--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’d rather be a nothing at the center of…" description: "\"“I’d rather be a nothing at the center of everything than a puffed-up somebody at the edge of it all.”\" — Josiah Bancroft" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/josiah-bancroft-29581_edge_i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of_3214674.jpg" --- # I’d rather be a nothing at the center of everything than a… ![“I’d rather be a nothing at the center of everything than a puffed-up somebody at the edge of it all.” quote by Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/josiah-bancroft-29581_edge_i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of_3214674.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/josiah-bancroft-29581_edge_i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of_3214674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/josiah-bancroft-29581_edge_i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of_3214674.jpg) > ““I’d rather be a nothing at the center of everything than a puffed-up somebody at the edge of it all.”” [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prefer humble obscurity within the whole over arrogant prominence at the periphery. **In simple terms:** Choose humility over ego. Key Takeaway Value contribution over status. Themes humility ego community Mood thoughtful inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - teamwork - leadership - creative projects - public speaking Key Concepts philosophy ethics Questions to Reflect On - When is it okay to seek recognition? - How does humility affect influence? A Different Perspective Humility may limit personal ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) ## Related quotes > [He referred to me as an 'insufferable puffed-up prat'. This is a bit rich coming from a man who actually married his own mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/he-referred-to-me-as-an-insufferable-puffed-up-prat-this-is-a-bit/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [“Privately he called them a couple of puffed-up, dressed-up, made-up, stuck-up, brainless parakeets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hughes/privately-he-called-them-a-couple-of-puffed-up-dressed-up-made-up/) Shirley Hughes > [You've no fear of heights," puffed the girl. "None," I said. "I've heard that about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-oppel/you-ve-no-fear-of-heights-puffed-the-girl-none-i-said-i-ve-heard-that/) [Kenneth Oppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-oppel/) > [“as if he were trying to escape the smell of her words as if the air from her talking came into his mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/as-if-he-were-trying-to-escape-the-smell-of-her-words-as-if-the-air/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [“He didn't want to puff her up. Puffed-up women are one of the original sources of trouble in the world. If anyone knew that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-merkle-riley/he-didn-t-want-to-puff-her-up-puffed-up-women-are-one-of-the-original/) [Judith Merkle Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-merkle-riley/) > [His chest is all puffed out like Raquel Walsh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-bunker/his-chest-is-all-puffed-out-like-raquel-walsh/) [Archie Bunker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-bunker/) > [“He puffed out his pigeon chest and waddled across the room towards me. With his feet pointing outwards, he looked like a fat duck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-thrall/he-puffed-out-his-pigeon-chest-and-waddled-across-the-room-towards-me/) Chris Thrall > [Then she marched to the pillows and beat them mercilessly until they lay puffed out like obedient clouds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/then-she-marched-to-the-pillows-and-beat-them-mercilessly-until-they/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“Professor Lyall puffed out his cheeks in exasperation. It was like trying to have a conversation with a distracted and very soggy scone. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/professor-lyall-puffed-out-his-cheeks-in-exasperation-it-was-like/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [“Well, so you don't get too cocky, I myself often complete the TV Guide crossword puzzle." He puffed out his chest. "In pen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-laurenston/well-so-you-don-t-get-too-cocky-i-myself-often-complete-the-tv-guide/) [Shelly Laurenston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-laurenston/) > [“He puffed up his chest. “Me man, me need more food than tiny waif female.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/he-puffed-up-his-chest-me-man-me-need-more-food-than-tiny-waif-female/) [Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/) > [I just like guys who have an edge to them. But it could go either way. Like, I have been into the surfer blond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-just-like-guys-who-have-an-edge-to-them-but-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [Touring is really about being on edge the whole time - you're like a racing horse: you've just got to be on. You've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lykke-li/touring-is-really-about-being-on-edge-the-whole-time-you-re-like-a/) [Lykke Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lykke-li/) > [I've always liked artists like Chris Burden, who would take performances, put them in galleries, and then do things that were on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-ve-always-liked-artists-like-chris-burden-who-would-take/) [David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/) > [I'm on the edge with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-m-on-the-edge-with-you/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) ## More by Josiah Bancroft > [“She would not tell him the truth for some weeks, but she would eventually confess that she had left with him because the fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/she-would-not-tell-him-the-truth-for-some-weeks-but-she-would/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“Love, as the poets so often painted it, was just bald lust wearing a pompous wig. He believed true love was more like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/love-as-the-poets-so-often-painted-it-was-just-bald-lust-wearing-a/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“Senlin could easily tell which porters only became busy at his approach. The hardest workers moved slowly, deliberately, while the lazy appeared eternally fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/senlin-could-easily-tell-which-porters-only-became-busy-at-his/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“I’m glad your self-righteousness has given you some exercise, but you forget: we are not such a tidy, reasonable, and humane race. Our thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/i-m-glad-your-self-righteousness-has-given-you-some-exercise-but-you/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“But that’s how it always is in the beginning. Learning starts with failure.” Iren”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/but-that-s-how-it-always-is-in-the-beginning-learning-starts-with/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“I haven’t met many men who wouldn’t take advantage of a woman they shared a cage with.” Senlin waved the point away, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/i-haven-t-met-many-men-who-wouldn-t-take-advantage-of-a-woman-they/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“Young backs have short memories,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/young-backs-have-short-memories/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“Never let a rigid itinerary discourage you from an unexpected adventure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/never-let-a-rigid-itinerary-discourage-you-from-an-unexpected/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“Senlin marveled at how adept the human race was at injecting a sense of routine into peculiar environments; it seemed a certainty that once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/senlin-marveled-at-how-adept-the-human-race-was-at-injecting-a-sense/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“Because they can keep us here forever, and I can’t stay here. Do you want to die like this? I don’t. