David Bowie Quotes About Fame and Success

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When the world lost David Bowie in early 2016, the news came as a shock to the world. The icon has been very private about a long battle with cancer and when he passed away, it left millions of fans, friends and supporters shocked and mourning a tremendous loss. This is because David Bowie wasn’t just a great performer or a talented singer, he was a true inspiration to many.

 

The English rocker is known for being one of these most influential names in all of rock music. He also has his own rock alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. In 1996, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has toured around the world and been hailed as one of the most profound minds of our time.

 

However, for many David Bowie was a true inspiration for his battle with mental illness. The performer was very open about his struggles with mental illness, which haunted him for a great deal of his life. He also delivered some of his best work on topics related to his struggles with depression. Bowie was actually institutionalized for his struggles, but then gained even more fans when he overcame this setback and continued to perform and create new music.

 

During his career, Bowie has won several awards including those from the American Music Awards, BAFTA Television Awards and the BRIT Awards. He is also noted as a fashion icon.

 

He was also known for his over-the-top looks and outrageous costumes. He wore provocative clothing and makeup when he performed, moves that were unheard of during the time but that encouraged millions of fans to embrace their own unique style and preferences. In addition to performing on stage, the performer also dabbled in acting, including his iconic role in the film Labryinth. He also started in The Elephant Man on Broadway.

 

The Grammy-award winning performer also wrote musicals and experimented with different types and styles of music up until his death in 2016. Bowie has created more than 25 studio albums and written his own off-Broadway play.

 

Many describe David Bowie as a man of many talents but if there was one thing that he for sure knew a lot about, it was success. This talented performer managed to reach tremendous levels of success during his long and prosperous career. This is perhaps why some of our favorite quotes on success come from the late, great David Bowie.

 

How Much is David Bowie Worth?

When he passed away it was estimated that David Bowie was worth $230 million. In the 1990s, he famously earned $55 million by selling bonds of his pre 1990 work. With a career that spanned more than 50 years, a great deal of his money actually came from record sales and tours. This includes nine platinum albums in the UK and five in the United States.

Our Favorite David Bowie Quotes

David Bowie is often hailed for his creative lyrics and for his inspirational words of wisdom. Here are some of our favorite quotes from the performer about success and fame that really encompass his unique and profound way of looking at the world.
“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”

 

“Fame itself… doesn’t really afford you anything more than a good seat in a restaurant.”

 

“I’ve never responded well to entrenched negative thinking.”

 

“What I have is a malevolent curiosity. That’s what drives my need to write and what probably leads me to look at things a little askew. I do tend to take a different perspective from most people.”

 

“Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them.”

 

“I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.”

 

“Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.”

 

“As an adolescent, I was painfully shy, withdrawn. I didn’t really have the nerve to sing my songs on stage, and nobody else was doing them. I decided to do them in disguise so that I didn’t have to actually go through the humiliation of going on stage and being myself. I continued designing characters with their own complete personalities and environments. I put them into interviews with me! Rather than be me — which must be incredibly boring to anyone — I’d take Ziggy in, or Aladdin Sane or The Thin White Duke. It was a very strange thing to do.”

 

“All my big mistakes are when I try to second-guess or please an audience. My work is always stronger when I get very selfish about it.”

 

“I’m just an individual who doesn’t feel that I need to have somebody qualify my work in any particular way. I’m working for me.”

 

“I feel confident imposing change on myself. It’s a lot more fun progressing than looking back. That’s why I need to throw curve balls.”

 

“I suppose for me as an artist it wasn’t always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture I was living in.”

 

“Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them.”

“Don’t you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really really long poem about everything.”

“I was virtually trying anything … And I think I have done just about everything that it’s possible to do — except really dangerous things, like being an explorer. But anything that Western culture has to offer — I’ve put myself through it.”

“Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.”

“All my big mistakes are when I try to second-guess or please an audience. My work is always stronger when I get very selfish about it.”

 

Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity. So it’s like, just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again. You’d better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s really the only unique situation that’s going to be left”

 

“I felt I really wanted to back off from music completely and just work within the visual arts in some way. I started painting quite passionately at that time.”
“I don’t have stylistic loyalty. That’s why people perceive me changing all the time. But there is a real continuity in my subject matter. As an artist of artifice, I do believe I have more integrity than any one of my contemporaries.”
“Fame itself…. Doesn’t really afford you anything more than a good seat in a restaurant.”

 

“I’m just an individual who doesn’t feel that I need to have someone qualify my work in any particular way. I’m working for me.”

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