--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am incapable of mediocrity." description: "\"I am incapable of mediocrity.\" — Serge Gainsbourg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/serge-gainsbourg-29890_incapable_i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity-2977576_2977576.jpg" --- # I am incapable of mediocrity. ![“I am incapable of mediocrity.” quote by Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/serge-gainsbourg-29890_incapable_i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity-2977576_2977576.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/serge-gainsbourg-29890_incapable_i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity-2977576_2977576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/serge-gainsbourg-29890_incapable_i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity-2977576_2977576.jpg) > “I am incapable of mediocrity.” [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mediocrity is unacceptable; strive for excellence in all endeavors. **In simple terms:** Never settle for mediocrity. Key Takeaway Pursue excellence relentlessly. Themes excellence self‑expectation ambition Mood driven reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career - artistic pursuits - personal growth Key Concepts personal standards creative drive Questions to Reflect On - What defines excellence for you? - How do you balance high standards with self‑compassion? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Incapable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable/) [Incapable Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable-mediocrity-4614269/) [Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) ## Related quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [In all our academies we attempt far too much. ... In earlier times lectures were delivered upon chemistry and botany as branches of medicine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/in-all-our-academies-we-attempt-far-too-much-in-earlier-times/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I have no memory for things I have learned, nor things I have read, nor things experienced or heard, neither for people nor events;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-have-no-memory-for-things-i-have-learned-nor-things-i-have-read-nor/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [People who are sensible about love are incapable of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-yates/people-who-are-sensible-about-love-are-incapable-of-it/) [Douglas Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-yates/) > [People are simply incapable of prolonged, sustained goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-frolov/people-are-simply-incapable-of-prolonged-sustained-goodness/) [Diane Frolov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-frolov/) > [“At her tender age she was incapable of understanding such a history,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/at-her-tender-age-she-was-incapable-of-understanding-such-a-history/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [I need no bodyguard at all, for even the bravest men who approach me get weak at the knees and their hearts turn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaka/i-need-no-bodyguard-at-all-for-even-the-bravest-men-who-approach-me/) [Shaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaka/) > [There are certain early plays of mine that I really don't like, but I can't imagine going back and fixing them. I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/there-are-certain-early-plays-of-mine-that-i-really-don-t-like-but-i/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [“LORD GORING: (after a long pause) Nobody is incapable of doing a foolish thing. Nobody is incapable of doing a wrong thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lord-goring-after-a-long-pause-nobody-is-incapable-of-doing-a-foolish/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [Marxism is like a classical building that followed the Renaissance; beautiful in its way, but incapable of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/marxism-is-like-a-classical-building-that-followed-the-renaissance/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [Even when I can play Europe's most precious keyboard, to have to listen to people who don't understand, or do not want to understand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/even-when-i-can-play-europe-s-most-precious-keyboard-to-have-to/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [“Phillip, who is congenitally incapable of moderation,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/phillip-who-is-congenitally-incapable-of-moderation/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More by Serge Gainsbourg > [“L’amour sans philosopher C’est comme le café Très vite passé.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/l-amour-sans-philosopher-c-est-comme-le-caf-tr-s-vite-pass/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [I like the night, I have clearer ideas in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-like-the-night-i-have-clearer-ideas-in-the-dark/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [I prefer ugliness to beauty, because ugliness endures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-prefer-ugliness-to-beauty-because-ugliness-endures/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [Ugliness is superior to beauty because it lasts longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/ugliness-is-superior-to-beauty-because-it-lasts-longer/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [I know my limits. That's why I'm beyond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-know-my-limits-that-s-why-i-m-beyond/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [“Quand on n’a pas ce que l’on aime, faut aimer ce que l’on a.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/quand-on-n-a-pas-ce-que-l-on-aime-faut-aimer-ce-que-l-on-a/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [“The love that we will never make together is the most beautiful, the most violent, the most pure, the most heady.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/the-love-that-we-will-never-make-together-is-the-most-beautiful-the/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [Ugliness is in a way superior to beauty because it lasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/ugliness-is-in-a-way-superior-to-beauty-because-it-lasts/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [I've succeeded at everything except my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-ve-succeeded-at-everything-except-my-life/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) > [No matter the time, carried away the wind is Better your absence Thy indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/no-matter-the-time-carried-away-the-wind-is-better-your-absence-thy/) [Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) [Explore all 11 Serge Gainsbourg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/) ## More Incapable quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“Phillip, who is congenitally incapable of moderation,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/phillip-who-is-congenitally-incapable-of-moderation/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Even when I can play Europe's most precious keyboard, to have to listen to people who don't understand, or do not want to understand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/even-when-i-can-play-europe-s-most-precious-keyboard-to-have-to/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [Marxism is like a classical building that followed the Renaissance; beautiful in its way, but incapable of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/marxism-is-like-a-classical-building-that-followed-the-renaissance/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [“LORD GORING: (after a long pause) Nobody is incapable of doing a foolish thing. Nobody is incapable of doing a wrong thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lord-goring-after-a-long-pause-nobody-is-incapable-of-doing-a-foolish/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [There are certain early plays of mine that I really don't like, but I can't imagine going back and fixing them. I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/there-are-certain-early-plays-of-mine-that-i-really-don-t-like-but-i/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [I need no bodyguard at all, for even the bravest men who approach me get weak at the knees and their hearts turn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaka/i-need-no-bodyguard-at-all-for-even-the-bravest-men-who-approach-me/) [Shaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaka/) > [“At her tender age she was incapable of understanding such a history,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/at-her-tender-age-she-was-incapable-of-understanding-such-a-history/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [People are simply incapable of prolonged, sustained goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-frolov/people-are-simply-incapable-of-prolonged-sustained-goodness/) [Diane Frolov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-frolov/) > [People who are sensible about love are incapable of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-yates/people-who-are-sensible-about-love-are-incapable-of-it/) [Douglas Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-yates/) > [I have no memory for things I have learned, nor things I have read, nor things experienced or heard, neither for people nor events;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-have-no-memory-for-things-i-have-learned-nor-things-i-have-read-nor/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [In all our academies we attempt far too much. ... In earlier times lectures were delivered upon chemistry and botany as branches of medicine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/in-all-our-academies-we-attempt-far-too-much-in-earlier-times/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Browse all 641 Incapable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am incapable of mediocrity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Serge Gainsbourg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Incapable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/serge-gainsbourg-29890_incapable_i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity-2977576_2977576.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/serge-gainsbourg-29890_incapable_i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity-2977576_2977576.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/serge-gainsbourg-29890_incapable_i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity-2977576_2977576.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am incapable of mediocrity.” — Serge Gainsbourg", "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": "Serge Gainsbourg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am incapable of mediocrity.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-am-incapable-of-mediocrity/#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 } } ] } ```