--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm alone, I work sometimes with…" description: "\"When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.\" — Mikhail Baryshnikov" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_alone_when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-mus_991301.png" --- # When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes… ![“When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.” quote by Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_alone_when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-mus_991301.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_alone_when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-mus_991301.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_alone_when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-mus_991301.png) > “When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.” [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He alternates between working with music, without it, or simply listening to NPR, reflecting varied creative states. **In simple terms:** He works with, without music, or just listening to NPR. Key Takeaway Adapt your environment to suit your creative flow. Themes creativity focus media consumption Mood contemplative neutral Type observational personal When to use this quote - studio work - commuting - writing - painting - design Key Concepts artistic process audio influence information intake Questions to Reflect On - How does background sound affect your concentration? - When do you need silence? A Different Perspective Music may distract rather than inspire for some tasks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [Just listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-listen/) [Just Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-listening-1252267/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Listening Npr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening-npr-2030792/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-just-300364/) [Npr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/npr/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-music-327571/) ## Related quotes > [“There comes a time in life that all you need is just someone to listen to you without judging or telling you what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/there-comes-a-time-in-life-that-all-you-need-is-just-someone-to/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [I'm always hearing music in terms of what I can take out of it, and I think I've always listened like that. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-m-always-hearing-music-in-terms-of-what-i-can-take-out-of-it-and-i/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [I spend most of my life just listening to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-spend-most-of-my-life-just-listening-to-people/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“...instead of the smoldering, soul-baring, Abelard-to-Heloise-sans-castration solicitations you rightfully deserve, you're getting stupefying lines like: "I'm listening to NPR. Do you want to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-dahvana-headley/instead-of-the-smoldering-soul-baring-abelard-to-heloise-sans/) [Maria Dahvana Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-dahvana-headley/) > [Sometimes I'll be listening to NPR at the gym, and I'll hear them say, 'Oh, Donald Trump did this today.' And I'm like, 'What?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rippon/sometimes-i-ll-be-listening-to-npr-at-the-gym-and-i-ll-hear-them-say/) [Adam Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rippon/) > [People can't work out my music, but neither can I. I just put it together. I don't know how it happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/people-can-t-work-out-my-music-but-neither-can-i-i-just-put-it/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [I'm not always up to date on everything that's going on, but I am somewhat informed. I listen to NPR. And I actually watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morena-baccarin/i-m-not-always-up-to-date-on-everything-that-s-going-on-but-i-am/) [Morena Baccarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morena-baccarin/) > [I can't read sheet music, I have to just listen to it, and then just go for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-weiland/i-can-t-read-sheet-music-i-have-to-just-listen-to-it-and-then-just-go/) [Scott Weiland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-weiland/) > [You learn the most by listening and so, to me, always just listening, always just paying attention and finding out what it is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-whitworth/you-learn-the-most-by-listening-and-so-to-me-always-just-listening/) [Andrew Whitworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-whitworth/) > [I'm always just listening to old emo, really, let's be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-m-always-just-listening-to-old-emo-really-let-s-be-honest/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [When anyone tells me I can't do anything... I'm just not listening any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/when-anyone-tells-me-i-can-t-do-anything-i-m-just-not-listening-any/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) > [Sometimes the best advice you can give to someone is just by being there and listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-best-advice-you-can-give-to-someone-is-just-by-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People aren't just listening to my single, but they are listening to the whole album - and that's really encouraging to me because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-wallen/people-aren-t-just-listening-to-my-single-but-they-are-listening-to/) [Morgan Wallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-wallen/) > [Wherever we are, God's in that moment, God's speaking to us, and if we've just got our ears open and our antennas up, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-curtis-chapman/wherever-we-are-god-s-in-that-moment-god-s-speaking-to-us-and-if-we/) [Steven Curtis Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-curtis-chapman/) > [When anyone tells me I can't do anything, I'm just not listening anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-griffith-joyner/when-anyone-tells-me-i-can-t-do-anything-i-m-just-not-listening/) [Florence Griffith Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-griffith-joyner/) ## More by Mikhail Baryshnikov > [I am not the first straight dancer or the last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-am-not-the-first-straight-dancer-or-the-last/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [Working is living to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/working-is-living-to-me/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I was always interested in photography and other forms