--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would not say that I was, these days, a…" description: "\"I would not say that I was, these days, a 'student' of philosophy, although in my youth I was quite deeply involved with certain aspects of the British..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/brian-ferneyhough-17806_british_i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a_781062.png" --- # I would not say that I was, these days, a 'student' of… ![“I would not say that I was, these days, a 'student' of philosophy, although in my youth I was quite deeply involved with certain aspects of the British pragmatists.” quote by Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/brian-ferneyhough-17806_british_i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a_781062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/brian-ferneyhough-17806_british_i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a_781062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/brian-ferneyhough-17806_british_i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a_781062.png) > “I would not say that I was, these days, a 'student' of philosophy, although in my youth I was quite deeply involved with certain aspects of the British pragmatists.” [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He distances himself from formal study while acknowledging past deep engagement with British pragmatism. **In simple terms:** No longer a philosophy student, but once deeply involved. Key Takeaway Recognize evolving relationships with ideas. Themes education philosophy identity Mood introspective academic Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - academic career - personal growth - teaching philosophy Key Concepts pragmatism intellectual history Questions to Reflect On - Do you still apply pragmatist ideas? - How has your view of philosophy changed? A Different Perspective Academic labels may not capture current practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [British Pragmatists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british-pragmatists-6018643/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Deeply Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply-involved-1776358/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-youth-2933257/) [Pragmatists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pragmatists/) [Student Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/student-philosophy-605505/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [I discovered philosophy in my youth when I read 'wildly,' and thus I was exposed to the world of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-onfray/i-discovered-philosophy-in-my-youth-when-i-read-wildly-and-thus-i-was/) [Michel Onfray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-onfray/) > [As every student in Philosophy 101 learns, nothing can force me to believe that anyone except me is conscious. This power to deny that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-every-student-in-philosophy-101-learns-nothing-can-force-me-to/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I'm not a philosopher. I don't pretend to be a philosopher. 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I assumed simply that my enemy's enemies were my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-got-deeply-involved-with-the-trotskyists-i-assumed-simply-that-my/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [Our journey is about being more deeply involved in life, and yet less attached to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/our-journey-is-about-being-more-deeply-involved-in-life-and-yet-less/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) ## More by Brian Ferneyhough > [In my model, important interference phenomena arise when individual strata come into contact. These chaotic fluctuations are, I suppose, what my music is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/in-my-model-important-interference-phenomena-arise-when-individual/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [Sometimes one can be so closely involved with things that the larger context is lost to view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/sometimes-one-can-be-so-closely-involved-with-things-that-the-larger/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [Certainly being in California has encouraged a sustained commitment to rethinking the nature, purposes, and relevance of the contemporary arts, specifically music, for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/certainly-being-in-california-has-encouraged-a-sustained-commitment/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [There would seem to be a limit, even for an art preoccupied with boundaries and transgressions, beyond which a work reaches its breaking point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/there-would-seem-to-be-a-limit-even-for-an-art-preoccupied-with/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [Composers dialogue - and obsessively, bitterly argue - with other composers, often over the span of several centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/composers-dialogue-and-obsessively-bitterly-argue-with-other/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [In my own recent String Trio I attempt to superimpose two quite different sets of formal strategies, both of which, ultimately, refer back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/in-my-own-recent-string-trio-i-attempt-to-superimpose-two-quite/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [I don't see 'lines of force' as being destructive, except to the extent that they are exclusively traceable through observance of the path of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-don-t-see-lines-of-force-as-being-destructive-except-to-the-extent/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [Hence my obstinate emphasis on stylistic continuity from work to work rather than specific sibling relationships between the individual work and other members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/hence-my-obstinate-emphasis-on-stylistic-continuity-from-work-to-work/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [So: we're all tired. Now what? Manuscripts written in Club Med?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/so-we-re-all-tired-now-what-manuscripts-written-in-club-med/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [The past nine years in San Diego have represented such a period of questioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/the-past-nine-years-in-san-diego-have-represented-such-a-period-of/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [If nothing is at risk, nothing is established.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/if-nothing-is-at-risk-nothing-is-established/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [The Western musical canon came about not merely by accumulation, but by opposition and subversion, both to the ruling powers on whom composers depended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/the-western-musical-canon-came-about-not-merely-by-accumulation-but/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [By reason of weird translation, many such sets of instructions read like poems anyhow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/by-reason-of-weird-translation-many-such-sets-of-instructions-read/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [If the work of art is to continue pursuing the vision of both being in and of the world but nevertheless in some fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/if-the-work-of-art-is-to-continue-pursuing-the-vision-of-both-being/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [I frequently compose out the entire metric structure of a piece in modified cyclic form, where each cyclic revolution undergoes some form of 'variation'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-frequently-compose-out-the-entire-metric-structure-of-a-piece-in/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) [Explore all 36 Brian Ferneyhough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) ## More British quotes > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [I always wanted to make a 'James Bond' film, and they only seemed to hire British directors, and I'd made 'Swingers' - they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-a-james-bond-film-and-they-only-seemed-to/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) > [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [While we like to think queueing is unique to British culture, the truth is that we are mere amateurs. 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The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [The whole nuclear-arms-control and non-proliferation policy of the nuclear powers is a fraud: The Americans could not prevent the Soviets from replicating their weaponry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/the-whole-nuclear-arms-control-and-non-proliferation-policy-of-the/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) [Browse all 3,149 British quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would not say that I was, these days, a 'student' of philosophy, although in my youth I was quite deeply involved with certain aspects of the British pragmatists.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Ferneyhough" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a-student-of-philosophy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "British" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a-student-of-philosophy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/brian-ferneyhough-17806_british_i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a_781062.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/brian-ferneyhough-17806_british_i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a_781062.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/brian-ferneyhough-17806_british_i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a_781062.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would not say that I was, these days, a 'student' of philosophy, although in my youth I was quite deeply…” — Brian Ferneyhough", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brian Ferneyhough", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would not say that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a-student-of-philosophy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a-student-of-philosophy/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```