--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am regarded as a usurper, as an…" description: "\"I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante, because I do technically come from the wrong side of the tracks in musical terms.\" — Rufus W..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/rufus-wainwright-2260_imposter_i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposte_3173809.png" --- # I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante… ![“I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante, because I do technically come from the wrong side of the tracks in musical terms.” quote by Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/rufus-wainwright-2260_imposter_i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposte_3173809.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/rufus-wainwright-2260_imposter_i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposte_3173809.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/rufus-wainwright-2260_imposter_i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposte_3173809.png) > “I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante, because I do technically come from the wrong side of the tracks in musical terms.” [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He feels judged for not fitting the traditional musical background, seen as an outsider. **In simple terms:** Judged for unconventional background. Key Takeaway Embrace your unique path. Themes identity music perception Mood defiant reflective Type personal artistic When to use this quote - career launch - artistic collaboration - public speaking - self‑promotion Key Concepts authenticity cultural bias Questions to Reflect On - How does background shape artistic credibility? - Can you redefine “right side of the tracks”? A Different Perspective Not all audiences value originality over pedigree. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imposter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imposter/) [Imposter Dilettante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imposter-dilettante-5787983/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical/) [Regarded Usurper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regarded-usurper-5787985/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/track/) [Usurper Imposter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usurper-imposter-5787984/) [Usurpers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usurpers/) [Wrong Tracks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-tracks-1616822/) ## Related quotes > [I fell for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-fell-for-a-boy-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Trains are all the ways you miss each other-wrong train, wrong tracks, wrong time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisy-whitney/trains-are-all-the-ways-you-miss-each-other-wrong-train-wrong-tracks/) [Daisy Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisy-whitney/) > [“She was from the wrong side of the tracks no matter how you gerrymandered the town.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lileks/she-was-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks-no-matter-how-you/) [James Lileks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lileks/) > [I was living on the wrong side of the tracks in Evanston, Illinois, in a home for boys. We had these Jackson 5 records.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-was-living-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks-in-evanston-illinois-in/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [The wrong side of the tracks is livelier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-loos/the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks-is-livelier/) [Anita Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-loos/) > [We were kinda rebels. From the wrong side of the tracks. Down where we were raised, it was a tough town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-were-kinda-rebels-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks-down-where-we/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising the sovereignty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-monroe/it-is-only-when-the-people-become-ignorant-and-corrupt-when-they/) [James Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-monroe/) > [My plea is for banishing the English language as a cultural usurper, as we successfully banished the political rule of the English usurper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-plea-is-for-banishing-the-english-language-as-a-cultural-usurper/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [But the wise know that foolish legislation is a rope of sand, which perishes in the twisting; that the State must follow, and notlead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/but-the-wise-know-that-foolish-legislation-is-a-rope-of-sand-which/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [One cannot reign innocently: the insanity of doing so is evident. Every king is a rebel and a usurper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-antoine-de-saint-just/one-cannot-reign-innocently-the-insanity-of-doing-so-is-evident-every/) [Louis Antoine de Saint-Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-antoine-de-saint-just/) > [Usurpers always bring about or select troublous times to get passed, under cover of the public terror, destructive laws, which the people would never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/usurpers-always-bring-about-or-select-troublous-times-to-get-passed/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [If advertising has invaded the judgment of children, it has also forced its way into the family, an insolent usurper of parental function, degrading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-henry/if-advertising-has-invaded-the-judgment-of-children-it-has-also/) [Jules Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-henry/) > [Liberty's in every blow! Let us do or die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/liberty-s-in-every-blow-let-us-do-or-die/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Lost rights are never regained by appeals to the conscience of the usurpers, but by relentless struggle…goa ts are used for sacrificial offerings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/lost-rights-are-never-regained-by-appeals-to-the-conscience-of-the/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [We must frankly confess, then, using our empirical common sense and ordinary practical prejudices, that in the world that actually is, the virtues of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-must-frankly-confess-then-using-our-empirical-common-sense-and/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More by Rufus Wainwright > [I have an ounce of Lady Gaga's full-bodied ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-have-an-ounce-of-lady-gaga-s-full-bodied-ambition/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I definitely consider 'Poses' - the whole album in fact - to be kind of a miracle. Like the last breath of that moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-definitely-consider-poses-the-whole-album-in-fact-to-be-kind-of-a/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [You know the question: 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall?' Answer: 'Practise?' Well, in my case, I got there by not practising. