--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a sadness over me, a…" description: "\"There was a sadness over me, a melancholy. That's always been a part of me - those are some of the things that lead you to the arts.\" — Mahershala Ali" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/mahershala-ali-6687_always_there-was-a-sadness-over-me-a-melancholy_1787657.jpg" --- # There was a sadness over me, a melancholy. That's always… ![“There was a sadness over me, a melancholy. That's always been a part of me - those are some of the things that lead you to the arts.” quote by Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/mahershala-ali-6687_always_there-was-a-sadness-over-me-a-melancholy_1787657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/mahershala-ali-6687_always_there-was-a-sadness-over-me-a-melancholy_1787657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/mahershala-ali-6687_always_there-was-a-sadness-over-me-a-melancholy_1787657.jpg) > “There was a sadness over me, a melancholy. That's always been a part of me - those are some of the things that lead you to the arts.” [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Melancholy fuels creativity, turning personal sorrow into artistic expression. **In simple terms:** Sadness inspires art. Key Takeaway Channel emotions into creative work. Themes melancholy creativity art self‑exploration emotion Mood introspective inspirational Type interview philosophical When to use this quote - writing - painting - music - performance Key Concepts psychology of art emotional catharsis Questions to Reflect On - How does sadness shape your work? - Can you balance joy and sorrow? A Different Perspective Too much sorrow can hinder productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy/) [Melancholy Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy-things-1918602/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sadness Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness-melancholy-1918601/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) ## Related quotes > [“The anaesthetic effect of habit being destroyed, I would begin to think - and to feel - such melancholy things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-anaesthetic-effect-of-habit-being-destroyed-i-would-begin-to/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“I find only sadness and melancholy when I wade through the past, even when revisiting good memories. 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She didn't believe me, and neither did my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adkins/i-turned-to-my-mom-and-said-i-m-going-to-be-a-martial-arts-movie-star/) [Scott Adkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adkins/) > [I think we were raised in a nice Texas Jewish family where education was the most important thing, and close behind that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/i-think-we-were-raised-in-a-nice-texas-jewish-family-where-education/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) > [The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-w-eisner/the-arts-teach-children-that-problems-can-have-more-than-one-solution/) [Elliot W. 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To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/it-s-so-easy-to-lose-faith-and-become-lost-in-all-of-the-politics-of/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Most of the more celebrated names among African-American authors, poets, and artists are known to the world because of their association with specific cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/most-of-the-more-celebrated-names-among-african-american-authors/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“Whenever an art form loses its fire, when it gets weakened by intellectual inbreeding and first principles fade into stale tradition, a radical fringe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/whenever-an-art-form-loses-its-fire-when-it-gets-weakened-by/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/to-labor-in-the-arts-for-any-reason-other-than-love-is-prostitution/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [I was painfully shy, so my aunt suggested to my mum that me and my brother go to Stage 84, a performing arts school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cooke/i-was-painfully-shy-so-my-aunt-suggested-to-my-mum-that-me-and-my/) [Christian Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cooke/) ## More by Mahershala Ali > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I grew up in church. My mom's a minister, and my grandmother was an ordained minister. I was always very mindful of the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-grew-up-in-church-my-mom-s-a-minister-and-my-grandmother-was-an/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [Like so many families, we were dealing with limited means. We weren't poor at all, but we had some challenging times financially. When my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/like-so-many-families-we-were-dealing-with-limited-means-we-weren-t/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom in my dad's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-could-be-with-my-mom-and-my/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [My mother is an ordained minister. I'm a Muslim. 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My mom was 16, my dad was 17. They were kids, at the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-parents-were-in-high-school-when-i-was-born-my-mom-was-16-my-dad/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [Because on that watch list, they would be like, yeah, your name - they told me like, yeah, your name matches the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/because-on-that-watch-list-they-would-be-like-yeah-your-name-they/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I started traveling by myself as early as 5 to see my dad. I'd go to Toronto or Los Angeles, depending on what show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-started-traveling-by-myself-as-early-as-5-to-see-my-dad-i-d-go-to/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [One thing that the audience, and perhaps critics, aren't aware of is that, especially in a film like 'Moonlight,' you always shoot a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/one-thing-that-the-audience-and-perhaps-critics-aren-t-aware-of-is/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I think in some ways, I would go back home, and I didn't really quite fit in and couldn't - didn't have a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-in-some-ways-i-would-go-back-home-and-i-didn-t-really-quite/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I remember clearly, when I was about 4, my Aunt Linda said, 'I'm not babysitting him no more. He's bad.' 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-denzel-washington-might-play/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Explore all 98 Mahershala Ali quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. 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He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. 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If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a sadness over me, a melancholy. 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