---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I actually started playing in little…"
description: "\"I actually started playing in little cafes around New York, and I have a lot of good friends of mine who are musicians who are struggling in New York.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/oscar-isaac-4432_actually_i-actually-started-playing-in-little-caf_1195648.jpg"
---

#  I actually started playing in little cafes around New…

![“I actually started playing in little cafes around New York, and I have a lot of good friends of mine who are musicians who are struggling in New York.” quote by Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/oscar-isaac-4432_actually_i-actually-started-playing-in-little-caf_1195648.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/oscar-isaac-4432_actually_i-actually-started-playing-in-little-caf_1195648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/oscar-isaac-4432_actually_i-actually-started-playing-in-little-caf_1195648.jpg)

> “I actually started playing in little cafes around New York, and I have a lot of good friends of mine who are musicians who are struggling in New York.”

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

## About This Quote

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

He began performing in small New York cafés, forming friendships with fellow struggling musicians.

**In simple terms:** Started in small venues, made musician friends.

Key Takeaway

Seek local, to grow network.

Themes

music community struggle friendship

Mood

hopeful reflective

Type

inspirational observational

When to use this quote

- starting gigs
- building friendships
- supporting peers

Key Concepts

networking collaboration resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can local venues foster artistic growth?
- What challenges do emerging musicians face?

A Different Perspective

Limited to New York scene; may not translate elsewhere.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Good friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-friend/) [Good friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-friends/) [Musicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musicians/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/)

## Related quotes

> [A lot of my friends are struggling musicians. Being a struggling actor, it's just frustrating because you're not allowed to do what you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-gershon/a-lot-of-my-friends-are-struggling-musicians-being-a-struggling-actor/)

[Gina Gershon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-gershon/)

> [I saw so many amazing musicians struggling to build something good. They would play and play... and play some more, but it seemed like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-madden/i-saw-so-many-amazing-musicians-struggling-to-build-something-good/)

[Dave Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-madden/)

> [I do the work with friends who are musicians as well. I'm working on a piece of music and I have an idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-van-dyk/i-do-the-work-with-friends-who-are-musicians-as-well-i-m-working-on-a/)

[Paul van Dyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-van-dyk/)

> [I organise jam sessions every month. We have an open session, so everyone knows about it, and we can get as many as 30…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/i-organise-jam-sessions-every-month-we-have-an-open-session-so/)

[Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/)

> [I've got lots of friends who are musicians, so if they ask me to do things, I'll go and do it for a laugh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/i-ve-got-lots-of-friends-who-are-musicians-so-if-they-ask-me-to-do/)

[Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/)

> [I'm just lucky to have the type of friends and musicians and people dedicated to my music that I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-m-just-lucky-to-have-the-type-of-friends-and-musicians-and-people/)

[Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/)

> [Who needs friends when you have musicians who'll never know you exist...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-needs-friends-when-you-have-musicians-who-ll-never-know-you-exist/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I got to New York City when I was 18, I started playing in clubs in Brooklyn - I have good friends and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/when-i-got-to-new-york-city-when-i-was-18-i-started-playing-in-clubs/)

[Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/)

> [I started playing guitar at, like, 12 or 13 and just rock bands mostly. I had a punk rock band and hard core bands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-started-playing-guitar-at-like-12-or-13-and-just-rock-bands-mostly/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [I started playing football young, and my career was on the pitch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/i-started-playing-football-young-and-my-career-was-on-the-pitch/)

[Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/)

> [I started off playing the clarinet, after I was inspired by listening to my dad's Benny Goodman records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-lee/i-started-off-playing-the-clarinet-after-i-was-inspired-by-listening/)

[Alvin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-lee/)

> [I started off playing sports when I was five years old. I played three or four sports all throughout the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-started-off-playing-sports-when-i-was-five-years-old-i-played-three/)

[Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/)

> [I started playing pro in Argentina. Then I went to second division in Italy. Then after a lot of work, I made it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-ginobili/i-started-playing-pro-in-argentina-then-i-went-to-second-division-in/)

[Manu Ginobili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-ginobili/)

> [Since I started playing, really, since I was like three. I imagined myself famous but the vision was blurry, I guess. What you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-angelo/since-i-started-playing-really-since-i-was-like-three-i-imagined/)

[D'Angelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-angelo/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

## More by Oscar Isaac

> [I would always find a way to blow the deal and I'm not sure why. I think there was part of me that wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-would-always-find-a-way-to-blow-the-deal-and-i-m-not-sure-why-i/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [I'm really sick of anthems. Every song has to be a very big singalong thing - it feels very Eighties. There are a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-m-really-sick-of-anthems-every-song-has-to-be-a-very-big-singalong/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [It's nice to create a character, not just within two scenes, but within the journey of a whole movie. It's fun to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/it-s-nice-to-create-a-character-not-just-within-two-scenes-but-within/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [I think for some reason we're conditioned in movies that the protagonist must be heroic or redeemable in some way, whereas in theater, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-think-for-some-reason-we-re-conditioned-in-movies-that-the/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [The idea of not getting a gun is not because I'm afraid of guns, it's not because I think guns are wrong, it's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/the-idea-of-not-getting-a-gun-is-not-because-i-m-afraid-of-guns-it-s/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [That first play I did in New York, Rogelio Martinez's 'When It's Cocktail Time in Cuba,' I played a young Fidel Castro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/that-first-play-i-did-in-new-york-rogelio-martinez-s-when-it-s/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [People resent movies that try to tell them exactly what to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/people-resent-movies-that-try-to-tell-them-exactly-what-to-feel/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [Humans are mutants, everything's a mutant - things that evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/humans-are-mutants-everything-s-a-mutant-things-that-evolve/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [I get attached to things: I wear the same jeans for a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-get-attached-to-things-i-wear-the-same-jeans-for-a-year/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [You can't try to be authentic. You either are or you aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/you-can-t-try-to-be-authentic-you-either-are-or-you-aren-t/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [There's nothing scarier than unlimited choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/there-s-nothing-scarier-than-unlimited-choices/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [Jessica Lange was my biggest crush when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/jessica-lange-was-my-biggest-crush-when-i-was-a-kid/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [The hardest things to do in any art is to risk failure and put yourself out on the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/the-hardest-things-to-do-in-any-art-is-to-risk-failure-and-put/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [I've never been much of a guitarist. I mean, I've played forever, but I was always more of a rhythm kind of guy. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-ve-never-been-much-of-a-guitarist-i-mean-i-ve-played-forever-but-i/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [Talent is very hot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/talent-is-very-hot/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

[Explore all 111 Oscar Isaac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

## More Actually quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/)

[Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/)

> [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/)

[David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/)

> [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/)

[Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/)

> [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/)

[L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/)

> [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/)

[Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/)

> [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/)

[Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/)

> [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/)

[Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/)

> [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/)

[Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/)

> [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/)

[Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/)

> [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/)

[Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/)

> [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/)

[Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/)

> ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/)

[Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/)

Browse all 4,248 Actually quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I actually started playing in little cafes around New York, and I have a lot of good friends of mine who are musicians who are struggling in New York.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Oscar Isaac"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-actually-started-playing-in-little-cafes-around-new-york-and-i-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actually"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-actually-started-playing-in-little-cafes-around-new-york-and-i-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/oscar-isaac-4432_actually_i-actually-started-playing-in-little-caf_1195648.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/oscar-isaac-4432_actually_i-actually-started-playing-in-little-caf_1195648.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/oscar-isaac-4432_actually_i-actually-started-playing-in-little-caf_1195648.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I actually started playing in little cafes around New York, and I have a lot of good friends of mine who are…” — Oscar Isaac",
                "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": "Oscar Isaac",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I actually started playing in little...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-actually-started-playing-in-little-cafes-around-new-york-and-i-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-actually-started-playing-in-little-cafes-around-new-york-and-i-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
