Long live teachers of children, because they can show children how they can save the world.
Pete SeegerRead
Honest songs aren`t written for money.
Interpretation
Honest artistic expressions are not motivated by financial gain.
Pete Seeger's quote emphasizes that genuine creativity stems from passion and truth rather than a desire for profit. It suggests that true art is created for its own sake, reflecting the artist's values and experiences instead of catering to commercial demands.
In practice
During a discussion about the value of art in society.
Long live teachers of children, because they can show children how they can save the world.
According to my definition of God, I'm not an atheist. Because I think God is everything. Whenever I open my eyes, I'm looking at God. Whenever I'm listening to something, I'm listening to God.
Songs are funny things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells. I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history.
Well, normally I’m against big things. I think the world is going to be saved by millions of small things. Too many things can go wrong when they get big.” — Pete Seeger (on how he felt about attending his big 90th birthday bash last year)
I’ve never sung anywhere without giving the people listening to me a chance to join in - as a kid, as a lefty, as a man touring the U.S.A. and the world, as an oldster. I guess it’s kind of a religion with me. Participation. That’s what’s going to save the human race.
I write a song because I want to. I think the moment you start writing it to make money, you're starting to kill yourself artistically.
Music and comedy are so linked. The rhythm of comedy is connected to the rhythm of music. They’re both about creating tension and knowing when to let it go. I’m always surprised when somebody funny is not musical.
Generally, we use light to illuminate other things. I like the thingness, the materiality of light itself. So it feels like it's occupying the space, making a plane, being something that was there, not just passing through. Because light is just passing through. I make these spaces that seem to arrest it for our perception.
I don't make any distinction between a popular TV series or blockbuster film and doing Shakespeare. They're different, but as long as the material is good and the intention is honourable, it's all the same to me.
You are either born a writer or you are not.
The writer concerned more with technique than truth becomes a technician, not an artist.
I hate to say this, but I always listen to the music and the instrumentation first, and then grab on to the lyrics later.
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