---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a shame to waste [the uniqueness…"
description: "\"It's a shame to waste [the uniqueness that is you], by doing what someone else has done.\" — Joseph Campbell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/joseph-campbell-300_done_it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-tha_1976070.png"
---

#  It's a shame to waste \[the uniqueness that is you\], by…

![“It's a shame to waste &#91;the uniqueness that is you&#93;, by doing what someone else has done.” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/joseph-campbell-300_done_it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-tha_1976070.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/joseph-campbell-300_done_it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-tha_1976070.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/joseph-campbell-300_done_it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-tha_1976070.png)

> “It's a shame to waste \[the uniqueness that is you\], by doing what someone else has done.”

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Wasting one's unique gifts by copying others diminishes personal authenticity and the value of original expression.

**In simple terms:** Don't copy others; be your unique self.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate and share your originality.

Themes

creativity authenticity individuality self‑expression

Mood

inspirational motivational

Type

advice personal development

When to use this quote

- artistic projects
- entrepreneurial ventures
- personal branding

Key Concepts

mythology psychology innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- What unique talent are you neglecting?
- How can you express it boldly?

A Different Perspective

Originality can be risky and may face rejection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shame Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-waste-1098076/) [Uniqueness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniqueness/) [Uniqueness Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniqueness-doing-3345650/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Waste Uniqueness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-uniqueness-3345649/)

## Related quotes

> [“You are a possibility that has never occured before and will never occur again. No one else has had or will ever have your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-combs/you-are-a-possibility-that-has-never-occured-before-and-will-never/)

[Patrick Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-combs/)

> [“Should she slam his head into the bar or toss her beer on him? Damn shame to waste good beer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-khan/should-she-slam-his-head-into-the-bar-or-toss-her-beer-on-him-damn/)

[Mina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-khan/)

> [It's such a shame to waste time. We always think we have so much of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-s-such-a-shame-to-waste-time-we-always-think-we-have-so-much-of-it/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Life goes quickly, doesn't it, Charley?" "Yeah," I mumbled. "It's such a shame to waste time. We always think we have so much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it-charley-yeah-i-mumbled-it-s-such-a-shame/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Alan:I don’t know what they did with all the crusts from the sandwiches. Maybe they put them out for the birds after everyone had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-merrow/alan-i-don-t-know-what-they-did-with-all-the-crusts-from-the/)

[J.L. Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-merrow/)

> [What a shame to waste those great shots on the practice tee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-a-shame-to-waste-those-great-shots-on-the-practice-tee/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That was a classic anger boner. Always a shame to waste one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/con-riley/that-was-a-classic-anger-boner-always-a-shame-to-waste-one-of-them/)

[Con Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/con-riley/)

> [“Listen, life is short. It’s a shame to waste it because of some material object. Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-sasaki/listen-life-is-short-it-s-a-shame-to-waste-it-because-of-some/)

[Fumio Sasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-sasaki/)

> [I believe we all have lists of shame. Long lists. We live with our constellation of shames quite privately. But they weigh us down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-redel/i-believe-we-all-have-lists-of-shame-long-lists-we-live-with-our/)

[Victoria Redel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-redel/)

> [we are beginning to understand that this instinct of sex which has been so great a cause of suffering and shame and has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maude-royden/we-are-beginning-to-understand-that-this-instinct-of-sex-which-has/)

[Maude Royden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maude-royden/)

> [“An applause is not just the recognition of good performance, but its proof of being different than the crowd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-applause-is-not-just-the-recognition-of-good-performance-but-its/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [You are no mistake. What makes you different is what makes you special, unique, original. You are a MASTERPIECE, a PIECE of the MASTER!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-w-griffin/you-are-no-mistake-what-makes-you-different-is-what-makes-you-special/)

[Kenneth W Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-w-griffin/)

> [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-poet-reminds-men-of-their-uniqueness-and-it-is-not-necessary-to/)

[Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/)

> [Be proud of who you are &amp; who you represent.You are unique, there is no other exactly like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/be-proud-of-who-you-are-who-you-represent-you-are-unique-there-is-no/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

## More by Joseph Campbell

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

[Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

## More Done quotes

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/)

[Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

[Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's a shame to waste [the uniqueness that is you], by doing what someone else has done.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Campbell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-that-is-you-by-doing-what/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Done"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-that-is-you-by-doing-what/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/joseph-campbell-300_done_it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-tha_1976070.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/joseph-campbell-300_done_it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-tha_1976070.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/joseph-campbell-300_done_it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-tha_1976070.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's a shame to waste [the uniqueness that is you], by doing what someone else has done.” — Joseph Campbell",
                "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": "Joseph Campbell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's a shame to waste [the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-that-is-you-by-doing-what/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/it-s-a-shame-to-waste-the-uniqueness-that-is-you-by-doing-what/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
