--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never paid attention to what was…" description: "\"I never paid attention to what was contemporary or what was commercial, it didn't mean anything to me.\" — Van Morrison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/van-morrison-1192_attention_i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-conte_2733787.jpg" --- # I never paid attention to what was contemporary or what… ![“I never paid attention to what was contemporary or what was commercial, it didn't mean anything to me.” quote by Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/van-morrison-1192_attention_i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-conte_2733787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/van-morrison-1192_attention_i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-conte_2733787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/van-morrison-1192_attention_i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-conte_2733787.jpg) > “I never paid attention to what was contemporary or what was commercial, it didn't mean anything to me.” [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rejects following trends or commercial pressures, focusing on personal artistic integrity over popularity. **In simple terms:** Ignore trends, stay true to self. Key Takeaway Create art that reflects your authentic voice. Themes authenticity art nonconformity Mood reflective defiant Type musical philosophical When to use this quote - songwriting - visual arts - personal branding Key Concepts creative integrity personal expression industry pressure Questions to Reflect On - How do you define artistic success? - What pressures do you resist? A Different Perspective Commercial success may be sacrificed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Commercial Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commercial-didn-2974177/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary Commercial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-commercial-2974178/) [Didn Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-mean/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Paid Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid-attention/) ## Related quotes > [My story is a little unorthodox. At first, I just wanted to book a commercial. I didn't have any expectations, and I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rotimi/my-story-is-a-little-unorthodox-at-first-i-just-wanted-to-book-a/) [Rotimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rotimi/) > [As an actor, I've always paid attention on sets. I've always watched, learned and listened, and you start to see things differently. You always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-balfour/as-an-actor-i-ve-always-paid-attention-on-sets-i-ve-always-watched/) [Eric Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-balfour/) > [I knew it was happening, but I never paid much attention to it . . . just to the passage of time. Something new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-knew-it-was-happening-but-i-never-paid-much-attention-to-it-just-to/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I've been a fan of Mads since the “Casino Royale” movie. I really sat up and paid attention to him. I was like, “Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-fishburne/i-ve-been-a-fan-of-mads-since-the-casino-royale-movie-i-really-sat-up/) [Laurence Fishburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-fishburne/) > [I paid attention to how Floyd Mayweather adapts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/i-paid-attention-to-how-floyd-mayweather-adapts/) [Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/) > [I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary art . . . that people actually paid for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought-contemporary-art-that-people/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [“Because the song was that great and because we all really paid attention to it. Five minutes of a lifetime were truly spent, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/because-the-song-was-that-great-and-because-we-all-really-paid/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [I was your C student. I paid attention in the classes that were about how to get elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-was-your-c-student-i-paid-attention-in-the-classes-that-were-about/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [“Pigbog wished he’d paid more attention to the Book of Revelation. If he’d known he was going to be in it, he’d have read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/pigbog-wished-he-d-paid-more-attention-to-the-book-of-revelation-if/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“I realized that I was a bad listener: I paid too much attention to the words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-iossel/i-realized-that-i-was-a-bad-listener-i-paid-too-much-attention-to-the/) [Mikhail Iossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-iossel/) > [If we had paid attention, we would have understood there are some things in this world you cannot outrun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/if-we-had-paid-attention-we-would-have-understood-there-are-some/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“No one paid any attention to them. Perhaps they saw nothing at all. Perhaps they saw what their minds were instructed to see, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/no-one-paid-any-attention-to-them-perhaps-they-saw-nothing-at-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I said ive never had a friend as good as u until I paid attention to the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estefania-medeles/i-said-ive-never-had-a-friend-as-good-as-u-until-i-paid-attention-to/) [Estefania Medeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estefania-medeles/) > [I feel like I've paid attention to all the great coaches who have coached me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/i-feel-like-i-ve-paid-attention-to-all-the-great-coaches-who-have/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [I've never paid much attention to those who have written me off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humza-yousaf/i-ve-never-paid-much-attention-to-those-who-have-written-me-off/) [Humza Yousaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humza-yousaf/) ## More by Van Morrison > [The fog of illusion, the fog of confusion is hanging all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/the-fog-of-illusion-the-fog-of-confusion-is-hanging-all-over-the-world/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [Somebody's going to hear a song that will key in a nerve or something in their experience that represents their own vision. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/somebody-s-going-to-hear-a-song-that-will-key-in-a-nerve-or-something/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I realized that what I was looking for was doing collaborations with other people - people who can play a ballad, rock, jazz. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-realized-that-what-i-was-looking-for-was-doing-collaborations-with/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [It will make you feel good, and it will make you feel whole, when the spirit moves you and it fills you through and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/it-will-make-you-feel-good-and-it-will-make-you-feel-whole-when-the/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [ I'd much prefer to hear somebody like Ed Thigpen \[drummer with New York session group Stuff, and featured on innumerable hits\] take a solo.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-d-much-prefer-to-hear-somebody-like-ed-thigpen-drummer-with-new/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I've always listened to jazz or folk or blues. I was always listening to the prophets. I don't really go for...I don't know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-ve-always-listened-to-jazz-or-folk-or-blues-i-was-always-listening/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [My experiences with dope were not good for me. I had to go another route. Because in my experience, dope didn't give me those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/my-experiences-with-dope-were-not-good-for-me-i-had-to-go-another/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [You learn to read the audiences after a while, and there are all different kinds of gigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/you-learn-to-read-the-audiences-after-a-while-and-there-are-all/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [You gotta fight every day to keep mediocrity at bay...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/you-gotta-fight-every-day-to-keep-mediocrity-at-bay/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I didn't know what some of the stuff on Astral Weeks was about until years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-didn-t-know-what-some-of-the-stuff-on-astral-weeks-was-about-until/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [Sometimes you do know where the ideas are coming from and sometimes you don't. You might get a song coming through that you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/sometimes-you-do-know-where-the-ideas-are-coming-from-and-sometimes/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [At the end of the day, we should give thanks and pray, to the one, to the one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-should-give-thanks-and-pray-to-the-one-to/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [Have I told you lately that I love you, have I told you lately there's no one above you. Fill my heart with gladness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/have-i-told-you-lately-that-i-love-you-have-i-told-you-lately-there-s/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I also like to do physical things. I like swimming a lot. I like traveling. Not touring traveling but just plain traveling. I also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-also-like-to-do-physical-things-i-like-swimming-a-lot-i-like/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [There's no man alive who has any answers. We all know that. It's like the guru trip. All a guru can do is direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/there-s-no-man-alive-who-has-any-answers-we-all-know-that-it-s-like/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) [Explore all 276 Van Morrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never paid attention to what was contemporary or what was commercial, it didn't mean anything to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Van Morrison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-contemporary-or-what-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-contemporary-or-what-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/van-morrison-1192_attention_i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-conte_2733787.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/van-morrison-1192_attention_i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-conte_2733787.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/van-morrison-1192_attention_i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-conte_2733787.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never paid attention to what was contemporary or what was commercial, it didn't mean anything to me.” — Van Morrison", "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": "Van Morrison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I never paid attention to what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-contemporary-or-what-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-never-paid-attention-to-what-was-contemporary-or-what-was/#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 } } ] } ```