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Meaning
The quote urges a speaker to hold back immediate impulses and keep a firm grip on direct feeling before turning experience into words. It suggests that language can weaken sensation if one is not careful and steady.
When It Was Said
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Who It Was Said To
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Historical Context
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Source
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
No source found on Wikiquote; the quote is listed as attributed to Seamus Heaney.
Did You Know?
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About Seamus Heaney
Irish poet, playwright and translator
Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet, playwright, and translator. He won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature and is closely associated with modern Irish poetry. He died in 2013. Heaney’s first major published collection was Death of a Naturalist, released in 1966. His work and reputation drew strong praise from other writers and critics, who often described him as a major Irish voice and a poet of unusual range and narrative skill.
More from Seamus Heaney (120 quotes) →Other sayings from Seamus Heaney
- “My passport's green.”Seamus Heaney
- “I came from a farming background, and my career was teaching.”Seamus Heaney
- “I credit poetry for making this space-walk possible.”Seamus Heaney
- “The day I entered St Columb's College, my parents bought me a Conway Stewart pen. It was a special afternoon,…”Seamus Heaney
More Language quotes
- “I want to hear you wound my lovely language with your rough barbarian tongue.”Patrick Rothfuss
- “I grew up speaking Vietnamese - that was my first language because my parents didn't speak any English, and I…”Hong Chau
- “So many people understand language, but few people understand the real meaning of language. They that underst…”Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
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Books by Seamus Heaney
Beowulf
2000
The Spirit Level
1996
Death of a naturalist
1966
Opened Ground
1998
District and circle
2006