--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a strong feeling in the Middle…" description: "\"There is a strong feeling in the Middle West that the artist is not pulling his own weight no matter how hard he may work, that the other people are do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_there-is-a-strong-feeling-in-the-middle_1471379.jpg" --- # There is a strong feeling in the Middle West that the… ![“There is a strong feeling in the Middle West that the artist is not pulling his own weight no matter how hard he may work, that the other people are doing the real stuff.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_there-is-a-strong-feeling-in-the-middle_1471379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_there-is-a-strong-feeling-in-the-middle_1471379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_there-is-a-strong-feeling-in-the-middle_1471379.jpg) > “There is a strong feeling in the Middle West that the artist is not pulling his own weight no matter how hard he may work, that the other people are doing the real stuff.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists often feel undervalued, perceived as less productive than other workers despite effort. **In simple terms:** Artists are seen as lazy despite hard work. Key Takeaway Recognize and communicate the value of creative work. Themes misunderstanding valuation creativity Mood reflective critical Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace - cultural policy - public funding Key Concepts artistic labor social perception Questions to Reflect On - How can society better measure artistic impact? - What steps can artists take to demonstrate their worth? A Different Perspective Creative contributions are harder to quantify, leading to bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Strong feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-feeling/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) ## Related quotes > [Wassup, real nigga doing real stuff. 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Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The true America is the Middle West, and Columbus discovered nothing at all except another Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-l-george/the-true-america-is-the-middle-west-and-columbus-discovered-nothing/) [W. L. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-l-george/) > [“That's my Middle West - not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning trains of my youth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/that-s-my-middle-west-not-the-wheat-or-the-prairies-or-the-lost-swede-2/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“That's my Middle West-not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning trains of my youth, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/that-s-my-middle-west-not-the-wheat-or-the-prairies-or-the-lost-swede/) [F. 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I like to think the music I do is real, it just happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/sometimes-i-get-have-you-ever-thought-about-doing-real-music-i-like/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [It’s always been in between the things I thought I was doing that the real work has happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kentridge/it-s-always-been-in-between-the-things-i-thought-i-was-doing-that-the/) [William Kentridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kentridge/) > [Being a soldier's daughter, I understand that what they are doing is the real deal. But me giving statement on the issue is of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anushka-sharma/being-a-soldier-s-daughter-i-understand-that-what-they-are-doing-is/) [Anushka Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anushka-sharma/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. 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