--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hate complacency. I play every gig as…" description: "\"I hate complacency. I play every gig as if it could be my last, then I enjoy it more than ever.\" — Nigel Kennedy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/nigel-kennedy-29256_complacency_i-hate-complacency-i-play-every-gig-as-i_986780.jpg" --- # I hate complacency. I play every gig as if it could be my… ![“I hate complacency. I play every gig as if it could be my last, then I enjoy it more than ever.” quote by Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/nigel-kennedy-29256_complacency_i-hate-complacency-i-play-every-gig-as-i_986780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/nigel-kennedy-29256_complacency_i-hate-complacency-i-play-every-gig-as-i_986780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/nigel-kennedy-29256_complacency_i-hate-complacency-i-play-every-gig-as-i_986780.jpg) > “I hate complacency. I play every gig as if it could be my last, then I enjoy it more than ever.” [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He despises complacency, treating each performance as potentially his last, which heightens enjoyment. **In simple terms:** Never settle; treat each gig as final. Key Takeaway Play with urgency and passion. Themes performance mindset motivation Mood energetic focused Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - concerts - practice routines - career planning Key Concepts presence intensity Questions to Reflect On - What drives your performance intensity? - How can you balance urgency with sustainability? A Different Perspective Risk of burnout if constantly high pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complacency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complacency/) [Complacency Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complacency-play-1993960/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Gig Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gig-enjoy-1663954/) [Gigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gigs/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate Complacency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-complacency-1993959/) [I hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-hate/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Gig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-gig-1993961/) ## Related quotes > [I hate to see complacency prevail in our lives when it's so directly contrary to the teaching of Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-hate-to-see-complacency-prevail-in-our-lives-when-it-s-so-directly/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [If your gig is not in an office for eight hours a day, its going to be somewhere. If you're a truck driver, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-plaskett/if-your-gig-is-not-in-an-office-for-eight-hours-a-day-its-going-to-be/) [Joel Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-plaskett/) > [What you do is, you just do the gig, enjoy, get on with it, and treat the rest as horse doodle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/what-you-do-is-you-just-do-the-gig-enjoy-get-on-with-it-and-treat-the/) [Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/) > [When I told my mum I was going to play my first gig when I was 14, she couldn't believe it, cause I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/when-i-told-my-mum-i-was-going-to-play-my-first-gig-when-i-was-14-she/) [Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/) > [It's very rare that we play a gig and we all come off and say 'That was great, I had a great time!' There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chancellor/it-s-very-rare-that-we-play-a-gig-and-we-all-come-off-and-say-that/) [Justin Chancellor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chancellor/) > [I could play a gig on the moon and not be nervous about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-combs/i-could-play-a-gig-on-the-moon-and-not-be-nervous-about-it/) [Luke Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-combs/) > [You can play a gig as a band and not know that they hated you; with standup, after every line, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-acaster/you-can-play-a-gig-as-a-band-and-not-know-that-they-hated-you-with/) [James Acaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-acaster/) > [Plato calls complacency the companion of loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/plato-calls-complacency-the-companion-of-loneliness/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [“To move forward, one need only take the first step,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-neill/to-move-forward-one-need-only-take-the-first-step/) [Chase Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-neill/) > [“It’s a fallacy that this generation does not know how to love as its predecessor did. Truth of the matter is, modern love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/it-s-a-fallacy-that-this-generation-does-not-know-how-to-love-as-its/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [We are the best the show, others weak hold. Just to get complacency / which does not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/we-are-the-best-the-show-others-weak-hold-just-to-get-complacency/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician's objective. Election and power are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/one-of-the-reasons-people-hate-politics-is-that-truth-is-rarely-a/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) > [Don't let your success of today lay you into complacency for tomorrow. For that is the worst form of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/don-t-let-your-success-of-today-lay-you-into-complacency-for-tomorrow/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Complacency delivered us into the hands of evil greedy men like Cheney.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rumzi/complacency-delivered-us-into-the-hands-of-evil-greedy-men-like-cheney/) [Sonia Rumzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rumzi/) ## More by Nigel Kennedy > [Yes, I mean like you know, having studied with Yehudi Menuhin that is like some direct route into Bach, because he was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/yes-i-mean-like-you-know-having-studied-with-yehudi-menuhin-that-is/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [The Four Seasons was making me popular in Britain, but EMI America had no interest in making that happen in the States, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/the-four-seasons-was-making-me-popular-in-britain-but-emi-america-had/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [Even if you're playing Brahms or a Beethoven concerto, you've got to have a different vantage point, slightly, each time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/even-if-you-re-playing-brahms-or-a-beethoven-concerto-you-ve-got-to/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [The Beatles are a classical group because they're classic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/the-beatles-are-a-classical-group-because-they-re-classic/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [You can't learn pathos or profundity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/you-can-t-learn-pathos-or-profundity/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [Menuhin was playing Bach on a fantastic spiritual level when he was a teenager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/menuhin-was-playing-bach-on-a-fantastic-spiritual-level-when-he-was-a/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [I've learnt new scales through playing different types of music, like Indian raga scales, gipsy scales and harmonically-based jazz scales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/i-ve-learnt-new-scales-through-playing-different-types-of-music-like/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [Why would you want to stand there waving a stick when you could be playing an instrument?