Give me hunger, pain and want, Shut me out with shame and failure From your doors of gold and fame, Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger! But leave me a little love.
Carl SandburgRead
I'm either going to be a writer or a bum.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the deep commitment and passion required to pursue a creative career, contrasting it with the risks of failure and disillusionment.
Carl Sandburg's quote encapsulates the struggle and determination involved in pursuing a career as a writer. It highlights the idea that a true artist must be all in, embracing both the potential for greatness and the pitfalls of failure, suggesting that in creative pursuits, the stakes are incredibly high, forcing one to fully commit to their craft or risk becoming lost and unfulfilled.
Themes
WritingCommitmentFailureArtCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
An aspiring writer might quote this to friends to express their passion for writing despite its challenges.
More from Carl Sandburg
All quotes βNothing happens... but first a dream.
Carl SandburgRead
Read the dictionary from A to Izzard today. Get a vocabulary. Brush up on your diction. See whether wisdom is just a lot of language.
Carl SandburgRead
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Carl SandburgRead
There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.
Carl SandburgRead
A liar goes in fine clothes, a liar goes in rags, a liar is a liar, clothes or no clothes.
Carl SandburgRead
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