---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I actually had another motivation for…"
description: "\"I actually had another motivation for letting Steven [Sebring] film us. After I'd been out of the public eye for 16 years, lost my friends and lost my ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/patti-smith-394_cinema_i-actually-had-another-motivation-for-le_892365.jpg"
---

#  I actually had another motivation for letting Steven…

![“I actually had another motivation for letting Steven &#91;Sebring&#93; film us. After I'd been out of the public eye for 16 years, lost my friends and lost my husband, some of my confidence had been undermined. Steven made the process of filming fun; I could pretend that we were in something like Don't…” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/patti-smith-394_cinema_i-actually-had-another-motivation-for-le_892365.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/patti-smith-394_cinema_i-actually-had-another-motivation-for-le_892365.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/patti-smith-394_cinema_i-actually-had-another-motivation-for-le_892365.jpg)

> “I actually had another motivation for letting Steven \[Sebring\] film us. After I'd been out of the public eye for 16 years, lost my friends and lost my husband, some of my confidence had been undermined. Steven made the process of filming fun; I could pretend that we were in something like Don't Look Back.”

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

## About This Quote

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

Returning to public life after loss, creative collaboration restored confidence and made the process enjoyable.

**In simple terms:** Collaboration rebuilds confidence.

Key Takeaway

Seek supportive creative partners.

Themes

recovery creativity confidence

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

memoir inspirational

When to use this quote

- film projects
- music performances
- writing workshops
- support groups

Key Concepts

artistic collaboration personal healing public re‑entry

Questions to Reflect On

- How does shared art aid healing?
- What risks accompany public exposure?

A Different Perspective

Success may depend on the right collaborator and timing.

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[Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Public eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-eye/)

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> [Whatever is done without ostentation, and without the people being witnesses of it, is, in my opinion, most praiseworthy: not that the public eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/whatever-is-done-without-ostentation-and-without-the-people-being/)

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> [For me, it was never a question of whether or not I was transgender. It was a question of what I'd be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-bono/for-me-it-was-never-a-question-of-whether-or-not-i-was-transgender-it/)

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> [I don't care about being in the public eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/i-don-t-care-about-being-in-the-public-eye/)

[Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/)

> [Even though I was away from the public eye, I was in the public memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanushree-dutta/even-though-i-was-away-from-the-public-eye-i-was-in-the-public-memory/)

[Tanushree Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanushree-dutta/)

> [I've been in the public eye for about 15 or 16 years and I'm very aware that fame is not a given. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-beckham/i-ve-been-in-the-public-eye-for-about-15-or-16-years-and-i-m-very/)

[Victoria Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-beckham/)

> [As an actor, you have total rights to privacy and mystery, whatever your sexuality, whatever you do. I don't see why that has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/as-an-actor-you-have-total-rights-to-privacy-and-mystery-whatever/)

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> [I don't mind being in the public eye as long as I am doing something substantial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momina-mustehsan/i-don-t-mind-being-in-the-public-eye-as-long-as-i-am-doing-something/)

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> [There is all the difference in the world between the criminal's avoiding the public eye and the civil disobedience's taking the law into his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-the-criminal-s/)

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[Amy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jackson/)

> [As a new mother, you're so vulnerable and make mistakes all the time. I guess there's more pressure when you're in the public eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-marais/as-a-new-mother-you-re-so-vulnerable-and-make-mistakes-all-the-time-i/)

[Jessica Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-marais/)

## More by Patti Smith

> [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/)

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> [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/)

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> [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/)

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> [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/)

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[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

[Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

## More Cinema quotes

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> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

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> [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/)

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