There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
The last thing one discovers in composing a work is what to put first.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the difficulty of deciding the order in which to present creative ideas.
T. S. Eliot's quote reflects the complexity and nuances involved in the creative process, particularly in art and writing. It suggests that the final decisions about the arrangement of elements in a work often come only after the creative process is nearly complete, emphasizing the importance of careful consideration and thoughtfulness in presenting ideas effectively.
Themes
CompositionCreativityOrderArtWriting
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the challenges of the creative process, one might say, 'As T. S. Eliot noted, the last thing one discovers in composing a work is what to put first.'
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes βHalf 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.
T. S. EliotRead
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
T. S. EliotRead
For I have known them all already, known them allβ Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
T. S. EliotRead
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
T. S. EliotRead
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Inscribe all human effort with one word, artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete!
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You will write if you will write without thinking of the result in terms of a result, but think of the writing in terms of discovery, which is to say that creation must take place between the pen and the paper, not before in a thought or afterwards in a recasting... It will come if it is there and if you will let it come.
Gertrude SteinRead