I try to be good but sometimes a person just has to break out and act like the wild and springy thing one used to be. It's impossible not to remember wild an want it back.
Mary OliverRead
My first two books are out of print and, okay, they can sleep there comfortably. It's early work, derivative work.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The author reflects on their early work, acknowledging its shortcomings while accepting it as part of their growth.
Mary Oliver's quote emphasizes the journey of an artist and how early works, which may feel unoriginal or derivative, are natural parts of development. It highlights the importance of allowing oneself to evolve and accept past efforts, understanding that they contribute to one's artistic identity without needing to remain in the spotlight.
Themes
ArtGrowthAcceptanceCreativityDerivative
In practice
Example use cases
During an art seminar, one could use this quote to encourage aspiring artists to embrace their journey and the evolution of their work.
More from Mary Oliver
All quotes βAt the time I was growing up, literature was involved with the so-called confessional poets. And I was not interested in that. I did not think that specific and personal perspective functioned well for the reader at all.
Mary OliverRead
I know the sag of the unfinished poem. And I know the release of the poem that is finished.
Mary OliverRead
For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.
Mary OliverRead
If I have any lasting worth, it will be because I have tried to make people remember what the Earth is meant to look like.
Mary OliverRead
Every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight, that leaves me like a needle in the haystack of light.
Mary OliverRead
Similar quotes
Fashion is where I make my living. I'm not knocking it; it's a pleasure to make a living that way. Then there's the deeper pleasure of doing my portraits.
Richard AvedonRead
O wonderful, wonderful, and most wonderful wonderful! And yet again wonderful, and after that, out of all hooping.
William ShakespeareRead
A museum should not just be a place for fancy paintings but should be a place where we can communicate our lives through our everyday objects.
Orhan PamukRead
Most photographers seem to operate with a pane of glass between themselves and their subjects. They just can't get inside and know the subject.
W. Eugene SmithRead
How well I would write if I were not here!
Italo CalvinoRead
When the world becomes a massive mess with nobody at the helm, it's time for artists to make their mark.
Joni MitchellRead