--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have seen quite a few folk whom I know…" description: "\"I have seen quite a few folk whom I know to be both fair minded and, as it happens,[Bob] Dylan fans, take up cudgels for this position. To them, it's n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/david-bennun-25818_bob_i-have-seen-quite-a-few-folk-whom-i-know_1379291.jpg" --- # I have seen quite a few folk whom I know to be both fair… ![“I have seen quite a few folk whom I know to be both fair minded and, as it happens,[Bob] Dylan fans, take up cudgels for this position. To them, it's not necessarily that Dylan doesn't merit the highest honour. It's that he doesn't merit this specific highest honour [Nobel prize], in the way a…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/david-bennun-25818_bob_i-have-seen-quite-a-few-folk-whom-i-know_1379291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/david-bennun-25818_bob_i-have-seen-quite-a-few-folk-whom-i-know_1379291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/david-bennun-25818_bob_i-have-seen-quite-a-few-folk-whom-i-know_1379291.jpg) > “I have seen quite a few folk whom I know to be both fair minded and, as it happens,\[Bob\] Dylan fans, take up cudgels for this position. To them, it's not necessarily that Dylan doesn't merit the highest honour. It's that he doesn't merit this specific highest honour \[Nobel prize\], in the way a champion pole vaulter shouldn't be given a medal for the long jump. It is in this group that the Wahey!s are mainly to be found, firing off jests, or mock solemnly reciting Dylan's sillier lyrics as if these are entirely representative of his oeuvre.” [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques those who defend Dylan’s merit but argue he doesn’t deserve a Nobel, likening it to rewarding a pole vaulter for a long jump. **In simple terms:** People can be selective about honors. Key Takeaway Question the criteria for awards. Themes fairness recognition artistic merit Mood skeptical thoughtful Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - literary criticism - award nomination processes - public discourse - music journalism Key Concepts award criteria subjectivity cultural value Questions to Reflect On - What defines “highest honour”? - Should awards be genre‑specific? A Different Perspective Awards may not capture an artist’s full impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/) [Champion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/champion/) [Doesn Merit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-merit-4772873/) [Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dylan/) [Dylan Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dylan-doesn-999830/) [Dylan Fans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dylan-fans-4772871/) [Fairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairs/) [Fans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fans/) [Firing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firing/) [Folks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folks/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest/) [Honour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honour/) [Honour Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honour-doesn-4772874/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long jump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-jump/) [Medal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medal/) [Merit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merit/) [Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mock/) [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Pole vault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pole-vault/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Reciting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reciting/) [Reciting Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reciting-dylan-4772872/) [Representatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [ The point is not that \[Bob\] Dylan doesn't need a Nobel to attest to how good he is (although he doesn't.) It's that pop… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-point-is-not-that-bob-dylan-doesn-t-need-a-nobel-to-attest-to-how/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [“Dylan doesn’t make plans. She unmakes plans. She has planaphobia. The fear of plans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/dylan-doesn-t-make-plans-she-unmakes-plans-she-has-planaphobia-the/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [I love Bob Dylan. Who doesn't? He tapped into some kind of vein and it keeps on keeping on. There's nobody like him. He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-love-bob-dylan-who-doesn-t-he-tapped-into-some-kind-of-vein-and-it/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Saying directors don't write because they don't type is very wrong, it's like saying Dylan doesn't write music because he doesn't write notation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/saying-directors-don-t-write-because-they-don-t-type-is-very-wrong-it/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [Dylan doesn't have to make Blonde On Blonde every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-zevon/dylan-doesn-t-have-to-make-blonde-on-blonde-every-time/) [Warren Zevon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-zevon/) > [Renaud was my idol growing up ever since I was 10 years old and I was just getting into pole vaulting and starting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armand-duplantis/renaud-was-my-idol-growing-up-ever-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-i-was/) [Armand Duplantis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armand-duplantis/) > [I have bought pole vault equipment, the landing areas, posts, which costs a lot of money. We pay for coaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bubka/i-have-bought-pole-vault-equipment-the-landing-areas-posts-which/) [Sergei Bubka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bubka/) > [After the failure in '92, my goal was to be a good pole vaulter. I used that as motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/after-the-failure-in-92-my-goal-was-to-be-a-good-pole-vaulter-i-used/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [The pole vault is a very complicated event, there are many things involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bubka/the-pole-vault-is-a-very-complicated-event-there-are-many-things/) [Sergei Bubka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bubka/) > [When I was 13 I played baseball the whole summer. I never touched a pole vault pole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armand-duplantis/when-i-was-13-i-played-baseball-the-whole-summer-i-never-touched-a/) [Armand Duplantis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armand-duplantis/) > [I like underwater pole vaulting, because you can have perfect form without the risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hoff/i-like-underwater-pole-vaulting-because-you-can-have-perfect-form/) [Katie Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hoff/) > [Don't pole-vault over mouse turds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/don-t-pole-vault-over-mouse-turds/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [In a moment, we hope to see the pole vault over the satellite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-coleman/in-a-moment-we-hope-to-see-the-pole-vault-over-the-satellite/) [David Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-coleman/) > [I taught myself how to pole vault in one day. The next day I entered a meet to pole vault and won it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-jackson/i-taught-myself-how-to-pole-vault-in-one-day-the-next-day-i-entered-a/) [Bo Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-jackson/) > [You can have faith in writing itself. That's where to place your faith, in the same way that a pole vaulter places his faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pickard/you-can-have-faith-in-writing-itself-that-s-where-to-place-your-faith/) [Nancy Pickard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pickard/) ## More by David Bennun > [ There's no reason - not yet, anyway - to believe \[Bob\] Dylan himself endorses such an attitude; or that he would think of himself… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/there-s-no-reason-not-yet-anyway-to-believe-bob-dylan-himself/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [How heartening it is to know that Ken Loach is still out there making committed, polemical cinema, so long as you don't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/how-heartening-it-is-to-know-that-ken-loach-is-still-out-there-making/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ Without music, there is not the faintest chance \[Bob Dylan\] words would now be garlanded as they are. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/without-music-there-is-not-the-faintest-chance-bob-dylan-words-would/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ \[Bob Dylan\] is principally a recording artist, and if he weren't, it is unthinkable he would have had such an impact. He is to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/bob-dylan-is-principally-a-recording-artist-and-if-he-weren-t-it-is/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ The \[Nobel\] prize is for literature.\[Bob\] Dylan is a songwriter. Here is where the argument starts to get interesting, because here is where it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-nobel-prize-is-for-literature-bob-dylan-is-a-songwriter-here-is/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [The general sentiment among the Yeas is, no accolade is too high for their man; and the Nobel being, literally, the gold standard among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-general-sentiment-among-the-yeas-is-no-accolade-is-too-high-for/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ First of all, there are those who simply don't care for \[Bob\] Dylan, or at least, don't think he's that great. Some of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/first-of-all-there-are-those-who-simply-don-t-care-for-bob-dylan-or/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [Bob Dylan, Nobel laureate. A new fact so shocking that even the year's most notable deaths have not outdone it for the volume (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/bob-dylan-nobel-laureate-a-new-fact-so-shocking-that-even-the-year-s/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [The question now becomes about defining your terms. What is literature? Unless we allow it to encompass the oral tradition from which it grew,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-question-now-becomes-about-defining-your-terms-what-is-literature/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ The point is not that \[Bob\] Dylan doesn't need a Nobel to attest to how good he is (although he doesn't.) It's that pop… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-point-is-not-that-bob-dylan-doesn-t-need-a-nobel-to-attest-to-how/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [Look, dear! How adorable. When pop music tries its very hardest, it can be almost as good as Sven Hassel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/look-dear-how-adorable-when-pop-music-tries-its-very-hardest-it-can/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [All doctrine is ultimately the death of joy - even when the doctrine is the elevation of the light above the serious, because joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/all-doctrine-is-ultimately-the-death-of-joy-even-when-the-doctrine-is/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ The \[Nobel\] award \[of Bob Dylan\] is no affront to literature; it is an insult to pop music. It is a condescending ruffle of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-nobel-award-of-bob-dylan-is-no-affront-to-literature-it-is-an/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ The same is true of ranking him thus against any work of literature. \[Bob Dylan\] has been made, through no fault of his own,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-same-is-true-of-ranking-him-thus-against-any-work-of-literature/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [ Lyrics should not need to stand on their own; many of \[Bob\] Dylan's do, but in common with other great lyricists, he has written… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/lyrics-should-not-need-to-stand-on-their-own-many-of-bob-dylan-s-do/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) [Explore all 22 David Bennun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) ## More Bob quotes > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I think anyone that grew up in the '70s and '80s grew up with Bob Barker and Wink Martindale and I think that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-think-anyone-that-grew-up-in-the-70s-and-80s-grew-up-with-bob/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [ Except in these latter-day songs, \[Bob\] Dylan is a grizzled old prophet who's already been to hell and back. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/except-in-these-latter-day-songs-bob-dylan-is-a-grizzled-old-prophet/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Over the past 50 years Bob Hope employed 88 joke writers who supplied him with more than one million gags, and he still couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/over-the-past-50-years-bob-hope-employed-88-joke-writers-who-supplied/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Because of my tremendous respect for Bob Barker and for the show's high standards of professionalism I consider this a tremendous honor that few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-west/because-of-my-tremendous-respect-for-bob-barker-and-for-the-show-s/) [Randy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-west/) > [That's who I wanted to be like was Bob Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/that-s-who-i-wanted-to-be-like-was-bob-dylan/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Everybody who I ever cared about has told me that they like my music: Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Al Green, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/everybody-who-i-ever-cared-about-has-told-me-that-they-like-my-music/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Listen, the story of the United States is this: One kid, without anything, walks out of his house, down the road, with nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/listen-the-story-of-the-united-states-is-this-one-kid-without/) [T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/) > [I figure if I keep my health, I have no intention of retiring. I love to work. I want to be like Bob Hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-figure-if-i-keep-my-health-i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-i-love/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) [Browse all 886 Bob quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have seen quite a few folk whom I know to be both fair minded and, as it happens,[Bob] Dylan fans, take up cudgels for this position. To them, it's not necessarily that Dylan doesn't merit the highest honour. It's that he doesn't merit this specific highest honour [Nobel prize], in the way a champion pole vaulter shouldn't be given a medal for the long jump. 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