Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what's said and what's done.
Seamus HeaneyRead
We go to poetry, we go to literature in general, to be forwarded within ourselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Literature and poetry help us understand and progress in our inner journeys.
Seamus Heaney suggests that engaging with poetry and literature serves a profound purpose of self-discovery and personal growth. These art forms allow individuals to explore their emotions, thoughts, and experiences, facilitating an inward journey that enhances their understanding of themselves.
Themes
PoetryLiteratureSelf-DiscoveryPersonal GrowthInner Journey
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on creative writing, this quote can inspire participants to delve deep into their emotions through their work.
More from Seamus Heaney
All quotes βWhat I've said before, only half in joke, is that everybody in Ireland is famous. Or, maybe better, say everybody is familiar.
Seamus HeaneyRead
The kinds of truth that art gives us many, many times are small truths. They don't have the resonance of an encyclical from the Pope stating an eternal truth, but they partake of the quality of eternity. There is a sort of timeless delight in them.
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If self is a location, so is love: Bearings taken, markings, cardinal points, Options, obstinacies, dug heels, and distance, Here and there and now and then, a stance.
Seamus HeaneyRead
In my early teens, I acquired a kind of representative status: went on behalf of the family to wakes and funerals and so on. And I would be counted on as an adult contributor when it came to farm work - the hay in the summertime, for example.
Seamus HeaneyRead
I think that water is immediately interesting. It's just, as an element, it is full of life. It is associated with origin; it is bright - it reflects you.
Seamus HeaneyRead
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But it's writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can't or won't, it's time for you to close the book and do something else. Wash the car, maybe.
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It is enough for a poet to be the guilty conscience of his age.
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One of the reasons I paint black people is because I am a black person.
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