--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My success was the shock of recognition…" description: "\"My success was the shock of recognition, probably, rather than the quality of the work. I mean, the quality may have been fine, but there's a lot of fi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jules-feiffer-11086_cabaret_my-success-was-the-shock-of-recognition_2997900.jpg" --- # My success was the shock of recognition, probably, rather… ![“My success was the shock of recognition, probably, rather than the quality of the work. I mean, the quality may have been fine, but there's a lot of fine work out there. It was the fact that I was doing something that at that time, nobody else was doing, except for say, Mort Saul out in San…” quote by Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jules-feiffer-11086_cabaret_my-success-was-the-shock-of-recognition_2997900.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jules-feiffer-11086_cabaret_my-success-was-the-shock-of-recognition_2997900.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jules-feiffer-11086_cabaret_my-success-was-the-shock-of-recognition_2997900.jpg) > “My success was the shock of recognition, probably, rather than the quality of the work. I mean, the quality may have been fine, but there's a lot of fine work out there. It was the fact that I was doing something that at that time, nobody else was doing, except for say, Mort Saul out in San Francisco on The Hungry Eye, and "Second City" was emerging out in Chicago. Nothing in print. It was basically happening in cabaret and nothing in fiction. And certainly nothing in New York in cartoons.” [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognition often outweighs the intrinsic quality of work when novelty captures attention. **In simple terms:** Being first can be more valuable than being best. Key Takeaway Focus on unique contributions. Themes creativity recognition novelty Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career launch - artistic fields - media coverage - industry trends Key Concepts cultural impact media dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you maintain excellence after initial fame? - What strategies keep work relevant beyond novelty? A Different Perspective Novelty fades; quality must follow to sustain success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cabaret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cabaret/) [Cartoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cartoon/) [Chicago Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago-print-4743809/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Emerging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emerging/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Hungry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Mort Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mort-saul-4743810/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) [Recognition Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition-probably-4743811/) [San francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-francisco/) [Second city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-city/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-shock-4743808/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/) ## Related quotes > [Europe becomes more and more a province of Islam, a colony of Islam. And Italy is an outpost of that province, a stronghold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/europe-becomes-more-and-more-a-province-of-islam-a-colony-of-islam/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [I always enjoyed writing. I did playlets in high school, I did radio shows in college. That's one of the reasons I went down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-castellaneta/i-always-enjoyed-writing-i-did-playlets-in-high-school-i-did-radio/) [Dan Castellaneta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-castellaneta/) > [I think a lot of studios today are run by women, and we are entering a time when a lot of women have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/i-think-a-lot-of-studios-today-are-run-by-women-and-we-are-entering-a/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) > [Improv Olympics, Second City are some of the most tolerant, accepting people. They're like circus folk. They're freaks themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/improv-olympics-second-city-are-some-of-the-most-tolerant-accepting/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When I was in college at Temple University in Philadelphia, I became obsessed with 'Saturday Night Live' and 'The Office.' I thought the writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinta-brunson/when-i-was-in-college-at-temple-university-in-philadelphia-i-became/) [Quinta Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinta-brunson/) > [I did a lot of commercial and theater work when I got out of school and was living in Dallas, and I moved to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-tolman/i-did-a-lot-of-commercial-and-theater-work-when-i-got-out-of-school/) [Allison Tolman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-tolman/) > [Second City should create a secret handshake, and when you graduate, you have to know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamorne-morris/second-city-should-create-a-secret-handshake-and-when-you-graduate/) [Lamorne Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamorne-morris/) > [Out of 30 years of Second City I was probably the third African-American with the main stage cast. I was surprised when I first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/out-of-30-years-of-second-city-i-was-probably-the-third-african/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) > [In my early 20s, I started doing comedy. I started doing auditions in Chicago. It led me to writing my own sketches for Second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/in-my-early-20s-i-started-doing-comedy-i-started-doing-auditions-in/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [That was sort of the 'Second City' approach, which was try to be intelligent and assume your audience is intelligent. We were influenced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-flaherty/that-was-sort-of-the-second-city-approach-which-was-try-to-be/) [Joe Flaherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-flaherty/) > [I graduated from Second City Los Angeles. It helped me tremendously, not only in my roles in films but in helping shape me into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-craig/i-graduated-from-second-city-los-angeles-it-helped-me-tremendously/) [Carly Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-craig/) > [I came out of the old Second City in Chicago. Chicago actors are more hard-nosed. They're tough on themselves and their fellow actors. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-came-out-of-the-old-second-city-in-chicago-chicago-actors-are-more/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [I'm a huge fan of John Hughes and can say that 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' is easily a top 3 favorite. I'm also a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mcpartlin/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-john-hughes-and-can-say-that-planes-trains-and/) [Ryan McPartlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mcpartlin/) > [I took Second City out of desperation, and that's what ended up working out. It shows that you should be doing a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/i-took-second-city-out-of-desperation-and-that-s-what-ended-up/) [Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/) > [“The greatest thing I learned while taking classes at Second City was the very first thing they taught: 'Yes, and...'