"Misfits aren't misfits among other misfits"
About this Quote
Coming from Manilow - a mainstream hitmaker whose very brand is big sentiment delivered with polish - the subtext is quietly personal. His career sits in that strange space where mass appeal can still feel like marginality: the crooner dismissed as “uncool,” the showman whose sincerity reads as suspect in eras that prize irony. Add the historical context of his generation’s closet culture and later-life coming out, and the quote reads less like a Hallmark reassurance and more like a survival tactic: find your people; the shame evaporates when it stops being mirrored back at you.
The intent, then, is communal rather than corrective. It doesn’t ask the “misfit” to self-improve into acceptability; it asks them to reframe belonging as something you build collectively. There’s also a sly comfort in the repetition: “misfits… misfits… misfits.” By the third beat, the word loses its sting, turning into a badge. That’s pop music logic at its best - not denying pain, but giving it a chorus you can sing with others.
Quote Details
| Topic | Friendship |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Manilow, Barry. (2026, January 15). Misfits aren't misfits among other misfits. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/misfits-arent-misfits-among-other-misfits-38676/
Chicago Style
Manilow, Barry. "Misfits aren't misfits among other misfits." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/misfits-arent-misfits-among-other-misfits-38676/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Misfits aren't misfits among other misfits." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/misfits-arent-misfits-among-other-misfits-38676/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.









