Long live teachers of children, because they can show children how they can save the world.
Pete SeegerRead
Some may find them merely diverting melodies. Others may find them incitements to Red revolution. And who will say if either or both is wrong? Not I.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how music can be interpreted in multiple ways, revealing its power and the subjective nature of art.
In this quote, Pete Seeger acknowledges the diverse perceptions of music, highlighting that while some individuals may view songs as mere entertainment, others may see them as powerful calls to action or social change. He emphasizes the importance of personal interpretation and the notion that there is no singular correct perspective regarding the impact of music.
Themes
MusicInterpretationArtRevolutionSubjectivity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the role of music in social movements during a lecture.
More from Pete Seeger
All quotes →According to my definition of God, I'm not an atheist. Because I think God is everything. Whenever I open my eyes, I'm looking at God. Whenever I'm listening to something, I'm listening to God.
Pete SeegerRead
Songs are funny things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells. I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history.
Pete SeegerRead
Well, normally I’m against big things. I think the world is going to be saved by millions of small things. Too many things can go wrong when they get big.” — Pete Seeger (on how he felt about attending his big 90th birthday bash last year)
Pete SeegerRead
I’ve never sung anywhere without giving the people listening to me a chance to join in - as a kid, as a lefty, as a man touring the U.S.A. and the world, as an oldster. I guess it’s kind of a religion with me. Participation. That’s what’s going to save the human race.
Pete SeegerRead
I write a song because I want to. I think the moment you start writing it to make money, you're starting to kill yourself artistically.
Pete SeegerRead
Similar quotes
You are both a work of art and an artist at work.
Erwin McmanusRead
When I watch a movie, someone's beauty isn't what engages me: it's what's going on internally. And I imagine it's what the audience thinks, too.
Toni ColletteRead
Nobody really needs a painting. It's something you kind of create value for in a way that you don't with a company. It's an act of collective faith what an object is worth. Maintaining that value system is part of what a dealer does, not just making a transaction but making sure that important art feels important.
Larry GagosianRead
I often use the same harmonies as pop music because the complexity of what I do is elsewhere.
Ennio MorriconeRead
A special kind of beauty exists which is born in language, of language, and for language.
Gaston BachelardRead
To you I am neither man nor woman. I come before you as an author only.
Charlotte BronteRead