. In improv, you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-seiden/the-greatest-thing-i-learned-while-taking-classes-at-second-city-was/) [Jason Seiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-seiden/) ## More by Jules Feiffer > [When you do the kind of work I do, everything is challenging, but probably the most challenging thing is getting up in the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/when-you-do-the-kind-of-work-i-do-everything-is-challenging-but/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [When people started reading me and talking to me about the work, they didn't say how funny, or how satiric, or how brilliant, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/when-people-started-reading-me-and-talking-to-me-about-the-work-they/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/artists-can-color-the-sky-red-because-they-know-it-s-blue-those-of-us/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I have no sense of direction; I never know where I am. When I back up a car, I'm more likely to hit what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-have-no-sense-of-direction-i-never-know-where-i-am-when-i-back-up-a/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Design is important because chaos is so hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/design-is-important-because-chaos-is-so-hard/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I was doing cartoons and mocking white liberals, mocking the attitude of government who said to go slow, while intending to do absolutely nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-was-doing-cartoons-and-mocking-white-liberals-mocking-the-attitude/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Cartoons were very conservative. The country was very conservative. Although the liberals were allegedly in charge for a long time, there was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/cartoons-were-very-conservative-the-country-was-very-conservative/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Remember when you were a kid and the boys didn't like the girls? Only sissies liked girls? What I'm trying to tell you is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/remember-when-you-were-a-kid-and-the-boys-didn-t-like-the-girls-only/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I didn't have a job. Employers were afraid of losing their reputations. I didn't have a reputation. I had zilch. So, I had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-didn-t-have-a-job-employers-were-afraid-of-losing-their-reputations/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I come out of a Cold War sensibility, a Cold War mentality, and during those Cold War years, I used to know, I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-come-out-of-a-cold-war-sensibility-a-cold-war-mentality-and-during/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I seemed to have instinctually a strong idea of how the strip had to be written from the beginning. That changed too, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-seemed-to-have-instinctually-a-strong-idea-of-how-the-strip-had-to/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [That was exciting to be able to comment on civil rights. I mean, the civil rights movement that young people don't know about today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/that-was-exciting-to-be-able-to-comment-on-civil-rights-i-mean-the/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [The artwork had very little to do with the thought process, and the writing too, for that matter. What happens, happens, and it happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/the-artwork-had-very-little-to-do-with-the-thought-process-and-the/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I'm not electronically geared at all; I'm really a 19th century cartoonist. I have a 15-year-old daughter, and what she's attracted to is of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-m-not-electronically-geared-at-all-i-m-really-a-19th-century/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I found it was my good fortune to somehow be able to work in these forms that I loved when I was a kid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-found-it-was-my-good-fortune-to-somehow-be-able-to-work-in-these/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) [Explore all 62 Jules Feiffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) ## More Cabaret quotes > [The spirit of punk-cabaret is that you feel that you can truly be all of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-viglione/the-spirit-of-punk-cabaret-is-that-you-feel-that-you-can-truly-be-all/) [Brian Viglione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-viglione/) > [I spent thousands of thousands of hours playing the piano, and by thousands of hours, I mean playing in cover bands or wedding bands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-spent-thousands-of-thousands-of-hours-playing-the-piano-and-by/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [I do have that secret desire to be a cabaret star and just sing Cole Porter medleys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-do-have-that-secret-desire-to-be-a-cabaret-star-and-just-sing-cole/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [Cabaret presents different challenges, as it is all on me. I love having the freedom to say anything you want - do anything you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stokes-mitchell/cabaret-presents-different-challenges-as-it-is-all-on-me-i-love/) [Brian Stokes Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stokes-mitchell/) > [How much do people really want to learn? I mean, some people get into a groove and they stay with it indefinitely. And what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/how-much-do-people-really-want-to-learn-i-mean-some-people-get-into-a/) [Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/) > [I grew up listening to cabaret. At 7 and 8 years old, I was already singing like a club performer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annaleigh-ashford/i-grew-up-listening-to-cabaret-at-7-and-8-years-old-i-was-already/) [Annaleigh Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annaleigh-ashford/) > [If you are a cabaret artist and you are mostly singing other people's songs, you're asking them to rethink a song, listen to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/if-you-are-a-cabaret-artist-and-you-are-mostly-singing-other-people-s/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [Manchester was a fantastic place to go out in. There were 10 clubs with world-class cabaret and comedians. You'd go in and Tom Jones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-lee/manchester-was-a-fantastic-place-to-go-out-in-there-were-10-clubs/) [Francis Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-lee/) > [Life isn't a cabaret. It's a dive bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-paige/life-isn-t-a-cabaret-it-s-a-dive-bar/) [Woody Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-paige/) > [Don't know about a cabaret act right now, would actually prefer a role in a broadway musical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-barr/don-t-know-about-a-cabaret-act-right-now-would-actually-prefer-a-role/) [Julia Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-barr/) > [I have an amazing 1930s dress I picked up in Toronto at Cabaret on Queen West. It's a red knee-length tea dress, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-booth/i-have-an-amazing-1930s-dress-i-picked-up-in-toronto-at-cabaret-on/) [Lindy Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-booth/) > [I want to do good films. It is not that I have any problem doing commercial roles, with all the glitter. I am doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richa-chadha/i-want-to-do-good-films-it-is-not-that-i-have-any-problem-doing/) [Richa Chadha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richa-chadha/) > ['Cabaret' was the most commercial success that I've been involved in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/cabaret-was-the-most-commercial-success-that-i-ve-been-involved-in/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [I'm one of the most popular cabaret performers, and I don't sing a note. And nobody expects me to sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jordan/i-m-one-of-the-most-popular-cabaret-performers-and-i-don-t-sing-a/) [Leslie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jordan/) [Browse all 110 Cabaret quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cabaret/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My success was the shock of recognition, probably, rather than the quality of the work. I mean, the quality may have been fine, but there's a lot of fine work out there. It was the fact that I was doing something that at that time, nobody else was doing, except for say, Mort Saul out in San Francisco on The Hungry Eye, and \"Second City\" was emerging out in Chicago. Nothing in print. It was basically happening in cabaret and nothing in fiction. 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