There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
As things are, and as fundamentally they must always be, poetry is not a career, but a mug's game. No honest poet can ever feel quite sure of the permanent value of what he has written: He may have wasted his time and messed up his life for nothing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poetry is a challenging pursuit that often lacks guaranteed recognition or success.
This quote highlights the inherent struggle and uncertainty of being a poet. T.S. Eliot emphasizes that poetry should not be viewed as a profession or a means to financial success, but rather as a deeply personal and often thankless endeavor where the poet may question the value of their work and the time they invest in it.
Themes
PoetryValueStruggleUncertaintyArt
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a discussion about the challenges of pursuing a creative career.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes →Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
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I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
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If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
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For I have known them all already, known them all— Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
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In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
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