--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've had little success in intellectual…" description: "\"I've had little success in intellectual circles. I'm not talked about in the 'New York Review of Books,' and I was never part of the Stravinsky 'inner ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/samuel-barber-37758_circles_i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual_1974854.png" --- # I've had little success in intellectual circles. I'm not… ![“I've had little success in intellectual circles. I'm not talked about in the 'New York Review of Books,' and I was never part of the Stravinsky 'inner circle.'” quote by Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/samuel-barber-37758_circles_i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual_1974854.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/samuel-barber-37758_circles_i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual_1974854.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/samuel-barber-37758_circles_i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual_1974854.png) > “I've had little success in intellectual circles. I'm not talked about in the 'New York Review of Books,' and I was never part of the Stravinsky 'inner circle.'” [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling excluded from elite intellectual circles can highlight personal insecurities and the value of self‑validation **In simple terms:** Not recognized by elites Key Takeaway Seek personal fulfillment beyond external approval Themes art insecurity community validation Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - private performances - personal journals - collaborative projects Key Concepts Self‑esteem artistic identity social networks Questions to Reflect On - How do you define success without peer recognition? - What strategies help maintain confidence in niche fields? A Different Perspective External validation can still affect confidence ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [In universities and intellectual circles, academics can guarantee themselves popularity -- or, which is just as satisfying, unpopularity -- by being opinionated rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/in-universities-and-intellectual-circles-academics-can-guarantee/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [Pessimism is carefully cultivated in some intellectual circles, as if it were a precious plant that the human race could not afford to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-lynch/pessimism-is-carefully-cultivated-in-some-intellectual-circles-as-if/) [Arthur Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-lynch/) > [I've got a very wide taste in art. I like Russian icon painters. I like Salvador Dali. It's like music. Sometimes you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-webber/i-ve-got-a-very-wide-taste-in-art-i-like-russian-icon-painters-i-like/) [Peter Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-webber/) > [There is this tremendous amount of arrogance and hubris, where somebody can look at something for five minutes and dismiss it. Whether you talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/there-is-this-tremendous-amount-of-arrogance-and-hubris-where/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [“The racist regime thought classical music was for the white audience only. Stravinsky insisted on performing for the black audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bbc-african-journalist/the-racist-regime-thought-classical-music-was-for-the-white-audience/) BBC African journalist > [I'm not Stravinsky, I never will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/i-m-not-stravinsky-i-never-will-be/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [I had no idea Stravinsky disliked Debussy so much as this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-newman/i-had-no-idea-stravinsky-disliked-debussy-so-much-as-this/) [Ernest Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-newman/) > [Pulse as an active means of expression, Stravinsky and Beethoven are the two masters of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/pulse-as-an-active-means-of-expression-stravinsky-and-beethoven-are/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [The first music I was exposed to was Stravinsky and I loved it but I don't remember it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/the-first-music-i-was-exposed-to-was-stravinsky-and-i-loved-it-but-i/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [In two thousand years all our generals and politicians may be forgotten, but Einstein and Madame Curie and Bernard Shaw and Stravinsky will keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/in-two-thousand-years-all-our-generals-and-politicians-may-be/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“The man has accumulated a repertoire of facial tics and blinks that demand nothing less than a complete musical score by Stravinsky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-man-has-accumulated-a-repertoire-of-facial-tics-and-blinks-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The trombone and side-drums in the chamber music of Stravinsky will do well enough in a very smart house-party where all the conversation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-francis-tovey/the-trombone-and-side-drums-in-the-chamber-music-of-stravinsky-will/) Donald Francis Tovey > [Bernard Herrmann used to write all his scores by himself. So did Bach, Beethoven and Stravinsky. I dont understand why this happens in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ennio-morricone/bernard-herrmann-used-to-write-all-his-scores-by-himself-so-did-bach/) [Ennio Morricone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ennio-morricone/) > [New music? Hell, there's been no new music since Stravinsky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-ellington/new-music-hell-there-s-been-no-new-music-since-stravinsky/) [Duke Ellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-ellington/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) ## More by Samuel Barber > [I was supposed to be a doctor. I was supposed to go to Princeton. And everything I was supposed to do I didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-was-supposed-to-be-a-doctor-i-was-supposed-to-go-to-princeton-and/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [I was 7 years old when I began composing. I began composing, improvising at the piano, the usual story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-was-7-years-old-when-i-began-composing-i-began-composing/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [I can only say that I myself wrote always as I wished, without a tremendous desire to find the latest thing possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-can-only-say-that-i-myself-wrote-always-as-i-wished-without-a/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [I have always believed that I need a circumference of silence. As to what happens to when I composer, I really haven't the faintest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-have-always-believed-that-i-need-a-circumference-of-silence-as-to/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [I guess, for better or for worse, I am an American composer, and I've had a wonderful life being exactly that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-guess-for-better-or-for-worse-i-am-an-american-composer-and-i-ve/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [As for my own music, I've never written a book about it. I'm not pedagogical... When I write an abstract piano sonata or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/as-for-my-own-music-i-ve-never-written-a-book-about-it-i-m-not/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [I was meant to be a composer and will be I'm sure. Don't ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-was-meant-to-be-a-composer-and-will-be-i-m-sure-don-t-ask-me-to-try/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [I think that what's been holding composers back a great deal is that they feel they must have a new style every year. This,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-think-that-what-s-been-holding-composers-back-a-great-deal-is-that/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [He is a lyric poet . . . aloof from the swirling currents in which many of his colleagues are immersed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/he-is-a-lyric-poet-aloof-from-the-swirling-currents-in-which-many-of/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [There's no reason music should be difficult for an audience to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/there-s-no-reason-music-should-be-difficult-for-an-audience-to/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) > [How awful that the artist has become nothing but the after-dinner mint of society,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/how-awful-that-the-artist-has-become-nothing-but-the-after-dinner/) [Samuel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) [Explore all 12 Samuel Barber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/) ## More Circles quotes > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [Maybe this is a way of gaslighting myself, but I think of it this way: In certain circles, my grandpa was considered to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/maybe-this-is-a-way-of-gaslighting-myself-but-i-think-of-it-this-way/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [All my life's a circle; But I can't tell you why; Season's spinning round again; The years keep rollin' by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/all-my-life-s-a-circle-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-season-s-spinning/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [There's when a phrase circles in my head in a number of ways for any number of days, weeks, or months, and then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/there-s-when-a-phrase-circles-in-my-head-in-a-number-of-ways-for-any/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [I have no name for what circles so perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-have-no-name-for-what-circles-so-perfectly/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Tell them you came, and saw, and looked into my eyes and saw the shadow of the guard receding. Thoughts in time and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/tell-them-you-came-and-saw-and-looked-into-my-eyes-and-saw-the-shadow/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) [Browse all 1,860 Circles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've had little success in intellectual circles. I'm not talked about in the 'New York Review of Books,' and I was never part of the Stravinsky 'inner circle.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Barber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual-circles-i-m-not-talked-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual-circles-i-m-not-talked-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/samuel-barber-37758_circles_i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual_1974854.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/samuel-barber-37758_circles_i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual_1974854.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/samuel-barber-37758_circles_i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual_1974854.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've had little success in intellectual circles. I'm not talked about in the 'New York Review of Books,' and…” — Samuel Barber", "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": "Samuel Barber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've had little success in intellectual...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual-circles-i-m-not-talked-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barber/i-ve-had-little-success-in-intellectual-circles-i-m-not-talked-about/#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 } } ] } ```