---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not being appreciated for 40 years or…"
description: "\"Not being appreciated for 40 years or something ... It feels like I was accused of something that I didn't do, which was breaking up the Beatles. That ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/yoko-ono-726_accused_not-being-appreciated-for-40-years-or-so_876544.png"
---

#  Not being appreciated for 40 years or something ... It…

![“Not being appreciated for 40 years or something ... It feels like I was accused of something that I didn't do, which was breaking up the Beatles. That was like being somebody who is in prison without having done anything wrong.” quote by Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/yoko-ono-726_accused_not-being-appreciated-for-40-years-or-so_876544.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/yoko-ono-726_accused_not-being-appreciated-for-40-years-or-so_876544.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/yoko-ono-726_accused_not-being-appreciated-for-40-years-or-so_876544.png)

> “Not being appreciated for 40 years or something ... It feels like I was accused of something that I didn't do, which was breaking up the Beatles. That was like being somebody who is in prison without having done anything wrong.”

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Feeling falsely accused creates a deep sense of injustice and confinement, likening it to imprisonment for a crime not committed.

**In simple terms:** Being blamed for something you didn't do feels imprisoning.

Key Takeaway

Seek clarity and assert your truth.

Themes

injustice misunderstanding identity freedom

Mood

frustrated reflective

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- public scrutiny
- legal disputes
- career setbacks
- mental health

Key Concepts

psychology social perception self‑validation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate between perception and reality?
- What steps can you take to reclaim agency?

A Different Perspective

Accusations may stem from misunderstandings, not intent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being appreciated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-appreciated/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/)

## Related quotes

> [I did not break up the Beatles. You can't have it both ways. If you're going to blame me for breaking the Beatles up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-did-not-break-up-the-beatles-you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-if-you-re/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [I don't like all these people slagging her for breaking up the Beatles, don't blame it on Yokey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bare-naked-ladies/i-don-t-like-all-these-people-slagging-her-for-breaking-up-the/)

[Bare Naked Ladies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bare-naked-ladies/)

> [“No one would ever like him; he would never be accused of being unfair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/no-one-would-ever-like-him-he-would-never-be-accused-of-being-unfair/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [Don't treat me, I'm to blame (sorry, I'm sorry, I'm not sure) Don't treat me like I ever accused you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saosin/don-t-treat-me-i-m-to-blame-sorry-i-m-sorry-i-m-not-sure-don-t-treat/)

[Saosin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saosin/)

> [With an older generation, there's some weight carried with the Beatles. There's almost like an untouchable, god-like force field around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/with-an-older-generation-there-s-some-weight-carried-with-the-beatles/)

[Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/)

> [It was a weird stage of my life, to leave Simon &amp; Garfunkel at the height of our success and become a math teacher.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-garfunkel/it-was-a-weird-stage-of-my-life-to-leave-simon-garfunkel-at-the/)

[Art Garfunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-garfunkel/)

> [I like The Beatles and I like The Kinks and I like The Rolling Stones and I like Led Zeppelin and I like Black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-trachtenburg/i-like-the-beatles-and-i-like-the-kinks-and-i-like-the-rolling-stones/)

[Rachel Trachtenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-trachtenburg/)

> [I've always said that actor years is like dog years: it feels like forever when you're not working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-brooks/i-ve-always-said-that-actor-years-is-like-dog-years-it-feels-like/)

[Danielle Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-brooks/)

> [I feel connected to the Second World War because my father lost his father in that war. So, through my dad and the effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-feel-connected-to-the-second-world-war-because-my-father-lost-his/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [12 years, to me it feels like 12 minutes. My love for you, sees no limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spm/12-years-to-me-it-feels-like-12-minutes-my-love-for-you-sees-no-limits/)

[SPM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spm/)

> [I'm 39, and I would like to be able to make great pop music for another 20 years. And it feels like creating a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sia-furler/i-m-39-and-i-would-like-to-be-able-to-make-great-pop-music-for/)

[Sia Furler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sia-furler/)

> [A school of art or of anything else is to be looked on as a single individual, who keeps talking to himself for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/a-school-of-art-or-of-anything-else-is-to-be-looked-on-as-a-single/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [One minute you're up a mountain, the next you're down a well. One minute you're with Tony Blair, the next you're with McFly. Ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konnie-huq/one-minute-you-re-up-a-mountain-the-next-you-re-down-a-well-one/)

[Konnie Huq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konnie-huq/)

> [When you're an adult, when times are good, entire years go by in what feels like the space of one season. But the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-lange/when-you-re-an-adult-when-times-are-good-entire-years-go-by-in-what/)

[Artie Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-lange/)

