you-snipe-so-steady-you-snub-so-snide-so-rip-and-ready-to-diminish/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I loved Debussy, Stravinsky, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, anything with romantic melodies, especially the nocturnes. Nietzsche was a hero, especially with 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra.' He gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-loved-debussy-stravinsky-chopin-tchaikovsky-anything-with-romantic/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [When the spirit of child's play enters into the creative process, it's a wonderful force and something to be nurtured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/when-the-spirit-of-child-s-play-enters-into-the-creative-process-it-s/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Americans have decided to be stupid and shallow since 1980.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/americans-have-decided-to-be-stupid-and-shallow-since-1980/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I was young for my age. Not as naïve as they expected. I don't know why I seem to bring that out in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-was-young-for-my-age-not-as-na-ve-as-they-expected-i-don-t-know-why/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [This is a nation that has lost the ability to be self-critical, and that makes a lie out of the freedoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/this-is-a-nation-that-has-lost-the-ability-to-be-self-critical-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Land of snap decisions, land of short attention spans, nothing is savored long enough to really understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/land-of-snap-decisions-land-of-short-attention-spans-nothing-is/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I like my freedom. I like to do my own grocery shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-like-my-freedom-i-like-to-do-my-own-grocery-shopping/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I'm not a pitiable creature. It's just that I suffer very eloquently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-m-not-a-pitiable-creature-it-s-just-that-i-suffer-very-eloquently/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I can't remember anything I ever wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-can-t-remember-anything-i-ever-wrote/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) [Explore all 281 Joni Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never really wanted to be a star. 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