Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what's said and what's done.
Seamus HeaneyRead
The main thing is to write for the joy of it. Cultivate a work-lust that imagines its haven like your hands at night dreaming the sun in the sunspot of a breast. You are fasted now, light-headed, dangerous. Take off from here.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote stresses the importance of writing for joy rather than obligation.
Seamus Heaney emphasizes that the essence of writing should stem from pure joy and passion. He encourages writers to cultivate a deep desire for their craft, comparing it to a dream which evokes a sense of wonder and intimacy. The imagery implies that writing is not just a task but an act of freedom and exploration that allows one to reveal their inner self. He urges us to break away from constraints and embrace the exhilarating journey of creativity.
Themes
WritingJoyCreativityFreedomPassion
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to budding authors at a workshop.
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.
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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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