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/you-know-the-question-how-do-you-get-to-carnegie-hall-answer-practise/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I've had my ups and downs, and I definitely have a sense - in America, especially - that once you've made your mark and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-ve-had-my-ups-and-downs-and-i-definitely-have-a-sense-in-america/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I'll always be a boulevardier. I have an extreme reverence and romantic longing for all that is decrepit and fatalistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-ll-always-be-a-boulevardier-i-have-an-extreme-reverence-and/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I'm very blessed, mainly because even though my family is mostly in show business, it's really centered around music. My parents were very successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-m-very-blessed-mainly-because-even-though-my-family-is-mostly-in/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [Growing up, for years and years I had no idea what the plots of operas were, and that's part of what fascinated me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/growing-up-for-years-and-years-i-had-no-idea-what-the-plots-of-operas/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [Once illness strikes, you realize there's not a lot of time for you to do what you really need to do. And there's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/once-illness-strikes-you-realize-there-s-not-a-lot-of-time-for-you-to/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I basically have needed to go to the piano and give voice periodically to, you know - I'm always afraid to describe it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-basically-have-needed-to-go-to-the-piano-and-give-voice/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [And you will believe in love And all that it's supposed to be But just until the fish start to smell And you're struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/and-you-will-believe-in-love-and-all-that-it-s-supposed-to-be-but/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [It's about how whenever I fall in love, I have these expectations of the experience being a perfect dream, which, of course, ruins it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/it-s-about-how-whenever-i-fall-in-love-i-have-these-expectations-of/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [Crazy as it sounds, I'm a believer in destiny and serendipity, and I have had cosmic experiences all my life. Something told me I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/crazy-as-it-sounds-i-m-a-believer-in-destiny-and-serendipity-and-i/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I think everybody identified at a pretty young age that I was fairly entranced with myself. And that I had to be tempered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-think-everybody-identified-at-a-pretty-young-age-that-i-was-fairly/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [The song is about knowing the end result of every situation you're in, and being able to play it out in your mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/the-song-is-about-knowing-the-end-result-of-every-situation-you-re-in/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I like to make the mundane fabulous whenever I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-like-to-make-the-mundane-fabulous-whenever-i-can/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) [Explore all 176 Rufus Wainwright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) ## More Imposter quotes > [There are lots of imposters in this earth, and to very first there always comes a second, to every reality there always come a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tosh/there-are-lots-of-imposters-in-this-earth-and-to-very-first-there/) [Peter Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tosh/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Who are the slumlords in the Black community? The so-called Jews. … Who is it sucking our blood in the Black community? A white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/who-are-the-slumlords-in-the-black-community-the-so-called-jews-who/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been "had for a sucker" by any number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/it-will-not-bother-me-in-the-hour-of-death-to-reflect-that-i-have/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [He's just cool and he likes my style. That ain't a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/he-s-just-cool-and-he-likes-my-style-that-ain-t-a-crime/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [God really doesnt reside in any temple, he is just an imposter who stays outside it for sometime and meanwhile we fail to recognise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/god-really-doesnt-reside-in-any-temple-he-is-just-an-imposter-who/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I've always viewed my career with some suspicion, like I don't want to count on it to be the only thing I do. Partly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-k-samson/i-ve-always-viewed-my-career-with-some-suspicion-like-i-don-t-want-to/) [John K. Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-k-samson/) > [I feel a bit of an imposter talking about the science. I'm not a scientist, you may be aware. I read English Literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-delingpole/i-feel-a-bit-of-an-imposter-talking-about-the-science-i-m-not-a/) [James Delingpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-delingpole/) > [All I've really been working on since I was a kid is music, but sometimes I feel like I'm an imposter or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-spielberg/all-i-ve-really-been-working-on-since-i-was-a-kid-is-music-but/) [Sasha Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-spielberg/) > [Keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/keep-your-head-when-all-about-you-are-losing-theirs-and-blaming-it-on/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“Like cubic zirconia, I only look real. I'm an imposter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/like-cubic-zirconia-i-only-look-real-i-m-an-imposter/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Sooner mayest thou trust thy pocket to a pickpocket than give loyal friendship to the man who boasts of eyes to the heart never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/sooner-mayest-thou-trust-thy-pocket-to-a-pickpocket-than-give-loyal/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [If we could believe that Jesus...countenanced the follies, falsehoods and charlatanisms which his biographers father on him, ...the conclusion would be irresistible...that he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-we-could-believe-that-jesus-countenanced-the-follies-falsehoods/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“... I succeeded at math, at least by the usual evaluation criteria: grades. Yet while I might have earned top marks in geometry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-ouellette/i-succeeded-at-math-at-least-by-the-usual-evaluation-criteria-grades/) [Jennifer Ouellette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-ouellette/) > [If you always feel like an imposter, you work harder, and that makes you better at your job. You've got to keep a level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edie-campbell/if-you-always-feel-like-an-imposter-you-work-harder-and-that-makes/) [Edie Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edie-campbell/) [Browse all 81 Imposter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imposter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante, because I do technically come from the wrong side of the tracks in musical terms.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rufus Wainwright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposter-and-dilettante-because-i-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Imposter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposter-and-dilettante-because-i-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/rufus-wainwright-2260_imposter_i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposte_3173809.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/rufus-wainwright-2260_imposter_i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposte_3173809.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/rufus-wainwright-2260_imposter_i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposte_3173809.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante, because I do technically come from the wrong side…” — Rufus Wainwright", "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": "Rufus Wainwright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am regarded as a usurper,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposter-and-dilettante-because-i-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-am-regarded-as-a-usurper-as-an-imposter-and-dilettante-because-i-do/#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 } } ] } ```