---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know if I'm necessarily a role…"
description: "\"I don't know if I'm necessarily a role model, but hopefully I can inspire any artist - Latin or otherwise - to do this thing for a living.\" — Michael Pena"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/michael-pena-3926_art_i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-m_469341.jpg"
---

#  I don't know if I'm necessarily a role model, but…

![“I don't know if I'm necessarily a role model, but hopefully I can inspire any artist - Latin or otherwise - to do this thing for a living.” quote by Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/michael-pena-3926_art_i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-m_469341.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/michael-pena-3926_art_i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-m_469341.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/michael-pena-3926_art_i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-m_469341.jpg)

> “I don't know if I'm necessarily a role model, but hopefully I can inspire any artist - Latin or otherwise - to do this thing for a living.”

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He acknowledges his imperfect role model status but hopes to motivate artists across cultures to pursue their craft professionally.

**In simple terms:** Even if not perfect, inspire others to follow their artistic passion.

Key Takeaway

Lead by example and encourage artistic dedication.

Themes

art inspiration career culture motivation

Mood

encouraging reflective

Type

motivational artistic

When to use this quote

- teaching
- mentoring
- public speaking
- artistic collaborations

Key Concepts

creative expression cross‑cultural influence

Questions to Reflect On

- What does authentic inspiration look like?
- How can artists stay true while seeking livelihood?

A Different Perspective

Risk of idealizing fame over substance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Role model](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/role-model/)

## Related quotes

> [ Hopefully I can inspire lots of people to learn about \[Patti Smith\], to read poetry or learn about William Blake or Arthur Rimbaud. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sebring/hopefully-i-can-inspire-lots-of-people-to-learn-about-patti-smith-to/)

[Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sebring/)

> [Sometimes I say to my students, "We get to come and listen to our favorite recordings and try to learn from them and emulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/sometimes-i-say-to-my-students-we-get-to-come-and-listen-to-our/)

[Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/)

> [I'm going to sing songs to hopefully inspire people to not give up and inspire people to keep going when they want to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-ledger/i-m-going-to-sing-songs-to-hopefully-inspire-people-to-not-give-up/)

[Jen Ledger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-ledger/)

> [In the future, I just think that as far as when it comes to me and my music, I'm trying to help be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salaam-remi/in-the-future-i-just-think-that-as-far-as-when-it-comes-to-me-and-my/)

[Salaam Remi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salaam-remi/)

> [I feel like my story could hopefully inspire others who've faced hard times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/partynextdoor/i-feel-like-my-story-could-hopefully-inspire-others-who-ve-faced-hard/)

PartyNextDoor

> [I'm trying to basically just focus on sharing everything that I was feeling with other people, so I can hopefully inspire other people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauv/i-m-trying-to-basically-just-focus-on-sharing-everything-that-i-was/)

[Lauv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauv/)

> [I would like to continue to make art by being able to do what I love and have that make it possible for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/i-would-like-to-continue-to-make-art-by-being-able-to-do-what-i-love/)

[Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/)

> [I want to be a role model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/i-want-to-be-a-role-model/)

[Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/)

> [If I were to be a role model, it would just come out of going the college route, getting training, and trusting that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camila-mendes/if-i-were-to-be-a-role-model-it-would-just-come-out-of-going-the/)

[Camila Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camila-mendes/)

> [First of all, I try to be a positive role model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jenner/first-of-all-i-try-to-be-a-positive-role-model/)

[Bruce Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jenner/)

> [A role model? No. But I do consider myself somebody that everyone should look up to. Kids should try to pretend that they're Tank.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tank-evans-surf-s-up/a-role-model-no-but-i-do-consider-myself-somebody-that-everyone/)

Tank Evans (surf's Up

> [I take being a role model seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladainian-tomlinson/i-take-being-a-role-model-seriously/)

[LaDainian Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladainian-tomlinson/)

> [I don't choose projects according to the idea of being a role model. To be considered as one is definitely an honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-collins/i-don-t-choose-projects-according-to-the-idea-of-being-a-role-model/)

[Lily Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-collins/)

> [I'm a role model now. I didn't know I was gonna have 13-year-old fans, so I've tried to change a few things here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/i-m-a-role-model-now-i-didn-t-know-i-was-gonna-have-13-year-old-fans/)

[Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/)

> [I didn't have a role model when I was younger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/i-didn-t-have-a-role-model-when-i-was-younger/)

[Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/)

## More by Michael Pena

> [I was in L.A., like, four months, and I got my first part. Then I was like, 'OK, I'm staying.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-was-in-l-a-like-four-months-and-i-got-my-first-part-then-i-was-like/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [Kicks to the legs, they're not very cool. They're brutal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/kicks-to-the-legs-they-re-not-very-cool-they-re-brutal/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [There's a bigger percentage of good cops than bad cops. But the bad cops should be penalised like regular people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/there-s-a-bigger-percentage-of-good-cops-than-bad-cops-but-the-bad/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I grew up in the ghetto, and the thing is when there were problems, I knew when to get away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-grew-up-in-the-ghetto-and-the-thing-is-when-there-were-problems-i/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I think, in any debate, you have to respect the other person's point of view, if you agree or disagree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-think-in-any-debate-you-have-to-respect-the-other-person-s-point-of/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I didn't realise I lived in the ghetto until we moved out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-didn-t-realise-i-lived-in-the-ghetto-until-we-moved-out/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [The joy of 'Crash' was that it was all about the work. It was my first real part. Before that, it was a line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/the-joy-of-crash-was-that-it-was-all-about-the-work-it-was-my-first/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I don't think people are experiencing superhero fatigue. Do you hear people complaining that there are too many action movies? I think it's good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-don-t-think-people-are-experiencing-superhero-fatigue-do-you-hear/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I think that when you’re doing a comedy and it makes you laugh, there’s a certain… like you can reject it, and it’s okay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-think-that-when-you-re-doing-a-comedy-and-it-makes-you-laugh-there/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I thought of myself as an individual ever since I was little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-thought-of-myself-as-an-individual-ever-since-i-was-little/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I just wanted to be a part of something that's a horror movie that scares you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-just-wanted-to-be-a-part-of-something-that-s-a-horror-movie-that/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I don't know why - I have a ton of books: five full cabinets of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-don-t-know-why-i-have-a-ton-of-books-five-full-cabinets-of-them/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I feel really comfortable with going for the reality of the drama, but I'm not much for the comedy of it. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-feel-really-comfortable-with-going-for-the-reality-of-the-drama-but/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [The reason I love Lollapalooza is because it's a great music festival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/the-reason-i-love-lollapalooza-is-because-it-s-a-great-music-festival/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

> [I was in really good shape after I finished this movie, 'End of Watch.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-was-in-really-good-shape-after-i-finished-this-movie-end-of-watch/)

[Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

[Explore all 119 Michael Pena quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. 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. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't know if I'm necessarily a role model, but hopefully I can inspire any artist - Latin or otherwise - to do this thing for a living.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Pena"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-model-but-hopefully-i-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-model-but-hopefully-i-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/michael-pena-3926_art_i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-m_469341.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/michael-pena-3926_art_i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-m_469341.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/michael-pena-3926_art_i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-m_469341.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't know if I'm necessarily a role model, but hopefully I can inspire any artist - Latin or otherwise…” — Michael Pena",
                "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": "Michael Pena",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't know if I'm necessarily...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-model-but-hopefully-i-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-necessarily-a-role-model-but-hopefully-i-can/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