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/why-would-you-want-to-stand-there-waving-a-stick-when-you-could-be/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [I think Bach is equally a romantic composer because he laid the seeds harmonically for people like Chopin and the great Romantics, Brahms, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/i-think-bach-is-equally-a-romantic-composer-because-he-laid-the-seeds/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [Bach was a top harmonist geezer, which is why the jazz cats love him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/bach-was-a-top-harmonist-geezer-which-is-why-the-jazz-cats-love-him/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [If you do the same thing every night, that's the death of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/if-you-do-the-same-thing-every-night-that-s-the-death-of-music/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [If you're not pushing your own technique to its own limits with the risk that it might just crumble at any moment, then you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/if-you-re-not-pushing-your-own-technique-to-its-own-limits-with-the/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [If you're playing within your capability, what's the point? If you're not pushing your own technique to its own limits with the risk that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/if-you-re-playing-within-your-capability-what-s-the-point-if-you-re/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [I'm always improving and I want to get better and never hit a plateau. I find it an amazing adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/i-m-always-improving-and-i-want-to-get-better-and-never-hit-a-plateau/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [Maybe it's egocentric or whatever, but when I'm playing Beethoven, Bach, Hendrix, or whoever it is, in the end, it just feels like my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/maybe-it-s-egocentric-or-whatever-but-when-i-m-playing-beethoven-bach/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) [Explore all 18 Nigel Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) ## More Complacency quotes > [“Complacency delivered us into the hands of evil greedy men like Cheney.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rumzi/complacency-delivered-us-into-the-hands-of-evil-greedy-men-like-cheney/) [Sonia Rumzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rumzi/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Don't let your success of today lay you into complacency for tomorrow. For that is the worst form of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/don-t-let-your-success-of-today-lay-you-into-complacency-for-tomorrow/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician's objective. Election and power are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/one-of-the-reasons-people-hate-politics-is-that-truth-is-rarely-a/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) > [We are the best the show, others weak hold. Just to get complacency / which does not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/we-are-the-best-the-show-others-weak-hold-just-to-get-complacency/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [“It’s a fallacy that this generation does not know how to love as its predecessor did. Truth of the matter is, modern love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/it-s-a-fallacy-that-this-generation-does-not-know-how-to-love-as-its/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [“To move forward, one need only take the first step,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-neill/to-move-forward-one-need-only-take-the-first-step/) [Chase Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-neill/) > [Plato calls complacency the companion of loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/plato-calls-complacency-the-companion-of-loneliness/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [“Half the ingratitude and complacency in the world down to how slowly and imperceptibly most good and bad things unfold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/half-the-ingratitude-and-complacency-in-the-world-down-to-how-slowly/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Don't let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth - don't let that get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/don-t-let-your-special-character-and-values-the-secret-that-you-know/) [Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/) > [In the mind engaged in struggling with hardship, one always finds something delightful. The sorrow of disappointment arises in the complacency of satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/in-the-mind-engaged-in-struggling-with-hardship-one-always-finds/) [Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/) > [Complacency is a creeping danger. Unless wisdom sets in, you will never come to your senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jey-lopez/complacency-is-a-creeping-danger-unless-wisdom-sets-in-you-will-never/) [Jey Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jey-lopez/) > [I have spoken about what we can do as citizens, what we can do as a responsive citizenry, and this is where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-have-spoken-about-what-we-can-do-as-citizens-what-we-can-do-as-a/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“Listen to Mr. Complacency long enough and he'll convince you that what you really, really need is a nap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-and-brett-harris/listen-to-mr-complacency-long-enough-and-he-ll-convince-you-that-what/) [Alex and Brett Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-and-brett-harris/) > [I always say, complacency is the kiss of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-redstone/i-always-say-complacency-is-the-kiss-of-death/) [Shari Redstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-redstone/) [Browse all 437 Complacency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complacency/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I hate complacency. 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