I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it.
Alanis MorissetteRead
My greatest achievement is being able to write records that are real snapshots of what's going on in my life. I won't repeat myself for the sake of commerce, or to please other people.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the importance of authenticity in creative expression over commercial success.
In this quote, Alanis Morissette emphasizes her belief that true artistry stems from genuine personal experiences rather than commercial pressures. She values creating music that reflects her real-life experiences and emotions over merely producing works that satisfy commercial demands or the expectations of others.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of integrity in art, I could reference this quote to emphasize staying true to oneself.
I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it.
Music helps you find the truths you must bring into the rest of your life.
My own approach has always been to push intense emotions down and attempt to deal with them later. When I was younger, I was terrified to express anger because it would often kick-start a horrible reaction in the men in my life.
To me the biggest irony of this lifetime that I'm living is that for someone who thrives in the public eye in the creative ways that I do, I actually don't enjoy being in the public eye.
I'll be writing songs till I die. There's just no question.
When someone says that I'm angry it's actually a compliment. I have not always been direct with my anger in my relationships, which is part of why I'd write about it in my songs because I had such fear around expressing anger as a woman.
Often, especially young artists, you feel like you should be doing something. And I think that can be very destructive because creativity is about connecting with the stuff that's deep inside you and making something out of that.
Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream, it takes over as the number one hormone; it bosses the enzymes; directs the pineal gland; plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to film is more film.
Don't worry about how pretty (the story) sounds, how lilting it is, and the imagery, and the metaphor, all that. Most readers don't care. It's the people in your book that matter.
The pen is the language of the soul; as the concepts that in it are generated, such will be its writings.
I find with records, they become what they're going to become. They take on a power and a direction of their own. Part of making records is to honor that and not try to force it.
'Vogue' and 'Vice' may appear to some to see the world through different lenses. But in my view, both are fearless and breathtaking, with unquenchable curiosity and vigor.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.