--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought for a long time I needed to…" description: "\"I thought for a long time I needed to look at other people who were successful and then do what they did. But over the years, I realized I will be the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/jp-saxe-17478_i-love_i-thought-for-a-long-time-i-needed-to-lo_2715748.jpg" --- # I thought for a long time I needed to look at other people… ![“I thought for a long time I needed to look at other people who were successful and then do what they did. But over the years, I realized I will be the most successful if I just do exactly what I love and exactly what I want to do and exactly the way I want to do it.” quote by JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/jp-saxe-17478_i-love_i-thought-for-a-long-time-i-needed-to-lo_2715748.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/jp-saxe-17478_i-love_i-thought-for-a-long-time-i-needed-to-lo_2715748.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/jp-saxe-17478_i-love_i-thought-for-a-long-time-i-needed-to-lo_2715748.jpg) > “I thought for a long time I needed to look at other people who were successful and then do what they did. But over the years, I realized I will be the most successful if I just do exactly what I love and exactly what I want to do and exactly the way I want to do it.” [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success comes from following personal passion, not imitation of others. **In simple terms:** Do what you love for success. Key Takeaway Prioritize authentic pursuits. Themes success authenticity self‑direction creativity Mood inspirational motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - artistic projects - entrepreneurship Key Concepts intrinsic motivation career fulfillment personal branding Questions to Reflect On - What passion drives you? - How do you balance love and practicality? A Different Perspective Imitation can still teach valuable skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [I love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-love/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [People Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-successful/) [Realized Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-successful-2844043/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-just-355024/) [Thought Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-long-656335/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Years Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-realized-625828/) ## Related quotes > [I made it look so easy on court all those years. No one realized how hard I had to work. 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For the next 25 years, I wanted order. For the next 25 years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/for-the-first-25-years-of-my-life-i-wanted-freedom-for-the-next-25/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [After a few years, we realized that you did have to put some work into it. That's why the bimbo comments make me angry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keren-woodward/after-a-few-years-we-realized-that-you-did-have-to-put-some-work-into/) [Keren Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keren-woodward/) > [After a couple of years, I realized that this was actually true, that his gave me the ability to go to a different place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-verrilli-jr/after-a-couple-of-years-i-realized-that-this-was-actually-true-that/) [Donald Verrilli Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-verrilli-jr/) > [I played the guitar for ten years before I realized it wasn't a weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/i-played-the-guitar-for-ten-years-before-i-realized-it-wasn-t-a-weapon/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [Over the years I have realized that the mistakes and forgetfulness is what makes live shows more endearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-prettyman/over-the-years-i-have-realized-that-the-mistakes-and-forgetfulness-is/) [Tristan Prettyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-prettyman/) > [It wasn't until I'd turned 50 and had been in the business 25 years that I realized I might actually have a career as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-garner/it-wasn-t-until-i-d-turned-50-and-had-been-in-the-business-25-years/) [James Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-garner/) > [It wasn't until after living in California for many years that I realized that you don't believe what anybody says, ever. Whatever they say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-wasn-t-until-after-living-in-california-for-many-years-that-i/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was only through the years that I realized what an absolutely extraordinarily thoughtful person Dr. King was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/it-was-only-through-the-years-that-i-realized-what-an-absolutely/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [To be totally candid, it was really born out of a panic attack the summer between my sophomore and junior years, when I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/to-be-totally-candid-it-was-really-born-out-of-a-panic-attack-the/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [FNM didn't really become one of my favorite all-time bands until after I'd had all their records for a couple of years. And realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/fnm-didn-t-really-become-one-of-my-favorite-all-time-bands-until/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [We never thought the show would last this long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/we-never-thought-the-show-would-last-this-long/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) ## More by JP Saxe > [I used to think I wouldn't be happy being anything but a musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/i-used-to-think-i-wouldn-t-be-happy-being-anything-but-a-musician/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [I think 99 percent of the time, texting your ex is a horrible idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/i-think-99-percent-of-the-time-texting-your-ex-is-a-horrible-idea/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [Oscar Peterson's 'Hymn to Freedom' is the first song I ever lifted on the piano. I learned it note-for-note and it's still probably the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/oscar-peterson-s-hymn-to-freedom-is-the-first-song-i-ever-lifted-on/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [It's OK to be an overthinker, an over-feeler, and it's the only thing I know how to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/it-s-ok-to-be-an-overthinker-an-over-feeler-and-it-s-the-only-thing-i/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [In the grand scheme of things, choosing your love for somebody over the petty reasons you don't talk to someone is a meaningful consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/in-the-grand-scheme-of-things-choosing-your-love-for-somebody-over/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [My hope is that my songs make you think about yourself, in your own life, and not really about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/my-hope-is-that-my-songs-make-you-think-about-yourself-in-your-own/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [The first time I heard 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,' I did not know music could sound like that. The vocal arrangement on 'Tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/the-first-time-i-heard-the-miseducation-of-lauryn-hill-i-did-not-know/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [I don't think, as an artist, you should be trying to make music for every moment of someone's day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/i-don-t-think-as-an-artist-you-should-be-trying-to-make-music-for/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [Things often feel real when we're able to share them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/things-often-feel-real-when-we-re-able-to-share-them/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [It always starts as journaling for me. I find if I try to write a song, it doesn't feel as sincere as if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/it-always-starts-as-journaling-for-me-i-find-if-i-try-to-write-a-song/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [Fifteen minutes before I got the notification that 'Julie Michaels has tagged you in a post,' I was listening to her music and talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/fifteen-minutes-before-i-got-the-notification-that-julie-michaels-has/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [I Don't Miss You' is me trying to lie to myself about my feelings - how I distract myself from them, how I compartmentalize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/i-don-t-miss-you-is-me-trying-to-lie-to-myself-about-my-feelings-how/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [To me, songs hit harder when they live in the questions, because songs have always been a mode of sorting through my emotions. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/to-me-songs-hit-harder-when-they-live-in-the-questions-because-songs/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [Once I involved myself in music as a 13-year-old, I started to learn something about myself that I liked. That was big for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/once-i-involved-myself-in-music-as-a-13-year-old-i-started-to-learn/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [There's only so much numbers on the Internet can be emotionally internalized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/there-s-only-so-much-numbers-on-the-internet-can-be-emotionally/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) [Explore all 37 JP Saxe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) ## More I love quotes > [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/) [Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/) > [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [I had to get to the point where I just had to embrace carrying the torch for the traditional girls out there. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamera-mowry/i-had-to-get-to-the-point-where-i-just-had-to-embrace-carrying-the/) [Tamera Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamera-mowry/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [I enjoy upsetting the right people. I love poking fun at earnest censors. I want to push the bounds of what can be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-enjoy-upsetting-the-right-people-i-love-poking-fun-at-earnest/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/) [Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/) > [If somebody asks me to choose a biopic, it would be Narain Karthikeyan because I love racing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/if-somebody-asks-me-to-choose-a-biopic-it-would-be-narain-karthikeyan/) [Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [Honestly, I love Ruth's Chris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-butler/honestly-i-love-ruth-s-chris/) [Ross Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-butler/) > [I love the game of football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-veon-bell/i-love-the-game-of-football/) [Le'Veon Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-veon-bell/) [Browse all 14,666 I love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-love/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I thought for a long time I needed to look at other people who were successful and then do what they did. 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