of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-was-always-interested-in-photography-and-other-forms-of-art/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [In the second part of life you get rid of stuff you've accumulated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/in-the-second-part-of-life-you-get-rid-of-stuff-you-ve-accumulated/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [You don't measure life by receiving awards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/you-don-t-measure-life-by-receiving-awards/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [No one is born a dancer. You have to want it more than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/no-one-is-born-a-dancer-you-have-to-want-it-more-than-anything/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I want to do exactly what I want to do. I'd rather gamble on the box office than beg for a grant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-want-to-do-exactly-what-i-want-to-do-i-d-rather-gamble-on-the-box/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I always had a kind of strange relationship with New York City, with total love affair in the beginning then retreat during the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-always-had-a-kind-of-strange-relationship-with-new-york-city-with/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [Running a company is pretty demanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/running-a-company-is-pretty-demanding/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I like the most provocative and most surprising partnerships on stage. Intensity and surprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-like-the-most-provocative-and-most-surprising-partnerships-on-stage/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [When a body moves, it's the most revealing thing. Dance for me a minute, and I'll tell you who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/when-a-body-moves-it-s-the-most-revealing-thing-dance-for-me-a-minute/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I - you know, I'm not an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-you-know-i-m-not-an-actor/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [If your only dance experience is the Nutcracker, it will be a shock; hopefully shocking in a good way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/if-your-only-dance-experience-is-the-nutcracker-it-will-be-a-shock/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [People dance at any age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/people-dance-at-any-age/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-do-not-try-to-dance-better-than-anyone-else-i-only-try-to-to-dance/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) [Explore all 128 Mikhail Baryshnikov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) ## More Alone quotes > [I can be taken away from myself quite easily, I kind of start betraying myself and compromising my integrity, to keep someone else happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/i-can-be-taken-away-from-myself-quite-easily-i-kind-of-start/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) > [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' That's the litmus test. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-colvin/with-my-songs-the-question-is-always-can-you-pull-it-off-live-alone/) [Shawn Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-colvin/) > [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [I am not alone in that I've had times of unemployment - unemployment is huge amongst disabled people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-jones/i-am-not-alone-in-that-i-ve-had-times-of-unemployment-unemployment-is/) [Rosie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-jones/) > [I never knew a heart could feel so cold so empty so broken until now , I don't know what to say I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-knew-a-heart-could-feel-so-cold-so-empty-so-broken-until-now/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Real love is a permanently self-enlarging experience…A Journey With My Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luckybannu/real-love-is-a-permanently-self-enlarging-experience-a-journey-with/) [Luckybannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luckybannu/) > [“What I'm trying to say is that I spent the last four months learning to be alone, avoiding the world, hating pretty much anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/what-i-m-trying-to-say-is-that-i-spent-the-last-four-months-learning/) [Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/) > [I'm used to being alone in a quiet, isolated environment - I'm kind of a low-energy, low-vibration, low-stamina person to begin with - so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-m-used-to-being-alone-in-a-quiet-isolated-environment-i-m-kind-of-a/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I have developed a nasty habit of losing to the guy who wins the tournament, and that alone makes you think what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-robertson/i-have-developed-a-nasty-habit-of-losing-to-the-guy-who-wins-the/) [Neil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-robertson/) > [As a child, I was this record collector/listener that would sit in a room and listen to the entire Beatles catalog alone, over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/as-a-child-i-was-this-record-collector-listener-that-would-sit-in-a/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [How one hates to think of oneself as alone. How one avoids it. It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/how-one-hates-to-think-of-oneself-as-alone-how-one-avoids-it-it-seems/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) [Browse all 3,082 Alone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mikhail Baryshnikov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-music-sometimes-without-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alone" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-music-sometimes-without-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_alone_when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-mus_991301.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_alone_when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-mus_991301.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_alone_when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-mus_991301.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.” — Mikhail Baryshnikov", "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": "Mikhail Baryshnikov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I'm alone, I work sometimes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-music-sometimes-without-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/when-i-m-alone-i-work-sometimes-with-music-sometimes-without-and/#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 } } ] } ```