--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think it's so unfair when people think…" description: "\"Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a \"real artist\" unless you're getting paid for it…I personally know so many poets that work a 9 ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/sarah-kay-3508_art_think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-t_341510.jpg" --- # Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a… ![“Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a "real artist" unless you're getting paid for it…I personally know so many poets that work a 9 to 5 in a cubicle and come home and write poetry. Their poetry is just as powerful and moving as anything that I've ever written, if not more.” quote by Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/sarah-kay-3508_art_think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-t_341510.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/sarah-kay-3508_art_think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-t_341510.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/sarah-kay-3508_art_think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-t_341510.jpg) > “Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a "real artist" unless you're getting paid for it…I personally know so many poets that work a 9 to 5 in a cubicle and come home and write poetry. Their poetry is just as powerful and moving as anything that I've ever written, if not more.” [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artistic value is independent of monetary reward; passion and authenticity define true artistry. **In simple terms:** Art isn’t defined by pay. Key Takeaway Value art for its impact, not its price. Themes art authenticity economics creativity poetry valuation Mood inspirational critical empathetic Type social commentary personal belief When to use this quote - poetry - public speaking - media interviews Key Concepts intrinsic motivation cultural value economic bias creative expression Questions to Reflect On - What defines a “real artist” for you? - How does pay affect creative freedom? A Different Perspective Monetary focus can overlook genuine talent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Coming home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) [Cubicles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cubicles/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Know Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-poets-1035738/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [Poets Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets-work-2098838/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-artist/) [Real artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-artists/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Unfair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfair/) [Write Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-poetry/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [There’s no “correct path” to becoming a real artist. You might think you’ll gain legitimacy by going to university, getting published, getting signed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/there-s-no-correct-path-to-becoming-a-real-artist-you-might-think-you/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [This longing for knowledge makes the real artist brave. He never adheres to the first image that appears to him, because he knows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chekhov/this-longing-for-knowledge-makes-the-real-artist-brave-he-never/) [Michael Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chekhov/) > [The artist is a strange being. I think it's safe to say that a real artist is conscious of having a personal singularity that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/the-artist-is-a-strange-being-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-a-real/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [The real artist is striving to depict his subject's character and to stress the caricature, but at least it is art which is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dobell/the-real-artist-is-striving-to-depict-his-subject-s-character-and-to/) [William Dobell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dobell/) > [The real artist while he paints does not think of the sale, only of the need to make a beautiful living thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/the-real-artist-while-he-paints-does-not-think-of-the-sale-only-of/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [He who is discouraged after a failure is not a real artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-rodin/he-who-is-discouraged-after-a-failure-is-not-a-real-artist/) [Auguste Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-rodin/) > [The real artist's work is a surprise to himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-real-artist-s-work-is-a-surprise-to-himself/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [A real artist is the one who has learned to recognize and to render... the 'radiance' of all things as an epiphany or showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/a-real-artist-is-the-one-who-has-learned-to-recognize-and-to-render/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The real artist has no pride. Unfortunately he sees that his art has no limits. He feels obscurely how far he is from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/the-real-artist-has-no-pride-unfortunately-he-sees-that-his-art-has/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [The real artist, who knew what he was imitating, would be interested in realities and not in imitations; and would desire to leave as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-real-artist-who-knew-what-he-was-imitating-would-be-interested-in/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [While I don't satisfy my curiosity about the way I work, I'm terribly curious about the way other poets work. But I would think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/while-i-don-t-satisfy-my-curiosity-about-the-way-i-work-i-m-terribly/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [“Poetry is a poets work in clandestine chemistry and there is no ethic other than poethics!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dona-mayoora/poetry-is-a-poets-work-in-clandestine-chemistry-and-there-is-no-ethic/) [Dona Mayoora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dona-mayoora/) > [I think poets should work in the non-literary, non-academic world, get to know more than a workshop or a university.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-think-poets-should-work-in-the-non-literary-non-academic-world-get/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Scientists should think like poets and work like accountants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson-2/scientists-should-think-like-poets-and-work-like-accountants/) [E.O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson-2/) > [I don't know if younger poets read a lot of, you know, the poets - the established poets. There was a lot of pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adamson/i-don-t-know-if-younger-poets-read-a-lot-of-you-know-the-poets-the/) [Robert Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adamson/) ## More by Sarah Kay > [It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/it-s-not-just-the-adage-write-what-you-know-it-s-about-gathering-up/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Thinking about writing as an act of celebration is sometimes a helpful framework for me. It allows me to prioritize what I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/thinking-about-writing-as-an-act-of-celebration-is-sometimes-a/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [I don't think it's about art being a career but it's about making sure that if art is something that you love, something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-don-t-think-it-s-about-art-being-a-career-but-it-s-about-making/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [I use poetry to help me work through what I don’t understand, but I show up to each new poem with a backpack full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-use-poetry-to-help-me-work-through-what-i-don-t-understand-but-i/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“Once, she fell off of a ladder when I was three. She says all she was worried about was my face as I watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/once-she-fell-off-of-a-ladder-when-i-was-three-she-says-all-she-was/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“I love you as much as the ocean kisses the shore no matter how many times it is sent away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-love-you-as-much-as-the-ocean-kisses-the-shore-no-matter-how-many/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [I write poetry to figure things out. It's what I use as a navigating tool in my life, so when there's something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-write-poetry-to-figure-things-out-it-s-what-i-use-as-a-navigating/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Not all poetry wants to be storytelling. And not all storytelling wants to be poetry. But great storytellers and great poets share something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/not-all-poetry-wants-to-be-storytelling-and-not-all-storytelling/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Poetry makes people nervous. Especially in schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/poetry-makes-people-nervous-especially-in-schools/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [There are parts of me I only recognize from photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/there-are-parts-of-me-i-only-recognize-from-photographs/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“What is it about immortality? With the right sword and shield, we think we can fend off anger, fear, and hatred. If our legs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/what-is-it-about-immortality-with-the-right-sword-and-shield-we-think/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“And the spaces that he never saw: the ones my parents had labeled private parts when I was still small enough to fit all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/and-the-spaces-that-he-never-saw-the-ones-my-parents-had-labeled/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“There is a girl who still writes you; she doesn’t know how not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/there-is-a-girl-who-still-writes-you-she-doesn-t-know-how-not-to/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [My first spoken word poem, packed with all the wisdom of a 14-year-old, was about the injustice of being seen as unfeminine. The poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/my-first-spoken-word-poem-packed-with-all-the-wisdom-of-a-14-year-old/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“If you grow up the type of woman men want to hold, You can let them hold you. All day they practice keeping their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/if-you-grow-up-the-type-of-woman-men-want-to-hold-you-can-let-them/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) [Explore all 129 Sarah Kay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a \"real artist\" unless you're getting paid for it…I personally know so many poets that work a 9 to 5 in a cubicle and come home and write poetry. Their poetry is just as powerful and moving as anything that I've ever written, if not more.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Kay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-that-you-re-not-a-real-artist/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-that-you-re-not-a-real-artist/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/sarah-kay-3508_art_think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-t_341510.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/sarah-kay-3508_art_think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-t_341510.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/sarah-kay-3508_art_think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-t_341510.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a \"real artist\" unless you're getting paid for it…I…” — Sarah Kay", "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": "Sarah Kay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Think it's so unfair when people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-that-you-re-not-a-real-artist/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-that-you-re-not-a-real-artist/#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 } } ] } ```