--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Basically, no one else gives me any…" description: "\"Basically, no one else gives me any opinions on lyrics. I don't ask for them. If they did, I would listen.\" — Stephen Malkmus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/stephen-malkmus-2984_asks_basically-no-one-else-gives-me-any-opini_1420963.png" --- # Basically, no one else gives me any opinions on lyrics. I… ![“Basically, no one else gives me any opinions on lyrics. I don't ask for them. If they did, I would listen.” quote by Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/stephen-malkmus-2984_asks_basically-no-one-else-gives-me-any-opini_1420963.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/stephen-malkmus-2984_asks_basically-no-one-else-gives-me-any-opini_1420963.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/stephen-malkmus-2984_asks_basically-no-one-else-gives-me-any-opini_1420963.png) > “Basically, no one else gives me any opinions on lyrics. I don't ask for them. If they did, I would listen.” [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker prefers to form personal opinions about lyrics without seeking external input, valuing independent judgment. **In simple terms:** He makes his own judgments about lyrics. Key Takeaway Trust your own taste when evaluating art. Themes music creativity independence Mood reflective neutral Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal playlists - music reviews - creative writing - songwriting workshops Key Concepts subjectivity critical listening artistic authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How does isolation affect artistic growth? - When is external feedback valuable? A Different Perspective Relying solely on personal taste may limit exposure to diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [“Instead of asking myself, Is her room clean? Did he ace that test? I’m asking, Did I connect with them in a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-welch/instead-of-asking-myself-is-her-room-clean-did-he-ace-that-test-i-m/) Kristen Welch > [The question, "When did you last listen to a poor person properly and try to understand what's going on inside their own experience?" enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-green/the-question-when-did-you-last-listen-to-a-poor-person-properly-and/) [Duncan Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-green/) > [You're assuming they would listen to me," I said. Cole lifted his hands off the roof of the Volkswagen; cloudy fingerprints evaporated seconds ater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/you-re-assuming-they-would-listen-to-me-i-said-cole-lifted-his-hands/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [ \[Chorus:\] Did you ever hear what I told you? Did you ever read what I wrote you? Did you ever listen to what we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nightwish/chorus-did-you-ever-hear-what-i-told-you-did-you-ever-read-what-i/) Nightwish > [I’ve learnt to listen. I don’t think I always did listen. Not just in plays, but in life. And you have to hear what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-wilton/i-ve-learnt-to-listen-i-don-t-think-i-always-did-listen-not-just-in/) [Penelope Wilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-wilton/) > [After we wrote The Wreckoning, our record label did listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-manning/after-we-wrote-the-wreckoning-our-record-label-did-listen/) [Taryn Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-manning/) > [“If she also heard Mrs. Glendoveer’s voice warning her against this ill-advised adventure, she did not listen. She felt too bright inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/if-she-also-heard-mrs-glendoveer-s-voice-warning-her-against-this-ill/) [Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/) > [“They said what they would do, and we did not listen. Then they did what they said they would do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederich-c-rich/they-said-what-they-would-do-and-we-did-not-listen-then-they-did-what/) Frederich C. Rich > [“ Listen for somebody trying to talk to you… (Silence) This from that very pit of night, naked in the wasteland, the ice-wind moaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/listen-for-somebody-trying-to-talk-to-you-silence-this-from-that-very/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“They praised his modesty and did not listen to him, for listening is a rare gift, and men will have their heroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/they-praised-his-modesty-and-did-not-listen-to-him-for-listening-is-a/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I've learnt to listen. I don't think I always did listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-wilton/i-ve-learnt-to-listen-i-don-t-think-i-always-did-listen/) [Penelope Wilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-wilton/) > [So much of rock lyrics is just a mirror of real feeling. It doesn't feel dangerous to me. They just feel like "rock lyrics."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/so-much-of-rock-lyrics-is-just-a-mirror-of-real-feeling-it-doesn-t/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [The lyrics are constructed as empirically as the music. I don't set out to say anything very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-lyrics-are-constructed-as-empirically-as-the-music-i-don-t-set/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) ## More by Stephen Malkmus > ['Silence Kid' starts with a broken classic-rock intro. It's funny to hear us do that. Obviously, we weren't skillful rock stars. Then it's spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/silence-kid-starts-with-a-broken-classic-rock-intro-it-s-funny-to/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [What producers did was mostly recording in the studio, so it never changed our sound just that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/what-producers-did-was-mostly-recording-in-the-studio-so-it-never/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm better when I'm an autodidact and things just come. Or you're just blessed. I'm not bragging or anything, it just comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-better-when-i-m-an-autodidact-and-things-just-come-or-you-re-just/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [Men are men and women are women, but the men are dumber than the women, usually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/men-are-men-and-women-are-women-but-the-men-are-dumber-than-the-women/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I am good at just looking in the kitchen and getting stuff on the table and keeping the mess minimal. There's an art to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-am-good-at-just-looking-in-the-kitchen-and-getting-stuff-on-the/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [ Traditionally, when we lived here \[in Portland\], we have a record player in the living room, and there's lots of stuff playing, all different… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/traditionally-when-we-lived-here-in-portland-we-have-a-record-player/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [The word "down," is very musical. It just always comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/the-word-down-is-very-musical-it-just-always-comes/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm more into describing a scenario and I move around in that scenario.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-more-into-describing-a-scenario-and-i-move-around-in-that-scenario/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I like visual imagery in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-like-visual-imagery-in-my-head/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'll cover just about anything - except for a Kid Rock song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-ll-cover-just-about-anything-except-for-a-kid-rock-song/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [“I cannot do even one sit-up / Sit-ups are so bourgeoisie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-cannot-do-even-one-sit-up-sit-ups-are-so-bourgeoisie/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I like a narrative, even if it's fractured, or kind of psychedelic. But my favorite thing is if I hear words and I close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-like-a-narrative-even-if-it-s-fractured-or-kind-of-psychedelic-but/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [Freddie Gray was a story I followed closer than others, for whatever reason, in this larger narrative of police brutality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/freddie-gray-was-a-story-i-followed-closer-than-others-for-whatever/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [We're not on a desperate mission to write chart compatible stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/we-re-not-on-a-desperate-mission-to-write-chart-compatible-stuff/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm not dying for things to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-not-dying-for-things-to-say/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) [Explore all 143 Stephen Malkmus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Basically, no one else gives me any opinions on lyrics. I don't ask for them. 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