"When you're not concerned with succeeding, you can work with complete freedom"
About this Quote
The specific intent feels practical, not mystical. “Not concerned” doesn’t mean you don’t want it, just that you refuse to let it run the room. That’s a working comedian’s strategy: if you’re chasing the laugh, you telegraph neediness; if you’re chasing the truth of the bit, the laugh shows up as a byproduct. David’s comic persona has always been a case study in this. Seinfeld and Curb thrive on characters who sabotage conventional “wins” in favor of stubborn principles, petty fixations, or sheer honesty. The freedom isn’t abstract; it’s the freedom to be difficult, to be unheroic, to follow a premise to its awkward end without sanding down the edges for mass appeal.
The subtext is a critique of the success economy that turns art into risk management. Anxiety makes you write what will land, not what’s sharp. Detachment lets you risk being misunderstood, which is often where originality lives. Coming from David, it’s also a sly confession: the guy who made a career out of social failure understands that creative freedom often starts when you stop trying to look like you’re winning.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
David, Larry. (2026, January 18). When you're not concerned with succeeding, you can work with complete freedom. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-youre-not-concerned-with-succeeding-you-can-20147/
Chicago Style
David, Larry. "When you're not concerned with succeeding, you can work with complete freedom." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-youre-not-concerned-with-succeeding-you-can-20147/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When you're not concerned with succeeding, you can work with complete freedom." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-youre-not-concerned-with-succeeding-you-can-20147/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.






