---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed…"
description: "\"I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed I would get revenge on the world by becoming a famous cartoonist.\" — Robert Crumb"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/robert-crumb-10597_becoming_i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowe_1041688.jpg"
---

#  I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed I would get…

![“I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed I would get revenge on the world by becoming a famous cartoonist.” quote by Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/robert-crumb-10597_becoming_i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowe_1041688.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/robert-crumb-10597_becoming_i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowe_1041688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/robert-crumb-10597_becoming_i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowe_1041688.jpg)

> “I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed I would get revenge on the world by becoming a famous cartoonist.”

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

## About This Quote

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

Feeling extreme isolation can fuel a desire to prove oneself through creative rebellion against society.

**In simple terms:** Isolation can drive a quest for fame as revenge.

Key Takeaway

Channel loneliness into purposeful art.

Themes

isolation revenge creativity fame rebellion

Mood

determined defiant reflective

Type

inspirational personal growth

When to use this quote

- art school
- comic publishing
- personal branding
- public speaking

Key Concepts

psychology self‑expression identity social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you transform pain into constructive ambition?
- What values will guide your fame?

A Different Perspective

Revenge motives may alienate allies and obscure authentic purpose.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I knew Kouske was trouble, right from the very start. But know he's vowed revenge on me and broken my friend's heart. Why can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/body/i-knew-kouske-was-trouble-right-from-the-very-start-but-know-he-s/)

[BODY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/body/)

> [I remember how, in college, I got that part-time job as a circus clown, and how the children would laugh and laugh at me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-remember-how-in-college-i-got-that-part-time-job-as-a-circus-clown/)

[Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/)

> [“Her bladder felt painfully, solidly full, as though it would burst and release not urine but the garbled prayers she was muttering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/her-bladder-felt-painfully-solidly-full-as-though-it-would-burst-and/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [“Servitude had become a habit and posture of her body, in a way that felt painfully familiar:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-alvar/servitude-had-become-a-habit-and-posture-of-her-body-in-a-way-that/)

[Mia Alvar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-alvar/)

> [THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/the-thousand-injuries-of-fortunato-i-had-borne-as-i-best-could-but/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“he sometimes felt himself to be a painfully prosaic person, but by the same token he knew he was incurably sane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/he-sometimes-felt-himself-to-be-a-painfully-prosaic-person-but-by-the/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [In many ways, my entire graphic novel career was a long diversion. Originally, all I wanted to do was to be an underground cartoonist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/in-many-ways-my-entire-graphic-novel-career-was-a-long-diversion/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [I never saw myself so much as an actor. I wanted to be a cartoonist like Charles M. Schulz and create my own world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hamill/i-never-saw-myself-so-much-as-an-actor-i-wanted-to-be-a-cartoonist/)

[Mark Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hamill/)

> [As a kid, I knew I wanted to be either a cartoonist or an astronaut. The latter was never much of a possibility, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/as-a-kid-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-either-a-cartoonist-or-an-astronaut/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [Perspective was always important. There are some cartoonists who can stand at the foot of a building looking straight up and they'll capture it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-larson/perspective-was-always-important-there-are-some-cartoonists-who-can/)

[Gary Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-larson/)

> [I'm just a little old cartoonist, tryin' to make a buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lantz/i-m-just-a-little-old-cartoonist-tryin-to-make-a-buck/)

Walter Lantz

> [Sweetheart, I'm the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world, and that's all I'm going to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-bakshi/sweetheart-i-m-the-biggest-ripped-off-cartoonist-in-the-history-of/)

[Ralph Bakshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-bakshi/)

> [In my journey as a cartoonist, I seem to have accidentally stumbled into all sorts of traps, damnations and blacklists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-my-journey-as-a-cartoonist-i-seem-to-have-accidentally-stumbled/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/)

[Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/)

## More by Robert Crumb

> [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I draw the line at some things. Some things I won't do for any amount of money. Like for instance, there's a couple of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-draw-the-line-at-some-things-some-things-i-won-t-do-for-any-amount/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I do covers for CDs and LPs of music that I like, reissues of old-time music, and then I'm inspired to make some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-do-covers-for-cds-and-lps-of-music-that-i-like-reissues-of-old-time/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I use the old Strathmore vellum surface paper, which is the best paper you can get in the Western world for ink line drawing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-use-the-old-strathmore-vellum-surface-paper-which-is-the-best-paper/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [Oh, yes. I knew I was weird by the time I was four. I knew I wasn't like other boys. I knew I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/oh-yes-i-knew-i-was-weird-by-the-time-i-was-four-i-knew-i-wasn-t-like/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [In my midteens I went through a brief stage of religious fanaticism, but it was very much about just saying prayers and stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/in-my-midteens-i-went-through-a-brief-stage-of-religious-fanaticism/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [Most of my adult life I had this towering contempt for America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/most-of-my-adult-life-i-had-this-towering-contempt-for-america/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I still can't spend a lot of money on records at collector prices. There's something in me that just won't allow me to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-still-can-t-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-records-at-collector-prices/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I'm just a negative person, a deeply negative person. I see the worst aspects of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-m-just-a-negative-person-a-deeply-negative-person-i-see-the-worst/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I use photos a lot for drawing people and personalities, but they're almost never photos that I've taken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-use-photos-a-lot-for-drawing-people-and-personalities-but-they-re/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [You don’t have journalists over there anymore, what they have is public relations people. That’s what they have over in America now. Two-hundred and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/you-don-t-have-journalists-over-there-anymore-what-they-have-is/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [If you're trying to work the art game, if you're like Andy Warhol or something, then you're in with cake-eaters of society. You want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/if-you-re-trying-to-work-the-art-game-if-you-re-like-andy-warhol-or/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [They were just snapshots, nothing special, nothing particularly artistic. They were used for utility purposes. (On photographs of mundane streetscapes he had Stanley Something-or-other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/they-were-just-snapshots-nothing-special-nothing-particularly/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I always had a sketchbook with me when I was young. I was hiding behind it, basically, hiding behind drawing because I couldn't cope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-always-had-a-sketchbook-with-me-when-i-was-young-i-was-hiding/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

> [I couldn't find any good pictures in magazines of ordinary modern street corners in America, so I persuaded this guy I knew in Sacramento…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-couldn-t-find-any-good-pictures-in-magazines-of-ordinary-modern/)

[Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

[Explore all 64 Robert Crumb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/)

## More Becoming quotes

> [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

> [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/)

[Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/)

> [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/)

[Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/)

[Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/)

> [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/)

[John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/)

> [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/)

Christopher Wood

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed I would get revenge on the world by becoming a famous cartoonist.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Crumb"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowed-i-would-get-revenge-on-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Becoming"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowed-i-would-get-revenge-on-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/robert-crumb-10597_becoming_i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowe_1041688.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/robert-crumb-10597_becoming_i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowe_1041688.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/robert-crumb-10597_becoming_i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowe_1041688.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed I would get revenge on the world by becoming a famous cartoonist.” — Robert Crumb",
                "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": "Robert Crumb",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I felt so painfully isolated that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowed-i-would-get-revenge-on-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-felt-so-painfully-isolated-that-i-vowed-i-would-get-revenge-on-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