> [The idea of playing a character for even two years, to me feels claustrophobic - only because I want to play a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-swank/the-idea-of-playing-a-character-for-even-two-years-to-me-feels/)

[Hilary Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-swank/)

## More by Yoko Ono

> [Our public officials have forgotten that they are ultimately accountable to the people who put them in office, that the information they keep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/our-public-officials-have-forgotten-that-they-are-ultimately/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/smile-in-the-mirror-do-that-every-morning-and-you-ll-start-to-see-a/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [Think of the Earth as a turning point in eternity. Think of the Earth as a meeting point in infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/think-of-the-earth-as-a-turning-point-in-eternity-think-of-the-earth/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [If your life changes, we can change the world, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/if-your-life-changes-we-can-change-the-world-too/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [ When people get cynical about love, they should look at us \[Yoko and John Lennon\] and see it is possible ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/when-people-get-cynical-about-love-they-should-look-at-us-yoko-and/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [True artists are prophets. I don't want to be that prophetic in that sense because it's so lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/true-artists-are-prophets-i-don-t-want-to-be-that-prophetic-in-that/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [The first idea, the first art piece I ever did, was when I was four. I cut the seed of a pear in half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/the-first-idea-the-first-art-piece-i-ever-did-was-when-i-was-four-i/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [John wrote with a very deep love for the human race and a concern for its future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/john-wrote-with-a-very-deep-love-for-the-human-race-and-a-concern-for/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [I always believed that my work should be unfinished in the sense that I encourage people to add their creativity to it, either conceptually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-always-believed-that-my-work-should-be-unfinished-in-the-sense-that/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [Losing my daughter was a very serious pain. There was always some empty space in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/losing-my-daughter-was-a-very-serious-pain-there-was-always-some/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [People don't remember each tree in a park but all of us benefit from the trees. And in a way, artists are like trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/people-don-t-remember-each-tree-in-a-park-but-all-of-us-benefit-from/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [Marriage is a gamble, let's be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/marriage-is-a-gamble-let-s-be-honest/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [It's difficult to explain love. You want to explain water? You need a book for it. There are many different ways to explain what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/it-s-difficult-to-explain-love-you-want-to-explain-water-you-need-a/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [Being alone is very difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/being-alone-is-very-difficult/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [Many people do remember their births, but they deny it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/many-people-do-remember-their-births-but-they-deny-it/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

[Explore all 391 Yoko Ono quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

## More Accused quotes

> [We resent being faced with facts we'd prefer to ignore as much as being wrongly accused of doing something we haven't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/we-resent-being-faced-with-facts-we-d-prefer-to-ignore-as-much-as/)

[Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/)

> [Jesus Himself was criticized. He wasn't a glutton and drunkard, but He was accused of being those things. Why? Because He went to parties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/jesus-himself-was-criticized-he-wasn-t-a-glutton-and-drunkard-but-he/)

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> [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/)

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> [You're lying through your fangs," Iggy accused. Fang tried to play innocent--but "innocent Fang" is an oxymoron, so it didn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/you-re-lying-through-your-fangs-iggy-accused-fang-tried-to-play/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

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[W. D. Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-d-snodgrass/)

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[Christian Schwochow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-schwochow/)

> [You can make a very good argument that society would be much worse off if you let 10 rapists and murderers free rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/you-can-make-a-very-good-argument-that-society-would-be-much-worse/)

[Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/)

> [Here, I am looking for a document issued by a public attorney. I don't find. He is accused by the political leaders of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-verges/here-i-am-looking-for-a-document-issued-by-a-public-attorney-i-don-t/)

[Jacques Verges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-verges/)

> [For although Claudius had been accused of gambling and drunkenness, not only were no worse sins laid to his charge, but he had successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-although-claudius-had-been-accused-of-gambling-and-drunkenness/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A man may be accused of cowardice for fleeing away from all manner of physical dangers but when things supernatural, insubstantial and inexplicable threaten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/a-man-may-be-accused-of-cowardice-for-fleeing-away-from-all-manner-of/)

[Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/)

> [When Hillary Clinton was in the Clinton White House as first lady, the left - the right accused her of being wide eyed radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/when-hillary-clinton-was-in-the-clinton-white-house-as-first-lady-the/)

[David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/)

> [I've been accused of trying too hard to rescue people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/i-ve-been-accused-of-trying-too-hard-to-rescue-people/)

[Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/)

> [“Looks sure can be deceiving: not every ‘ugly’ person is a ‘bad’ person (or is guilty of whatever it is that they are accused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/looks-sure-can-be-deceiving-not-every-ugly-person-is-a-bad-person-or/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [I have been accused of never saying no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-have-been-accused-of-never-saying-no/)

[William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/)

Browse all 618 Accused quotes

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