It's a privilege to serve the poor, to be servants of noble Africans, but I better belong in the rehearsal room or in the studio with my band. That's where I want to be and I still wake up in the morning with melodies in my head.
BonoRead
It's much easier to be successful than it is to be relevant. The tricks won't keep you relevant. Tricks might keep you popular for a while, but in all honesty, I don't know how U2 will stay relevant. I know we've got a future. I know we can fill stadiums. And yet with every record, I think, 'Is this it? Are we still relevant?'
Interpretation
What this quote means
Maintaining relevance is more challenging than achieving success.
Bono reflects on the difficulty of remaining relevant in the ever-changing landscape of the music industry. While achieving success, such as filling stadiums, is commendable, it requires ongoing self-evaluation and innovation to ensure that one continues to connect with audiences and avoid becoming obsolete over time.
Themes
SuccessRelevanceInnovationMusicAudience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire a team during a brainstorming session about future projects in our organization.
More from Bono
All quotes →Perspective is the cure for depression.
BonoRead
At a certain point, I just felt, you know, God is not looking for alms, God is looking for action.
BonoRead
God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.
BonoRead
Hanging out with politicians and corporations is very unhip work. But I think that the U2 audience have turned out to be incredibly subtle in their understanding.
BonoRead
Until it's on the radio or online, it's not real. With U2, our album isn't finished until it's in the stores.
BonoRead
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I've worked hard, but this business can be tough, and I just consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the career that I have, and to still be having so much fun playing drums and making music.
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