--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're going for things that are…" description: "\"If you're going for things that are really terrible ideas you have to really have all your faculties about you to get away with them without being cruc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/will-sheff-19978_faculty_if-you-re-going-for-things-that-are-real_1714853.jpg" --- # If you're going for things that are really terrible ideas… ![“If you're going for things that are really terrible ideas you have to really have all your faculties about you to get away with them without being crucified. The best rock music gets away with something, somehow, that it shouldn't be allowed to get away with.” quote by Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/will-sheff-19978_faculty_if-you-re-going-for-things-that-are-real_1714853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/will-sheff-19978_faculty_if-you-re-going-for-things-that-are-real_1714853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/will-sheff-19978_faculty_if-you-re-going-for-things-that-are-real_1714853.jpg) > “If you're going for things that are really terrible ideas you have to really have all your faculties about you to get away with them without being crucified. The best rock music gets away with something, somehow, that it shouldn't be allowed to get away with.” [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating controversial art requires boldness and a willingness to risk criticism. **In simple terms:** Bold art pushes limits. Key Takeaway Embrace risk, challenge norms. Themes creativity rebellion music risk expression Mood defiant provocative Type artistic musical When to use this quote - writing songs - producing albums - performing live - marketing edgy music Key Concepts artistic daring cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance shock value with authenticity? - What boundaries are worth testing? A Different Perspective Audience backlash can limit freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Rock music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-music/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) ## Related quotes > [“There aren't terrible ideas. Just ideas done terribly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/there-aren-t-terrible-ideas-just-ideas-done-terribly/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“I have wonderful ideas. And terrible ideas. And terribly wonderful ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/i-have-wonderful-ideas-and-terrible-ideas-and-terribly-wonderful-ideas/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [Hanoi Rocks was our baby and we were the core and we started the band. All those years that went to waste because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-monroe/hanoi-rocks-was-our-baby-and-we-were-the-core-and-we-started-the-band/) [Michael Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-monroe/) > [I think that the best rock n' roll is about the spirit of being young, the feeling of being 16 and getting crazy with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-bach/i-think-that-the-best-rock-n-roll-is-about-the-spirit-of-being-young/) [Sebastian Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-bach/) > [Some of the best rock riffs ever written were by Jimmy Page, and I can't really name the songs, but some of the stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/some-of-the-best-rock-riffs-ever-written-were-by-jimmy-page-and-i-can/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [I am the best rock drummer on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/i-am-the-best-rock-drummer-on-the-planet/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [“And the best part about rock bottom is that you can only go up from there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/and-the-best-part-about-rock-bottom-is-that-you-can-only-go-up-from/) [Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/) > [The best rock musicians are the most exciting people in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-daly/the-best-rock-musicians-are-the-most-exciting-people-in-the-world/) [James Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-daly/) > [The Stones were always exemplary of one of the best of all rock qualities: tightness. They have always been economical, the opposite of ornamental.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-landau/the-stones-were-always-exemplary-of-one-of-the-best-of-all-rock/) [Jon Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-landau/) > [Some of the best rock shows I ever saw were those appealing to all your senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cook/some-of-the-best-rock-shows-i-ever-saw-were-those-appealing-to-all/) [David Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cook/) > [For me, the best rock is not what you play - it's what you're not playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/for-me-the-best-rock-is-not-what-you-play-it-s-what-you-re-not-playing/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [“What a brilliant cover story. In a success-obsessed society like this one, what's the best rock to hide something under? It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [I think that 'Tell the Truth' is one of the best rock records ever made by me or anyone - I really do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-squier/i-think-that-tell-the-truth-is-one-of-the-best-rock-records-ever-made/) [Billy Squier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-squier/) > [The Rolling Stones were one of the best bands ever, and 'Sticky Fingers' is one of the best rock albums I've ever heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-osborne/the-rolling-stones-were-one-of-the-best-bands-ever-and-sticky-fingers/) [Buzz Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-osborne/) > [After 12 intense years of rock music, I was happy to get away from making a record and going out on a tour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-iha/after-12-intense-years-of-rock-music-i-was-happy-to-get-away-from/) [James Iha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-iha/) ## More by Will Sheff > [Collaboration is such a thrill when you're working with someone you really respect. When it's just one person working alone you get a singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/collaboration-is-such-a-thrill-when-you-re-working-with-someone-you/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [This is going to sound really corny, but it's the way I feel: Musicians have been around for a really long time. