--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd rather an audience like me than…" description: "\"I'd rather an audience like me than dislike me, but I'd rather they disliked me than be apathetic, because that is the kiss of death.\" — Martha Graham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/martha-graham-2832_apathetic_i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-disl_3153304.png" --- # I'd rather an audience like me than dislike me, but I'd… ![“I'd rather an audience like me than dislike me, but I'd rather they disliked me than be apathetic, because that is the kiss of death.” quote by Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/martha-graham-2832_apathetic_i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-disl_3153304.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/martha-graham-2832_apathetic_i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-disl_3153304.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/martha-graham-2832_apathetic_i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-disl_3153304.png) > “I'd rather an audience like me than dislike me, but I'd rather they disliked me than be apathetic, because that is the kiss of death.” [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being noticed, even negatively, is better than being ignored, because indifference signals irrelevance. **In simple terms:** Prefer being noticed over being ignored. Key Takeaway Embrace attention, even if critical. Themes attention rejection relevance authenticity Mood determined defiant Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - public performance - personal branding - social media Key Concepts social dynamics psychology of fame Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle criticism? - When is silence more powerful than speech? A Different Perspective Negative attention can harm self-esteem. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathetic/) [Apathetic Kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathetic-kiss-5669768/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-like/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dislike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dislike/) [Dislike me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dislike-me-47943/) [Disliked Apathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disliked-apathetic-5669767/) [Kiss of death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss-of-death/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) [Like Dislike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-dislike/) [Like me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-me/) ## Related quotes > [People either hate me or dislike me - but I realized that people aren't against you, they are for themselves. We're all prejudiced in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-horsley/people-either-hate-me-or-dislike-me-but-i-realized-that-people-aren-t/) [Sebastian Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-horsley/) > [It's almost impossible to dislike me, because I do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-paar/it-s-almost-impossible-to-dislike-me-because-i-do-nothing/) [Jack Paar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-paar/) > [There's no doubt that there's some folks who just really dislike me because they don't like the idea of a black president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-s-no-doubt-that-there-s-some-folks-who-just-really-dislike-me/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I found it to be kind of ironic, because I’m white, therefore I’m appropriating culture, but then Eminem won it - who’s white and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/i-found-it-to-be-kind-of-ironic-because-i-m-white-therefore-i-m/) [Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/) > [I wonder if Dave Bearden still dislikes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-berrigan/i-wonder-if-dave-bearden-still-dislikes-me/) [Ted Berrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-berrigan/) > [Celebrate me for who I am, dislike me for what I ain't (...) put me up on a pedestal or drag me down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/celebrate-me-for-who-i-am-dislike-me-for-what-i-ain-t-put-me-up-on-a/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I don't have a strategy. I am my own person. So if people disagree with the opinion of my father and want to dislike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivanka-trump/i-don-t-have-a-strategy-i-am-my-own-person-so-if-people-disagree-with/) [Ivanka Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivanka-trump/) > [Everybody is so hungry for referrals, for 'likes.' I don't need to be liked. I don't need to be liked at all. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-drudge/everybody-is-so-hungry-for-referrals-for-likes-i-don-t-need-to-be/) [Matt Drudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-drudge/) > [“Like or dislike me, YOUR WISH; reciprocating or not, MY RIGHT !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shalini-verma/like-or-dislike-me-your-wish-reciprocating-or-not-my-right/) [Shalini Verma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shalini-verma/) > [“To set up what you like against what you dislike—this is the disease of the mind. —Seng-Tsan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-tricarico/to-set-up-what-you-like-against-what-you-dislike-this-is-the-disease/) [Dan Tricarico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-tricarico/) > [But what you realise after you've been in the business for a while is that people develop opinions about you that don't have anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/but-what-you-realise-after-you-ve-been-in-the-business-for-a-while-is/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [“There should not be attachment to what is liked and there should be no abhorrence to what is disliked. Like and dislike are mind’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/there-should-not-be-attachment-to-what-is-liked-and-there-should-be/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [You can like or dislike me. You are entitled to form an opinion about me, and I don't fear being judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hina-khan/you-can-like-or-dislike-me-you-are-entitled-to-form-an-opinion-about/) [Hina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hina-khan/) > [One of the reasons I don't trust the media is you can't have a double standard for guys you like and dislike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/one-of-the-reasons-i-don-t-trust-the-media-is-you-can-t-have-a-double/) [Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/) > [Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/do-not-like-do-not-dislike-all-will-then-be-clear-make-a-hairbreadth/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) ## More by Martha Graham > [The body never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-never-lies/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You have no right to go before a public without an adequate technique, just because you feel. Anything feels - a leaf feels, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-have-no-right-to-go-before-a-public-without-an-adequate-technique/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-vitality-a-life-force-an-energy-a-quickening-that-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Misery is a communicable disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/misery-is-a-communicable-disease/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I did not choose. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/people-have-asked-me-why-i-chose-to-be-a-dancer-i-did-not-choose-i/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/all-things-i-do-are-in-every-woman-every-woman-is-medea-every-woman/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-shaped-disciplined-honored-and-in-time-trusted/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The secret to dancing is that it is about everything except dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-secret-to-dancing-is-that-it-is-about-everything-except-dancing/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [What makes a great dancer is not technique. What makes a great dancer is passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/what-makes-a-great-dancer-is-not-technique-what-makes-a-great-dancer/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is a sacred garment. It's your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-a-sacred-garment-it-s-your-first-and-last-garment-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-are-unique-and-if-that-is-not-fulfilled-then-something-has-been/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-see-when-weaving-a-blanket-an-indian-woman-leaves-a-flaw-in-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery - what it all means, the way the little bone near the ankle relates itself to the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancing-is-just-discovery-discovery-discovery-what-it-all-means-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Theater used to be a verb; it used to be an act. But nowadays it is just a noun. It is a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/theater-used-to-be-a-verb-it-used-to-be-an-act-but-nowadays-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [There is a force, a quickness that is translated through you into action. If you block it, the world will not have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-force-a-quickness-that-is-translated-through-you-into/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) [Explore all 148 Martha Graham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## More Apathetic quotes > [We must always work, and a self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/we-must-always-work-and-a-self-respecting-artist-must-not-fold-his/) [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/) > [My generation in the UK, they're very apathetic, a lot of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/my-generation-in-the-uk-they-re-very-apathetic-a-lot-of-them/) [Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/) > [We imagine a school in which students and teachers excitedly and joyfully stretch themselves to their limits in pursuit of projects built on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/we-imagine-a-school-in-which-students-and-teachers-excitedly-and/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [Does anyone really go into nursing intending to be apathetic, cold and removed from suffering? I find that very difficult to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/does-anyone-really-go-into-nursing-intending-to-be-apathetic-cold-and/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [The first step in freeing yourself from social restrictions is the realization that there is no such thing as a safe code of conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-first-step-in-freeing-yourself-from-social-restrictions-is-the/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) > [Death: the only true emotion felt in an apathetic world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/death-the-only-true-emotion-felt-in-an-apathetic-world/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Thwarted, or starved, in the important objects proper to young capacities, the boys and young men naturally find or invent deviant objects for themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/thwarted-or-starved-in-the-important-objects-proper-to-young/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Even as I'm shoveling up my hooter, I realize the sad truth. Coke bores me, It bores us all. We're jaded cunts, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/even-as-i-m-shoveling-up-my-hooter-i-realize-the-sad-truth-coke-bores/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [From arts, to literature, to science, to the founding of Christian institutions, all of that has its roots in a biblical worldview, but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-hanegraaff/from-arts-to-literature-to-science-to-the-founding-of-christian/) [Hank Hanegraaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-hanegraaff/) > [“I don’t know, apathetic bloody planet, I’ve no sympathy at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-don-t-know-apathetic-bloody-planet-i-ve-no-sympathy-at-all/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I am beginning to respect the apathetic days. Perhaps they're a necessary pause: better to give in to them than to fight them at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-am-beginning-to-respect-the-apathetic-days-perhaps-they-re-a/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The teenage pregnancy is such a tragic thing. It is such a sad and tragic thing because the children who have children do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-huxley/the-teenage-pregnancy-is-such-a-tragic-thing-it-is-such-a-sad-and/) [Laura Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-huxley/) > [“Empathy nurtures wisdom. Apathy cultivates ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/empathy-nurtures-wisdom-apathy-cultivates-ignorance/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) [Browse all 123 Apathetic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathetic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd rather an audience like me than dislike me, but I'd rather they disliked me than be apathetic, because that is the kiss of death.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martha Graham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-dislike-me-but-i-d-rather-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apathetic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-dislike-me-but-i-d-rather-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/martha-graham-2832_apathetic_i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-disl_3153304.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/martha-graham-2832_apathetic_i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-disl_3153304.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/martha-graham-2832_apathetic_i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-disl_3153304.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd rather an audience like me than dislike me, but I'd rather they disliked me than be apathetic, because…” — Martha Graham", "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": "Martha Graham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'd rather an audience like me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-dislike-me-but-i-d-rather-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/i-d-rather-an-audience-like-me-than-dislike-me-but-i-d-rather-they/#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 } } ] } ```