--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You hear some people saying, 'I'm alive…" description: "\"You hear some people saying, 'I'm alive on stage; it's where I feel most complete...' I don't understand that at all; I find that weird and depressing...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/stephen-merchant-15797_alive_you-hear-some-people-saying-i-m-alive-on_2777892.jpg" --- # You hear some people saying, 'I'm alive on stage; it's… ![“You hear some people saying, 'I'm alive on stage; it's where I feel most complete...' I don't understand that at all; I find that weird and depressing. I don't dislike the audience; it's just when I'm up there, they're in the darkness. There's just a sound of laughing or not. They're not 'people,'…” quote by Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/stephen-merchant-15797_alive_you-hear-some-people-saying-i-m-alive-on_2777892.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/stephen-merchant-15797_alive_you-hear-some-people-saying-i-m-alive-on_2777892.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/stephen-merchant-15797_alive_you-hear-some-people-saying-i-m-alive-on_2777892.jpg) > “You hear some people saying, 'I'm alive on stage; it's where I feel most complete...' I don't understand that at all; I find that weird and depressing. I don't dislike the audience; it's just when I'm up there, they're in the darkness. There's just a sound of laughing or not. They're not 'people,' they're this big organism.” [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) ## 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 feels disconnected from the audience, perceiving them as an impersonal mass rather than individuals, leading to discomfort and melancholy. **In simple terms:** Audience feels like a faceless crowd, causing unease. Key Takeaway Recognize the humanity in crowds. Themes performance anxiety perception loneliness Mood anxious reflective Type personal psychological When to use this quote - theatre performance - public speaking - crowd interaction - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism social identity Questions to Reflect On - How does your self‑image affect your view of others? - What steps could make the crowd feel more personal? A Different Perspective The feeling may stem from personal insecurities, not the audience itself. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I've learned a lot of things about myself through singing. I used to have a certain dislike of the audience, not as individual people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-ve-learned-a-lot-of-things-about-myself-through-singing-i-used-to/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I never feel more alive than when I'm on stage. On film you feel chopped up, you can be acting from the neck up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-turner/i-never-feel-more-alive-than-when-i-m-on-stage-on-film-you-feel/) [Kathleen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-turner/) > [I’m really alive when I’m on stage,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/i-m-really-alive-when-i-m-on-stage/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [When I was doing 'Britain's Got Talent,' I really enjoyed it, but I found it very difficult to be in the audience. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hasselhoff/when-i-was-doing-britain-s-got-talent-i-really-enjoyed-it-but-i-found/) [David Hasselhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hasselhoff/) > [When I'm singing my songs on stage, I feel like I'm doing a rock show, even though I don't think all my music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lp/when-i-m-singing-my-songs-on-stage-i-feel-like-i-m-doing-a-rock-show/) LP > [There has to be an interaction of musicians on stage. Otherwise I feel too alone up there. When performing is really good, when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/there-has-to-be-an-interaction-of-musicians-on-stage-otherwise-i-feel/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [Whenever I get on stage, I feel safe and in control. Life can be so uncertain, but on stage, I always know how a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-o-mara/whenever-i-get-on-stage-i-feel-safe-and-in-control-life-can-be-so/) [Kate O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-o-mara/) > [It's fun to dress up and look good. And it's fun to try on clothes and wear a different jacket every night. It also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-ramsey/it-s-fun-to-dress-up-and-look-good-and-it-s-fun-to-try-on-clothes-and/) [Matthew Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-ramsey/) > [I always feel together with people on stage, but sometimes I feel even more alone afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-kahan/i-always-feel-together-with-people-on-stage-but-sometimes-i-feel-even/) [Noah Kahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-kahan/) > [Usually, there's nothing being thrown toward the stage or at me. Then I feel pretty good about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-sykes/usually-there-s-nothing-being-thrown-toward-the-stage-or-at-me-then-i/) [Wanda Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-sykes/) > [When I'm on stage, I do very much feel like I'm Cinderella, which is kind of how I deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-hope-fletcher/when-i-m-on-stage-i-do-very-much-feel-like-i-m-cinderella-which-is/) [Carrie Hope Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-hope-fletcher/) > [With stage, you feel completely like you're