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/because-they-can-keep-us-here-forever-and-i-can-t-stay-here-do-you/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“He believed true love was more like an education: it was deep and subtle and never complete. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/he-believed-true-love-was-more-like-an-education-it-was-deep-and/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“I am upset because we have pooled our human genius into the building of an elaborate Tower and have filled it up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/i-am-upset-because-we-have-pooled-our-human-genius-into-the-building/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“We are, each of us, a multitude. I am not the man I was this morning, nor the man of yesterday. I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/we-are-each-of-us-a-multitude-i-am-not-the-man-i-was-this-morning-nor/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“With subjugation comes certainty. Liberty is full of gambles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/with-subjugation-comes-certainty-liberty-is-full-of-gambles/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [“It is better to be pleased by one’s own distastefulness than to please another man’s tastes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/it-is-better-to-be-pleased-by-one-s-own-distastefulness-than-to/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) [Explore all 18 Josiah Bancroft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) ## More Edge quotes > [I'm on the edge with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-m-on-the-edge-with-you/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I've always liked artists like Chris Burden, who would take performances, put them in galleries, and then do things that were on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-ve-always-liked-artists-like-chris-burden-who-would-take/) [David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/) > [Touring is really about being on edge the whole time - you're like a racing horse: you've just got to be on. You've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lykke-li/touring-is-really-about-being-on-edge-the-whole-time-you-re-like-a/) [Lykke Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lykke-li/) > [I just like guys who have an edge to them. But it could go either way. Like, I have been into the surfer blond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-just-like-guys-who-have-an-edge-to-them-but-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [I always was kind of on the edge of the church when I was fully in it , cos I was always asking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/i-always-was-kind-of-on-the-edge-of-the-church-when-i-was-fully-in-it/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Even a cup of coffee tastes so much sweeter because you've come once again out of the, literally, out of the edge of death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-koch/even-a-cup-of-coffee-tastes-so-much-sweeter-because-you-ve-come-once/) [Christopher Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-koch/) > [“Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/out-on-the-edge-you-see-all-kinds-of-things-you-can-t-see-from-the/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [The financial world is at the cutting edge of high technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/the-financial-world-is-at-the-cutting-edge-of-high-technology/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Your goodness must have some edge to it -- else it is none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/your-goodness-must-have-some-edge-to-it-else-it-is-none/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I love The Edge's guitar style; it is unique. There is an ancient world resonating in his guitar sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludovico-einaudi/i-love-the-edge-s-guitar-style-it-is-unique-there-is-an-ancient-world/) [Ludovico Einaudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludovico-einaudi/) > [This is how it looks when I am standing on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red/this-is-how-it-looks-when-i-am-standing-on-the-edge/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red/) > [I spent 25 years clearly understanding that I'm not gonna meet Bono or the Edge. But then it happened at the Grammys when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/i-spent-25-years-clearly-understanding-that-i-m-not-gonna-meet-bono/) [Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [If people ask me to describe my look, I always say: 'Quite classic with an edge.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/if-people-ask-me-to-describe-my-look-i-always-say-quite-classic-with/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [We have an edge over the Asian countries because we are playing European and Indian style of hockey, but we need to perform consistently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-r-sreejesh/we-have-an-edge-over-the-asian-countries-because-we-are-playing/) [P. R. Sreejesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-r-sreejesh/) [Browse all 556 Edge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I’d rather be a nothing at the center of everything than a puffed-up somebody at the edge of it all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josiah Bancroft" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of-everything-than-a-puffed-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Edge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of-everything-than-a-puffed-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/josiah-bancroft-29581_edge_i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of_3214674.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/josiah-bancroft-29581_edge_i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of_3214674.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/josiah-bancroft-29581_edge_i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of_3214674.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I’d rather be a nothing at the center of everything than a puffed-up somebody at the edge of it all.” — Josiah Bancroft", "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": "Josiah Bancroft", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I’d rather be a nothing at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of-everything-than-a-puffed-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/i-d-rather-be-a-nothing-at-the-center-of-everything-than-a-puffed-up/#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 } } ] } ```