There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
The work of creation is never without travail.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Creation often involves struggle and hardship.
T. S. Eliot's quote highlights the idea that the process of creating anything worthwhile—be it art, literature, or any other form of expression—often comes with challenges and difficulties. This ‘travail’ is an essential part of the creative journey, suggesting that true creation cannot happen without embracing the struggles and efforts required to bring something beautiful or meaningful into existence.
Themes
CreationTravailStruggleArtEffort
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the artistic process, one could cite this quote to emphasize the difficulties artists face.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes →Half 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.
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If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
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For I have known them all already, known them all— Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
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In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
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I try to remember that the job - as well as the plight, and the unexpected joy - of the artist is to embrace uncertainty, to be sharpened and honed by it.
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