just in a bubble. I love not being able to see anything. I love coming out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/with-stage-you-feel-completely-like-you-re-just-in-a-bubble-i-love/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [Live stage is being made as you go along. You feel the energy. There's nothing like a live audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-vereen/live-stage-is-being-made-as-you-go-along-you-feel-the-energy-there-s/) [Ben Vereen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-vereen/) > [Ninety percent of my material is made on stage, but I feel like you're missing something by abandoning sitting down to write entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segura/ninety-percent-of-my-material-is-made-on-stage-but-i-feel-like-you-re/) [Tom Segura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segura/) ## More by Stephen Merchant > [I know that this sounds grand, but I don't try to compete with other people. I like to think there's enough pie for everyone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-know-that-this-sounds-grand-but-i-don-t-try-to-compete-with-other/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [It's not like I think: 'By the age of 40 I've got to be an international household name.' When the opportunity to perform comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/it-s-not-like-i-think-by-the-age-of-40-i-ve-got-to-be-an/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [Things don't get better when you become well known or go on TV. I'm just being rejected by a better class of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/things-don-t-get-better-when-you-become-well-known-or-go-on-tv-i-m/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [There's this way pop culture has been rammed down our throats that people think that if they were just in the right place at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/there-s-this-way-pop-culture-has-been-rammed-down-our-throats-that/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [When I started to mention to people who know about such things, 'I'm doing this game, 'Portal 2', they got very excited, suddenly. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/when-i-started-to-mention-to-people-who-know-about-such-things-i-m/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [Once I began doing stand-up, I didn't get a kick out of the applause or being the centre of attention - but I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/once-i-began-doing-stand-up-i-didn-t-get-a-kick-out-of-the-applause/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [I've always been a fan of physical comedy. It kind of hits you in a different way; it bypasses the intellect and hits you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-physical-comedy-it-kind-of-hits-you-in-a/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [I wish I could write 'Taxi Driver,' or 'Blue Velvet,' something brave, audacious, dramatic and dark. I don't know if I have the darkness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-wish-i-could-write-taxi-driver-or-blue-velvet-something-brave/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [When I was a teenager, I met a comedian who I admired, and he was very rude to me. That's why when people come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-met-a-comedian-who-i-admired-and-he-was-very/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [Remember that film 'Sliding Doors,' when John Hannah woos Gwyneth Paltrow by reciting Monty Python sketches? I can tell you now that doesn't work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/remember-that-film-sliding-doors-when-john-hannah-woos-gwyneth/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [I very rarely laugh. I remember I used to have a joy at comedy. I remember going to see Sean Lock for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-very-rarely-laugh-i-remember-i-used-to-have-a-joy-at-comedy-i/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [I don't have any hidden depths; I'm a very superficial person. It's a constant frustration to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-don-t-have-any-hidden-depths-i-m-a-very-superficial-person-it-s-a/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [I'm too tall. I am 6ft 7in, so I've been most people's height at some point in my life, and 6ft 4in is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-m-too-tall-i-am-6ft-7in-so-i-ve-been-most-people-s-height-at-some/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [My heroes - people like Woody Allen - were stand-up comedians. Therefore, I always felt I should give it a go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/my-heroes-people-like-woody-allen-were-stand-up-comedians-therefore-i/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) > [A lot of my comic influences are distinctly American: Woody Allen and Bob Hope, for example. They were always the underdogs who were using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/a-lot-of-my-comic-influences-are-distinctly-american-woody-allen-and/) [Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) [Explore all 42 Stephen Merchant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You hear some people saying, 'I'm alive on stage; it's where I feel most complete...' I don't understand that at all; I find that weird and depressing. I don't dislike the audience; it's just when I'm up there, they're in the darkness. There's just a sound of laughing or not. 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