--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difference between me and, say, the…" description: "\"The difference between me and, say, the opera critic is that I'm charged with thinking about the world beyond opera. I could go see 'Die Fledermaus', f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/wesley-morris-8047_critic_the-difference-between-me-and-say-the-op_2613298.png" --- # The difference between me and, say, the opera critic is… ![“The difference between me and, say, the opera critic is that I'm charged with thinking about the world beyond opera. I could go see 'Die Fledermaus', for instance. I've never done any of this, by the way. I've never written about one opera since I've had this job.” quote by Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/wesley-morris-8047_critic_the-difference-between-me-and-say-the-op_2613298.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/wesley-morris-8047_critic_the-difference-between-me-and-say-the-op_2613298.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/wesley-morris-8047_critic_the-difference-between-me-and-say-the-op_2613298.png) > “The difference between me and, say, the opera critic is that I'm charged with thinking about the world beyond opera. I could go see 'Die Fledermaus', for instance. I've never done any of this, by the way. I've never written about one opera since I've had this job.” [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A critic must think beyond their niche, exploring broader cultural contexts despite limited direct experience. **In simple terms:** Critic must think beyond niche. Key Takeaway Broaden perspective beyond specialty. Themes criticism culture breadth curiosity expertise Mood analytical curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - journalism - teaching - public speaking Key Concepts literary theory cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - How to responsibly expand beyond expertise? - What value does breadth bring? A Different Perspective Risk of superficial analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Mozart has written opera, symphony, sacred and chamber music - not to mention his piano and violin concerti.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-marriner/mozart-has-written-opera-symphony-sacred-and-chamber-music-not-to/) [Neville Marriner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-marriner/) > [People are wrong when they say opera is not what it used to be. It is what it used to be. That is what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/people-are-wrong-when-they-say-opera-is-not-what-it-used-to-be-it-is/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [I wouldnt mind seeing opera die. Ever since I was a boy, I regarded opera as a ponderous anachronism, almost the equivalent of smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/i-wouldnt-mind-seeing-opera-die-ever-since-i-was-a-boy-i-regarded/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [I would just like to say that opera is no longer about fat people in breastplates shattering wine glasses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-garrett/i-would-just-like-to-say-that-opera-is-no-longer-about-fat-people-in/) [Lesley Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-garrett/) > [In opera tradition, when opera die-hard fans, there is a replacement of singer or singer wasn't at his or hers vocal best, doing something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/in-opera-tradition-when-opera-die-hard-fans-there-is-a-replacement-of/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I wouldn't mind seeing opera die. Ever since I was a boy, I regarded opera as a ponderous anachronism, almost the equivalent of smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/i-wouldn-t-mind-seeing-opera-die-ever-since-i-was-a-boy-i-regarded/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [I like Nora Ephron. She wasn't a critic in the strictest sense of the word, but she did a lot of social criticism. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-like-nora-ephron-she-wasn-t-a-critic-in-the-strictest-sense-of-the/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I remember the early 1980s, when I first got one of these fabulous film critic jobs. The downside was sitting through 'Splatteria III: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/i-remember-the-early-1980s-when-i-first-got-one-of-these-fabulous/) [Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [If I weren't an actor, I'd either be a teacher or a critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/if-i-weren-t-an-actor-i-d-either-be-a-teacher-or-a-critic/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I am my biggest critic. Even in films where people said they liked me, I have disliked myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-akkineni/i-am-my-biggest-critic-even-in-films-where-people-said-they-liked-me/) [Samantha Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-akkineni/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [I am absolutely my own biggest critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lando-norris/i-am-absolutely-my-own-biggest-critic/) [Lando Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lando-norris/) ## More by Wesley Morris > [I don't like turkey. I mean, I do. But I don't like it on Thanksgiving. I don't need it. There are about 20 other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-don-t-like-turkey-i-mean-i-do-but-i-don-t-like-it-on-thanksgiving-i/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > ['Playboy' operated with a patina of civility that granted the average man a presumption of pleasure that went one way - his. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/playboy-operated-with-a-patina-of-civility-that-granted-the-average/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I feel like I've always approached criticism with a degree of morality, right? Like, not as a moralizer, but just as somebody who wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-feel-like-i-ve-always-approached-criticism-with-a-degree-of/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [A week before Thanksgiving, my mother bought the turkey, frozen. Then she froze it some more. Then she let it thaw and cleaned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/a-week-before-thanksgiving-my-mother-bought-the-turkey-frozen-then/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Jordan Peele is famous, in part, for imitations - of rappers and dingbats and the 44th president of the United States. But he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/jordan-peele-is-famous-in-part-for-imitations-of-rappers-and-dingbats/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I don't need the audience, but sometimes it's nice to have a gauge - not so I know how I feel, but so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-don-t-need-the-audience-but-sometimes-it-s-nice-to-have-a-gauge-not/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [If Judge Steven T. O'Neill sent Mr. Cosby away for the rest of his life, that sentence couldn't undo what he's convicted of having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/if-judge-steven-t-o-neill-sent-mr-cosby-away-for-the-rest-of-his-life/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Anyone who watches a lot of television, or listens to pop music, is familiar with a certain vision of America. If not exactly colorblind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/anyone-who-watches-a-lot-of-television-or-listens-to-pop-music-is/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I like Rob Morgan in 'Mudbound.' Most of the attention being paid to this movie has focused on Rachel Morrison's cinematography and Mary J.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-like-rob-morgan-in-mudbound-most-of-the-attention-being-paid-to/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I like Nora Ephron. She wasn't a critic in the strictest sense of the word, but she did a lot of social criticism. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-like-nora-ephron-she-wasn-t-a-critic-in-the-strictest-sense-of-the/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Anything produced and then exhibited for public view is open to interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/anything-produced-and-then-exhibited-for-public-view-is-open-to/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I don't see a lot, but I think what the movie studios know and what they always know but they kind of ignore, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-don-t-see-a-lot-but-i-think-what-the-movie-studios-know-and-what/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [What about Hong Chau? In typical supporting-part fashion, she shows up halfway through 'Downsizing,' already shrunk, an imperious Vietnamese house cleaner with a limp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/what-about-hong-chau-in-typical-supporting-part-fashion-she-shows-up/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Ms. Sciorra is a member of a dwindling fleet of actors who actually sound like they come from somewhere. In her case, 'somewhere' is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/ms-sciorra-is-a-member-of-a-dwindling-fleet-of-actors-who-actually/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Suddenly, stories of abuse and harassment are being believed; abusers and harassers are being toppled. Yet, at the same time, one of the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/suddenly-stories-of-abuse-and-harassment-are-being-believed-abusers/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) [Explore all 85 Wesley Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) ## More Critic quotes > [I am absolutely my own biggest critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lando-norris/i-am-absolutely-my-own-biggest-critic/) [Lando Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lando-norris/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [I am my biggest critic. Even in films where people said they liked me, I have disliked myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-akkineni/i-am-my-biggest-critic-even-in-films-where-people-said-they-liked-me/) [Samantha Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-akkineni/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [If I weren't an actor, I'd either be a teacher or a critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/if-i-weren-t-an-actor-i-d-either-be-a-teacher-or-a-critic/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I remember the early 1980s, when I first got one of these fabulous film critic jobs. The downside was sitting through 'Splatteria III: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/i-remember-the-early-1980s-when-i-first-got-one-of-these-fabulous/) [Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/) > [The television critic, whatever his pretensions, does not labour in the same vineyard as those he criticizes; his grapes are all sour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/the-television-critic-whatever-his-pretensions-does-not-labour-in-the/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [To be a critic, you have to have maybe three percent education, five percent intelligence, two percent style, and 90 percent gall and egomania…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-crist/to-be-a-critic-you-have-to-have-maybe-three-percent-education-five/) [Judith Crist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-crist/) > [The critic is the only independent source of information. The rest is advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-critic-is-the-only-independent-source-of-information-the-rest-is/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [The critic is a man who prefers the indolence of opinion to the trials of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/the-critic-is-a-man-who-prefers-the-indolence-of-opinion-to-the/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [“A good judge is not one who is impartial, but one who has prejudice for good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/a-good-judge-is-not-one-who-is-impartial-but-one-who-has-prejudice/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [A critic who uses new quotations is making important changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/a-critic-who-uses-new-quotations-is-making-important-changes/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My mother and my grandmother are pioneers of Mexican cuisine in this country, so I grew up in the kitchen. My mom, Zarela Martinez,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sanchez/my-mother-and-my-grandmother-are-pioneers-of-mexican-cuisine-in-this/) [Aaron Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sanchez/) Browse all 758 Critic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The difference between me and, say, the opera critic is that I'm charged with thinking about the world beyond opera. I could go see 'Die Fledermaus', for instance. I've never done any of this, by the way. 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