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/this-is-going-to-sound-really-corny-but-it-s-the-way-i-feel-musicians/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [It's a really common trap to want your life to live up to some standard that you believe in, and then you start to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/it-s-a-really-common-trap-to-want-your-life-to-live-up-to-some/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I wanted to be a filmmaker, actually, when I was in high school and college. But I just decided it would be more expensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-wanted-to-be-a-filmmaker-actually-when-i-was-in-high-school-and/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [If I'm working on a set of songs, and thinking about putting them together in a collection, I start to think about what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/if-i-m-working-on-a-set-of-songs-and-thinking-about-putting-them/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [When you're a songwriter, people wonder about your personal life and the meanings behind the songs, and that can feel pretty invasive, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/when-you-re-a-songwriter-people-wonder-about-your-personal-life-and/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [When your head is smashing into the concrete you don't have question about whether it's a real sensation. And ultimately, that's what's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/when-your-head-is-smashing-into-the-concrete-you-don-t-have-question/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [When people downloading records for free you start to think, "Is it worth spending all this money to make a record sound good, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/when-people-downloading-records-for-free-you-start-to-think-is-it/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [People think that because they've seen your name in print, you're rich. I assume that. But all it means is that there was some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/people-think-that-because-they-ve-seen-your-name-in-print-you-re-rich/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I always just wanted to have the wherewithal to make another record. I never really dreamt of fortune or fame, because it seemed so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-always-just-wanted-to-have-the-wherewithal-to-make-another-record-i/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I think that anything is a form of folk music. That's just me being glib, but the thing I like the best about humans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-think-that-anything-is-a-form-of-folk-music-that-s-just-me-being/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I always think it's far more admirable to confuse people than it is to reassure them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-always-think-it-s-far-more-admirable-to-confuse-people-than-it-is/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I'm not pro-life. I'm very emphatically pro-choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-m-not-pro-life-i-m-very-emphatically-pro-choice/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [Songwriting is an emotional medium, and rock and roll is an emotional medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/songwriting-is-an-emotional-medium-and-rock-and-roll-is-an-emotional/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I have complicated feelings about nostalgia. I think that sometimes it can be dangerous. It can airbrush the truth, or fictionalize the truth, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-have-complicated-feelings-about-nostalgia-i-think-that-sometimes-it/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) [Explore all 31 Will Sheff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) ## More Faculty quotes > [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [But the saddest difference between them was that Zazetsky, as Luria said, 'fought to regain his lost faculties with the indomitable tenacity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/but-the-saddest-difference-between-them-was-that-zazetsky-as-luria/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [In all forms of magick, the imagination or image-making faculty is the most important factor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grant/in-all-forms-of-magick-the-imagination-or-image-making-faculty-is-the/) Kenneth Grant > [Shut your eyes and you will know what I mean by thought entombed in darkness. Light comes through the senses, and not only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/shut-your-eyes-and-you-will-know-what-i-mean-by-thought-entombed-in/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul--our Protestant idea, the right of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-point-i-wish-plainly-to-bring-before-you-on-this-occasion-is-the/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [ ...There is no study in the world which brings into more harmonious action all the faculties of the mind than \[mathematics\], ... or, like… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joseph-sylvester/there-is-no-study-in-the-world-which-brings-into-more-harmonious/) [James Joseph Sylvester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joseph-sylvester/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I consider the differences between man and animals in propensities, feelings, and intellectual faculties, to be the result of the same cause as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/i-consider-the-differences-between-man-and-animals-in-propensities/) Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet > [According to Jains the soul in pure form has infiniteness in terms of its knowledge and power. These faculties are obstructed for its exhibition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/according-to-jains-the-soul-in-pure-form-has-infiniteness-in-terms-of/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [I never could keep a promise. I do not blame myself for this weakness, because the fault must lie in my physical organization. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-could-keep-a-promise-i-do-not-blame-myself-for-this-weakness/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) Browse all 1,051 Faculty quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you're going for things that are really terrible ideas you have to really have all your faculties about you to get away with them without being crucified. 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