I often ask myself if i can go to a small town and live an anonymous life. Its my scoring system for personal pride/ego.
Does such an anonymous life stop me from inventing things or think about stuff deeply. I don't think so,..
Having grown up in a small town, I can confirm this. The smaller the town, the more it becomes true that almost everyone in town has either heard of you from a friend or relative, or knows you directly. :)