Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.
Robert FulghumRead
As one old gentleman put it, " Son, I don't care if you're stark nekkid and wear a bone in your nose. If you kin fiddle, you're all right with me. It's the music we make that counts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that personal appearance or societal norms are insignificant compared to the value of one's talents and contributions.
Robert Fulghum's quote communicates a powerful message about acceptance and the true measure of a person's worth. It suggests that it's not external appearances or societal judgments that define us, but rather the impact we make through our skills and the joy we bring to others. The metaphor of 'fiddling' symbolizes artistry and creativity, underscoring that what truly matters is the music—the essence of our passions and contributions—rather than how we present ourselves to the world.
Themes
MusicAcceptanceTalentJudgmentArtistry
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech highlighting the importance of skill over status.
More from Robert Fulghum
All quotes →If dandelions were rare and fragile, people would knock themselves out to pay $14.95 a plant, raise them by hand in greenhouses, and form dandelion societies and all that. But, they are everywhere and don't need us and kind of do what they please. So we call them weeds and murder them at every opportunity
Robert FulghumRead
We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness — and call it love — true love.
Robert FulghumRead
Peace is not something you wish for, it's something you make
Robert FulghumRead
Doing a straight-forward, clear-cut task that has a beginning and an end balances out the complexity-without-end that often vexes the rest of my life. Sacred simplicity.
Robert FulghumRead
The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.
Robert FulghumRead
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I find it relatively easy to keep my clothes on because I don't really feel like taking them off. It's not an urge I have. For me, 'risky' is revealing what really happened in my life through music. Risky is writing confessional songs and telling the true story about a person with enough details so everyone knows who that person is. That's putting myself out there, maybe even more than taking my shirt off.
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