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The thing about writing is that if you have the impulse, you will find the time.
Seamus Heaney
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Writing requires a genuine desire, and if that desire is present, time can always be found to do it.

Seamus Heaney's quote emphasizes the intrinsic motivation behind writing. He suggests that when one feels a strong desire or impulse to write, they will naturally prioritize it and carve out time in their busy lives to pursue that passion, regardless of external circumstances.

Themes

WritingTimeImpulsePassionCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech at a writers' conference to inspire aspiring authors.

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Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what's said and what's done.
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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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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.
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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.
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