Quote Of The Day By David Bowie: 'If You Feel Safe In The Area You're Working...'

David Bowie was a legendary performer the likes of which the world had never seen before, and indeed hasn't seen since. Born in London in 1947, Bowie rose to prominence in the late 1960s before experiencing a meteoric rise in the '70s. Over the course of his five-decade-long career, the "Space Oddity" hitmaker constantly evolved both his sound and his aesthetic, with many of David Bowie's most iconic looks being refreshingly unburdened by traditional gender norms. He was someone who could truly do it all, whether crafting a haunting meditation on mental health in the form of "All the Madmen," capturing the attitude of a generation with his lyrics to Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes," or setting the airwaves on fire with Bowie and Queen's anthem, "Under Pressure." 

Bowie's success wasn't limited to just music either. He also enjoyed a successful acting career, which kicked off in earnest with Bowie's leading role as Thomas Jerome Newton in the 1976 film "The Man Who Fell to Earth." The singer later starred in the '80s cult classic "Labyrinth," and had very brief but very memorable appearances in iconic movies like Martin Scorsese's 1988 religious epic "The Last Temptation of Christ" and David Lynch's 1992 surrealist psychological horror "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me." Indeed, while Bowie may have passed away in 2016 at the age of 69, he left behind a legacy that is sure to last for generations to come — and he certainly didn't do that by playing it safe. That's why we've chosen the "Chameleon of Rock" himself to impart today's chosen quote of the day.

"If you feel safe in the area you're working in, you're not working in the right area," David Bowie asserted during an interview for the 1997 BBC documentary "Inspirations" (via Instagram). "Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth," he continued, concluding, "And when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting."

If you need proof that Bowie lived by this philosophy quite literally right up until he sadly bid farewell to this earthly plane, go ahead and give 2016's "Blackstar" a listen.

With his quote about stepping beyond one's comfort zone, David Bowie was clearly stating that comfort is the enemy of innovation, creative or otherwise. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was essentially arguing that no one ever did anything particularly fresh or interesting by sticking to what they knew, and that one of the best indicators that someone is onto something special is if even they aren't 100% certain that it's going to work. Obviously, the "Suffragette City" hitmaker practiced what he preached in this regard. Bowie constantly redefined himself, often redefining music and the culture surrounding it in the process too. From "Ziggy Stardust" to "Aladdin Sane" to "The Thin White Duke" and beyond, the iconic singer frequently introduced (and subsequently killed off) new personas and identities, regardless of what fans or critics had to say.

Bowie made it explicit in his interview for BBC's "Inspirations" that he did not believe in being beholden to popular expectations. "I think it's terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people's expectations. I think they [...] generally produce their worst work when they do that," the singer opined (via Instagram). This attitude can also be seen in Bowie's acting career. The performer was, of course, famously larger than life. However, while his brief appearance in "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" was memorable chiefly for being characteristically surreal and off the wall, Bowie's performance in "The Last Temptation of Christ" was memorable, and widely praised, for being uncharacteristically pulled back and understated, but still fantastic. The lesson to be learned here is that while stepping outside your wheelhouse can be frightening, it can also be incredibly rewarding.

• "I don't expect the human race to progress in too many areas. However, having a child with an ear infection makes one hugely grateful for antibiotics."
• "Fame itself, of course, doesn't really afford you anything more than a good seat in a restaurant."
• "I don't think we've even seen the tip of the iceberg. I think the potential of what the internet is going to do to society, both good and bad, is unimaginable."
• "The depressing realization in this age of dumbing down is that the questions have moved from, 'Was Nietzsche right about God?' to, 'How big was his d**k?' Make the best of every moment. We're not evolving. We're not going anywhere."
• "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring."