--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I go to an opera performance and sit…" description: "\"When I go to an opera performance and sit there while people are cheering and shouting \"bravo,\" I sometimes ask myself what exactly they're cheering ab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/thomas-quasthoff-66682_artist_when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-si_1734895.jpg" --- # When I go to an opera performance and sit there while… ![“When I go to an opera performance and sit there while people are cheering and shouting "bravo," I sometimes ask myself what exactly they're cheering about. And I even see myself as an artist who also knows how to enjoy other people's performances.” quote by Thomas Quasthoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/thomas-quasthoff-66682_artist_when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-si_1734895.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/thomas-quasthoff-66682_artist_when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-si_1734895.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/thomas-quasthoff-66682_artist_when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-si_1734895.jpg) > “When I go to an opera performance and sit there while people are cheering and shouting "bravo," I sometimes ask myself what exactly they're cheering about. And I even see myself as an artist who also knows how to enjoy other people's performances.” Thomas Quasthoff ## 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 questions the meaning behind audience applause and reflects on being an artist who enjoys others' work. **In simple terms:** Questioning applause and appreciating others' art. Key Takeaway Consider why we celebrate performances. Themes art audience reflection appreciation Mood contemplative curious Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - attending opera - listening to music - discussing art - teaching appreciation Key Concepts perception cultural criticism self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What does genuine applause feel like? - How can we deepen our engagement with performances? A Different Perspective Applause may be habitual, not thoughtful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Let us be clear: I take ten times more money for a concert than for an opera performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/placido-domingo/let-us-be-clear-i-take-ten-times-more-money-for-a-concert-than-for-an/) [Placido Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/placido-domingo/) > [Players should know that if you can't make the contribution of the winning shot, that your attitude every day when you come to practice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-wicks/players-should-know-that-if-you-can-t-make-the-contribution-of-the/) [Sue Wicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-wicks/) > [Perhaps the least cheering statement ever made on the subject of art is that life imitates it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/perhaps-the-least-cheering-statement-ever-made-on-the-subject-of-art/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [In my next life I want to be a pessimist. Then other people could spend all their time cheering me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/in-my-next-life-i-want-to-be-a-pessimist-then-other-people-could/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [Why was it that cheering expressions were invariably so infuriating?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/why-was-it-that-cheering-expressions-were-invariably-so-infuriating/) [Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/) > [It's definitely important to have your mom and family there to back you up and cheering from the stands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabby-douglas/it-s-definitely-important-to-have-your-mom-and-family-there-to-back/) [Gabby Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabby-douglas/) > [Obviously the Asian American community wants you to do well. They are cheering you on no matter what the circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chang/obviously-the-asian-american-community-wants-you-to-do-well-they-are/) [Michael Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chang/) > [I'm cheering for America as always. Our interest ought to come first and to the extent that making temporary alliances with other countries serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/i-m-cheering-for-america-as-always-our-interest-ought-to-come-first/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) > [All-cheering Plenty, with her flowing horn, Led yellow Autumn, wreath'd with nodding corn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/all-cheering-plenty-with-her-flowing-horn-led-yellow-autumn-wreath-d-2/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [In an odd way (the death of John Daly) is cheering news!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jones/in-an-odd-way-the-death-of-john-daly-is-cheering-news/) [Phil Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jones/) > [You've got audiences cheering at the prospect of somebody dying because they don't have health care and booing a service member in Iraq because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-ve-got-audiences-cheering-at-the-prospect-of-somebody-dying/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [You hear all these stories about, 'There's one in a million guys that make it to the NBA and stay there.' To see people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/you-hear-all-these-stories-about-there-s-one-in-a-million-guys-that/) [Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/) > [“When you make love you're using up energy; and afterwards you feel happy and don't give a damn for anything. They can't bear you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/when-you-make-love-you-re-using-up-energy-and-afterwards-you-feel/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [All the people in Korea are cheering me like I'm a gold medalist or something, so I have a responsibility to my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psy/all-the-people-in-korea-are-cheering-me-like-i-m-a-gold-medalist-or/) [PSY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psy/) > [Hardy thinks they're cheering for him. I'm not going to tell him differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-hoeppner/hardy-thinks-they-re-cheering-for-him-i-m-not-going-to-tell-him/) Terry Hoeppner ## More by Thomas Quasthoff > [You reach your audience at the moment when you really have something to say - that is, when you're not just delivering a performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-quasthoff/you-reach-your-audience-at-the-moment-when-you-really-have-something/) Thomas Quasthoff > [My mouth was always my weapon. I've become quieter now. It's possible to put things very clearly, concisely and sharply, even when you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-quasthoff/my-mouth-was-always-my-weapon-i-ve-become-quieter-now-it-s-possible/) Thomas Quasthoff > [I achieved everything one can achieve as a concert singer. Six Echo Klassik awards and three Grammys, and I also have my professorship at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-quasthoff/i-achieved-everything-one-can-achieve-as-a-concert-singer-six-echo/) Thomas Quasthoff Explore all 4 Thomas Quasthoff quotes ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [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/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I go to an opera performance and sit there while people are cheering and shouting \"bravo,\" I sometimes ask myself what exactly they're cheering about. And I even see myself as an artist who also knows how to enjoy other people's performances.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Quasthoff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-quasthoff/when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-sit-there-while-people-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-quasthoff/when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-sit-there-while-people-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/thomas-quasthoff-66682_artist_when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-si_1734895.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/thomas-quasthoff-66682_artist_when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-si_1734895.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/thomas-quasthoff-66682_artist_when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-si_1734895.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I go to an opera performance and sit there while people are cheering and shouting \"bravo,\" I sometimes…” — Thomas Quasthoff", "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": "Thomas Quasthoff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-quasthoff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I go to an opera...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-quasthoff/when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-sit-there-while-people-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-quasthoff/when-i-go-to-an-opera-performance-and-sit-there-while-people-are/#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 } } ] } ```