--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always write knowing that people will…" description: "\"I always write knowing that people will hear it, but also hoping they'll see it. So a lot of times I make lyrical decisions based on what looks better...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/boots-riley-3549_decision_i-always-write-knowing-that-people-will_726358.jpg" --- # I always write knowing that people will hear it, but also… ![“I always write knowing that people will hear it, but also hoping they'll see it. So a lot of times I make lyrical decisions based on what looks better. Also I write based on what I saw for a video. I obsess over lyrics in the hopes that they'll endure in different ways. I'm very precious about it.” quote by Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/boots-riley-3549_decision_i-always-write-knowing-that-people-will_726358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/boots-riley-3549_decision_i-always-write-knowing-that-people-will_726358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/boots-riley-3549_decision_i-always-write-knowing-that-people-will_726358.jpg) > “I always write knowing that people will hear it, but also hoping they'll see it. So a lot of times I make lyrical decisions based on what looks better. Also I write based on what I saw for a video. I obsess over lyrics in the hopes that they'll endure in different ways. I'm very precious about it.” [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creator balances audience impact with personal artistic vision, shaping lyrics for both auditory and visual resonance. **In simple terms:** Balancing audience impact and personal vision in songwriting. Key Takeaway Consider both listener and visual experience. Themes creativity artistic integrity audience perception Mood reflective determined Type artistic process inspirational When to use this quote - music production - film scoring - visual art - branding - marketing Key Concepts songwriting visual storytelling media synergy Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain authenticity while considering audience expectations? - What visual elements influence your lyrical choices? A Different Perspective Focusing too much on audience may dilute authentic expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ways/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Lyrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrical/) [Lyrical Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrical-decisions-5698194/) [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Lyrics Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics-hopes-5698195/) [Make Lyrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-lyrical-5698196/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I do have an obligation, however, a debt that cannot be settled by my lyrical decisions. My life will be judged by my obedience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-do-have-an-obligation-however-a-debt-that-cannot-be-settled-by-my/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [Lyrical content is very important to me. I'm always trying to make sure the lyrics and music complement each other perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-smith/lyrical-content-is-very-important-to-me-i-m-always-trying-to-make/) [Matt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-smith/) > [The goal with a show is to push forward the passion in a visual and sonic way. It all comes out in a trance-like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/the-goal-with-a-show-is-to-push-forward-the-passion-in-a-visual-and/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [Every writer writes in different ways, and so some write the music first, while others write the lyrics first, and some write while they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-june/every-writer-writes-in-different-ways-and-so-some-write-the-music/) [Valerie June](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-june/) > [With Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward has written the best sort of novel-a beautiful, important book that's both unflinching and tender, heartbreaking and triumphant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-horack/with-salvage-the-bones-jesmyn-ward-has-written-the-best-sort-of-novel/) [Skip Horack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skip-horack/) > [Some of my favorite all-time movies - Wong Kar-wai is just amazing. In the Mood for Love is probably my favorite film ever. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/some-of-my-favorite-all-time-movies-wong-kar-wai-is-just-amazing-in/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [Carol Guess's poems are sexy, intuitive, angry, and hopeful. These lyrical narratives measure the impossibly small distance between love and fear. They are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-schomburg/carol-guess-s-poems-are-sexy-intuitive-angry-and-hopeful-these/) [Zachary Schomburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-schomburg/) > [The language of soul. . . possesses a pronounced lyrical quality which is frequently incompatible to any music other than that ceaseless and relentlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-brown/the-language-of-soul-possesses-a-pronounced-lyrical-quality-which-is/) [Claude Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-brown/) > [What I strive to do with songwriting is be really honest, authentic and try to be open and share that with people. I choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/what-i-strive-to-do-with-songwriting-is-be-really-honest-authentic/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [I've always been a fan of plain writing. I hate metaphor-laden, heavily larded, lyrical writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-azaria/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-plain-writing-i-hate-metaphor-laden-heavily/) [Hank Azaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-azaria/) > [What inspired me as a child is the same thing that inspires me now: being nice. I always try to one up everybody with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joell-ortiz/what-inspired-me-as-a-child-is-the-same-thing-that-inspires-me-now/) [Joell Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joell-ortiz/) > [Death left its old tragic heaven and became the lyrical core of man: his invisible truth, his visible secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/death-left-its-old-tragic-heaven-and-became-the-lyrical-core-of-man/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [When I first started making music, it was learning other people's songs and putting them onto four-track. Like Beatles songs and stuff. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ward/when-i-first-started-making-music-it-was-learning-other-people-s/) [M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/) > [Anytime there is any lyrical meaning or combination in my mixes, it's very blatant. I'm not trying to make any statement or anything like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/anytime-there-is-any-lyrical-meaning-or-combination-in-my-mixes-it-s/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [All lyrical work must, as a whole, be perfectly intelligible, but in some particulars a little unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-lyrical-work-must-as-a-whole-be-perfectly-intelligible-but-in/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Boots Riley > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I think it's important for us not just to edit the culture that capitalism creates but to create the material basis for a culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-think-it-s-important-for-us-not-just-to-edit-the-culture-that/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [The tech world is not a new phenomenon; it's a new era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/the-tech-world-is-not-a-new-phenomenon-it-s-a-new-era/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that-people-relate-to-that-talks/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I thought my parents were always having card parties - and they were - but they were actually also having meetings to organize people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-thought-my-parents-were-always-having-card-parties-and-they-were/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [Going to school in San Francisco, you're not going to meet as many people that are making films as you would if you went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/going-to-school-in-san-francisco-you-re-not-going-to-meet-as-many/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What I like about music is that you make a song, you've got your ideas in it, and people make that song part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-like-about-music-is-that-you-make-a-song-you-ve-got-your-ideas/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What first got me involved in politics was being 14, and a youth organizer comes to my house with a van full of 14…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-first-got-me-involved-in-politics-was-being-14-and-a-youth/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I think most people would love for us to be a socialist society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-think-most-people-would-love-for-us-to-be-a-socialist-society/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [A lot of organizers tell me that while they are making signs or doing whatever they do, they are listening to the Coup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/a-lot-of-organizers-tell-me-that-while-they-are-making-signs-or-doing/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [When we were doing shows in the mid-'90s, the audiences were 95% black. What's happened now is the gentrification of hip-hop. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/when-we-were-doing-shows-in-the-mid-90s-the-audiences-were-95-black/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [You make art, you make it from what you know, and that's the best way to make art. You get lost in the details…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/you-make-art-you-make-it-from-what-you-know-and-that-s-the-best-way/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [If the only time you bang the drum is when it's time to get someone elected, and you don't get involved in a mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/if-the-only-time-you-bang-the-drum-is-when-it-s-time-to-get-someone/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [The Coup does not support the American flag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/the-coup-does-not-support-the-american-flag/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I'm not a classically trained composer, and I can't sing very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-m-not-a-classically-trained-composer-and-i-can-t-sing-very-well/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) [Explore all 128 Boots Riley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) ## More Decision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/) [Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) [Browse all 9,145 Decision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always write knowing that people will hear it, but also hoping they'll see it. So a lot of times I make lyrical decisions based on what looks better. Also I write based on what I saw for a video. I obsess over lyrics in the hopes that they'll endure in different ways. 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