Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what's said and what's done.
Seamus HeaneyRead
I suppose I'm saying that defiance is actually part of the lyric job
Interpretation
What this quote means
Defiance is an essential aspect of creativity and expression in art.
In this quote, Seamus Heaney emphasizes that the act of defiance is integral to the role of a lyricist or artist. It suggests that artists often challenge norms and confront societal issues through their work, making defiance a necessary component of their creative expression. This resistance to conformity allows them to explore deeper truths and convey powerful emotions in their art.
Themes
DefianceArtLyricismCreativityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of artists in society, this quote can highlight the importance of challenging the status quo.
More from Seamus Heaney
All quotes →What 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.
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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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