--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a really common trap to want your…" description: "\"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 really examine those standards and r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/will-sheff-19978_believe_it-s-a-really-common-trap-to-want-your-l_319745.jpg" --- # It's a really common trap to want your life to live up to… ![“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 really examine those standards and realize they come not from experiences you've had, but things you've seen in movies, or feelings you've felt listening to pop songs, or ideas you've…” quote by Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/will-sheff-19978_believe_it-s-a-really-common-trap-to-want-your-l_319745.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/will-sheff-19978_believe_it-s-a-really-common-trap-to-want-your-l_319745.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/will-sheff-19978_believe_it-s-a-really-common-trap-to-want-your-l_319745.jpg) > “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 really examine those standards and realize they come not from experiences you've had, but things you've seen in movies, or feelings you've felt listening to pop songs, or ideas you've received from reading books. And not just happy things, but a lot of the time, sad things. It gets kind of depressing, when you see how movies and songs make these promises to us.” [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. People often base their life standards on media and cultural narratives rather than personal experience. **In simple terms:** Media shapes our values. Key Takeaway Critically assess where your standards come from. Themes influence self‑identity media literacy Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - career choices - relationship expectations - personal goals Key Concepts cultural conditioning authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What standards have you adopted from movies? - How can you differentiate authentic values from borrowed ones? A Different Perspective Rejecting all media influence is unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Happy things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-things/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pop song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-song/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [In thinking about 'depressing movies,' many people don't realize that all bad movies are depressing, and no good movies are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/in-thinking-about-depressing-movies-many-people-don-t-realize-that/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I love depressing movies and depressing books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/i-love-depressing-movies-and-depressing-books/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [People always accuse me of making these dark, depressing movies. 'Why do you have to pick up on real issues? People are so exhausted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-kashyap/people-always-accuse-me-of-making-these-dark-depressing-movies-why-do/) [Anurag Kashyap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-kashyap/) > [Any of the rewards or accolades or any of that are very nice and everything but the music is what saves me. And it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-houser/any-of-the-rewards-or-accolades-or-any-of-that-are-very-nice-and/) [Randy Houser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-houser/) > [I guess I have a gift for expressing pedestrian tastes. In a way, it's kind of depressing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-guess-i-have-a-gift-for-expressing-pedestrian-tastes-in-a-way-it-s/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [It's kind of depressing. A double relegation is something a few of us have - and we don't want it on our CV's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-doherty/it-s-kind-of-depressing-a-double-relegation-is-something-a-few-of-us/) [Matt Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-doherty/) > [It's kind of depressing to make a lot of records and not get the kind of response they deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/it-s-kind-of-depressing-to-make-a-lot-of-records-and-not-get-the-kind/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I think it is kind of depressing how few female filmmakers there are. I think it is in general depressing how few women there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/i-think-it-is-kind-of-depressing-how-few-female-filmmakers-there-are/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [It's kind of depressing, if you think about it. I mean, me being so young, and yet so cynical and suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/it-s-kind-of-depressing-if-you-think-about-it-i-mean-me-being-so/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Simple determinism, whether of the genetic or environmental kind, is a depressing prospect for those with a fondness for free will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/simple-determinism-whether-of-the-genetic-or-environmental-kind-is-a/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [“it’s bad for you to hold in your feelings too much. You’ve a right to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-clement-davies/it-s-bad-for-you-to-hold-in-your-feelings-too-much-you-ve-a-right-to/) [David Clement-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-clement-davies/) > [The strongest feelings I've had in my life are when love has gone right and when love has gone bad. And I think strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-odell/the-strongest-feelings-i-ve-had-in-my-life-are-when-love-has-gone/) [Tom Odell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-odell/) > [I honestly believe I have felt your feelings. I've walked in your shoes. You have made some mistakes, and you may not be where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-honestly-believe-i-have-felt-your-feelings-i-ve-walked-in-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Please don't smile like that. Your heart is full of feelings that you've kept to yourself. Don't laugh as if you don't know anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arina-tanemura/please-don-t-smile-like-that-your-heart-is-full-of-feelings-that-you/) [Arina Tanemura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arina-tanemura/) > [“There are just some feelings, I’ve learned, for which we never invented the right words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/there-are-just-some-feelings-i-ve-learned-for-which-we-never-invented/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [You have to pretend that you're not bothered by your record leaked early. So that's the tack that I'm taking. It's like if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/you-have-to-pretend-that-you-re-not-bothered-by-your-record-leaked/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) [Explore all 31 Will Sheff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [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 don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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 really examine those standards and realize they come not from experiences you've had, but things you've seen in movies, or feelings you've felt listening to pop songs, or ideas you've received from reading books. And not just happy things, but a lot of the time, sad things. 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