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Creativity Quote by Wayne Newton

"Sure, I've been a victim, but in retrospect, most of it has been of my own making. I allowed it to happen"

About this Quote

Wayne Newton’s line lands with the plainspoken sting of a performer who’s spent decades learning how the spotlight can double as a trap. “Sure, I’ve been a victim” nods to the familiar narrative the public loves to grant celebrities: chewed up by managers, tabloid machinery, Vegas politics, the endless expectations of being “Mr. Las Vegas.” Then he pivots: “but in retrospect” isn’t just hindsight, it’s a refusal to cash in on grievance. He doesn’t deny harm; he reassigns agency.

The subtext is about consent in slow motion. “Most of it has been of my own making” suggests not one catastrophic decision but a series of small yeses: taking the gig, trusting the wrong people, tolerating exploitative dynamics because the show must go on. In entertainment, victimhood often comes bundled with a ready-made villain. Newton sidesteps that simplicity and points to something messier: how ambition can quietly negotiate away your boundaries.

“I allowed it to happen” is the harshest clause because it risks sounding like self-blame, yet it’s also a bid for control. For a musician whose brand depended on polish and resilience, admitting passivity is its own kind of defiance. Culturally, it reads like an older-school showman translating a modern therapy-world concept - accountability - into the language of grit. The intent isn’t confession for its own sake; it’s a warning wrapped in humility: fame doesn’t just take from you. It asks what you’re willing to surrender, one compromise at a time.

Quote Details

TopicLearning from Mistakes
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Newton, Wayne. (2026, January 16). Sure, I've been a victim, but in retrospect, most of it has been of my own making. I allowed it to happen. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sure-ive-been-a-victim-but-in-retrospect-most-of-108232/

Chicago Style
Newton, Wayne. "Sure, I've been a victim, but in retrospect, most of it has been of my own making. I allowed it to happen." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sure-ive-been-a-victim-but-in-retrospect-most-of-108232/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Sure, I've been a victim, but in retrospect, most of it has been of my own making. I allowed it to happen." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sure-ive-been-a-victim-but-in-retrospect-most-of-108232/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Wayne Add to List
Wayne Newton: Victimhood, Agency, and Hindsight
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About the Author

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Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is a Musician from USA.

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