No press, no television. If my mom calls and says, 'Did you hear

Hear the words of Lady Gaga, who spoke as one weary of noise and hungry for silence: “No press, no television. If my mom calls and says, ‘Did you hear about?’ I don’t want to know nothing about anything that is going on in relation to music. I shut it all off.” These words carry not only the cry of an artist, but the wisdom of the ages—that the soul cannot create when it is drowned in the voices of others, that true strength sometimes lies in turning away from the world.

The press and television, those great mirrors of society, often claim to celebrate, yet they devour. They praise with one breath and tear down with the next. For the artist, who lives not by walls but by open heart, this endless noise can suffocate the flame of creation. Gaga’s declaration is thus heroic: she chooses silence over distraction, inner truth over outward clamor. She teaches that to preserve one’s spirit, one must sometimes exile oneself from the chorus of opinions.

This wisdom is not new. Consider the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who wrote that an artist must “go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows.” He too fled the noise of cities and critics, retreating into solitude so that he might hear the quiet murmur of the soul. Like Gaga, he understood that genius is not born in the echo of the crowd, but in the stillness where the heart speaks to itself.

Even in history’s courts of power, we see this lesson. Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome, surrounded by the tumult of empire, withdrew into his private writings—his Meditations. Though he ruled armies and provinces, he knew that without silence he would lose himself to flattery and slander alike. Gaga’s choice to “shut it all off” mirrors this ancient practice: to step away from the world’s chatter so the soul may breathe.

There is a deeper truth in her words as well. By shutting off the noise, she honors her own humanity before her fame. Too often the world forgets that behind the spectacle of music lies a person, fragile and searching. To silence the press and television is not to despise them, but to remember that one’s worth is not measured in headlines. In this way, she reclaims her identity, not as a product of industry, but as a living being.

The lesson is profound: each of us must choose when to listen and when to withdraw. In an age of endless noise, of news and gossip at every turn, wisdom lies in knowing when to “shut it all off.” Not every voice deserves to be heard within our hearts, not every message must be consumed. There is power in silence, and in silence, there is freedom.

Therefore, let all who hear take this counsel: when the noise of the world overwhelms you, dare to step back. Turn off the screens, silence the chatter, and retreat into yourself. Listen to the inner voice that is often drowned beneath the clamor of others. For in that quiet you may find not only rest, but the wellspring of your truest strength.

Thus, the teaching endures: greatness is not sustained by endless exposure, but by balance—by knowing when to shine in the world and when to retreat into stillness. Lady Gaga’s words remind us that silence is not weakness but protection, not escape but renewal. To “shut it all off” is, at times, the most courageous act an artist—or any soul—can make.