--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t…" description: "\"“Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t want to explain.” “It’s more than that.” Wik shook his head, struggling for patience. “It’s about our history...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/fran-wilde-57852_culture_singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-wa_3158566.jpg" --- # Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t want to explain.”… ![“Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t want to explain.” “It’s more than that.” Wik shook his head, struggling for patience. “It’s about our history. About how people work. Traditions hold the city together, like the bridges do the towers. Once, we had no traditions. Only fear and loss.” There” quote by Fran Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/fran-wilde-57852_culture_singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-wa_3158566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/fran-wilde-57852_culture_singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-wa_3158566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/fran-wilde-57852_culture_singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-wa_3158566.jpg) > ““Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t want to explain.” “It’s more than that.” Wik shook his head, struggling for patience. “It’s about our history. About how people work. Traditions hold the city together, like the bridges do the towers. Once, we had no traditions. Only fear and loss.” There”” [Fran Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Traditions act as social glue, preserving history and community cohesion; without them, societies face fear and loss. **In simple terms:** Traditions hold communities together. Key Takeaway Preserve and respect cultural traditions to maintain social stability. Themes community tradition history social cohesion Mood reflective philosophical Type cautionary inspirational When to use this quote - urban planning - heritage festivals - community workshops - public art projects Key Concepts collective memory urban identity cultural continuity Questions to Reflect On - When should traditions evolve? - How to balance heritage with innovation? A Different Perspective Rigid traditions can hinder progress and inclusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Say Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-tradition-5700449/) [Singers Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers-say-4263918/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Traditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditions/) [Traditions Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditions-fear-5700450/) [Traditions Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditions-hold-5600191/) ## Related quotes > [“The thing about traditions is that they hold up the shape of your memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-dellaira/the-thing-about-traditions-is-that-they-hold-up-the-shape-of-your/) [Ava Dellaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-dellaira/) > [Most chick singers say 'if you hurt me, I'll die'... I say, 'if you hurt me, I'll kick your ass.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-benatar/most-chick-singers-say-if-you-hurt-me-i-ll-die-i-say-if-you-hurt-me-i/) [Pat Benatar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-benatar/) > [Laws and traditions that hold back women, hold back entire societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/laws-and-traditions-that-hold-back-women-hold-back-entire-societies/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [One of the characteristics of North American culture is that you can always start again. You can always move forward, cross a border of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/one-of-the-characteristics-of-north-american-culture-is-that-you-can/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [There is not enough self-consciousness about what a family can be, about what it can inherit from forbearers, and what new traditions it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/there-is-not-enough-self-consciousness-about-what-a-family-can-be/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [To the best of my knowledge, when I became national secretary and, indeed, Victorian secretary, the - my predecessors in the union had detected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/to-the-best-of-my-knowledge-when-i-became-national-secretary-and/) [Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/) > [My background is deep and set in deep time, and in a narrow space, oral traditions going back a long, long time, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-garner/my-background-is-deep-and-set-in-deep-time-and-in-a-narrow-space-oral/) [Alan Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-garner/) > [Experience supplies painful proof that traditions once called into being are first called useful, then they become necessary. At last they are too often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/experience-supplies-painful-proof-that-traditions-once-called-into/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [The best advice that I can give you is this: Church-traditions- especially when they do not run counter to the faith- are to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/the-best-advice-that-i-can-give-you-is-this-church-traditions/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [“The believer is not a slave to fashion. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-ameenah-bilal-philips/the-believer-is-not-a-slave-to-fashion/) [Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-ameenah-bilal-philips/) > [What we need to understand is that when traditions become laws, rules, obligations and expectations others put on us that we don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/what-we-need-to-understand-is-that-when-traditions-become-laws-rules/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [The problem to be faced is: how to combine loyalty to one's own tradition with reverence for different traditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/the-problem-to-be-faced-is-how-to-combine-loyalty-to-one-s-own/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [In Puerto Rico, we have a lot of traditions. We eat a very typical thing that's called 'pasteles' - it's almost like a tamale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-giraud/in-puerto-rico-we-have-a-lot-of-traditions-we-eat-a-very-typical/) [Joyce Giraud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-giraud/) > [Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American traditions. I quickly picked it up when I moved to the U.S. from Sweden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/thanksgiving-is-one-of-my-favorite-american-traditions-i-quickly/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [For members of a traditional society where many traditions have been discredited, an interest in modernity can result in a restless sophistication. Mehmet Ertegun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/for-members-of-a-traditional-society-where-many-traditions-have-been/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) ## More by Fran Wilde > [“This was why Singers clung to tradition. To Laws. Surprises conflicted too much with duty. Sellis”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/this-was-why-singers-clung-to-tradition-to-laws-surprises-conflicted/) [Fran Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-wilde/) > [“I did—and if my stomach hadn’t been emptier than the sky before a migration, I might have been sick with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/i-did-and-if-my-stomach-hadn-t-been-emptier-than-the-sky-before-a/) [Fran Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-wilde/) > [“Worse, I had yet to go into open sky since the migration. The thought, even though the Singers had declared the skymouths gone for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/worse-i-had-yet-to-go-into-open-sky-since-the-migration-the-thought/) [Fran Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-wilde/) > [“We share our gifts, her mother had said, with those who need them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/we-share-our-gifts-her-mother-had-said-with-those-who-need-them/) [Fran Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-wilde/) [Explore all 5 Fran Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-wilde/) ## More Culture quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [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/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t want to explain.” “It’s more than that.” Wik shook his head, struggling for patience. “It’s about our history. About how people work. Traditions hold the city together, like the bridges do the towers. Once, we had no traditions. Only fear and loss.” There”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fran Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-want-to-explain-it-s-more-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-want-to-explain-it-s-more-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/fran-wilde-57852_culture_singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-wa_3158566.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/fran-wilde-57852_culture_singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-wa_3158566.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/fran-wilde-57852_culture_singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-wa_3158566.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t want to explain.” “It’s more than that.” Wik shook his head…” — Fran Wilde", "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": "Fran Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Singers say ‘tradition’ when they don’t...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-want-to-explain-it-s-more-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-wilde/singers-say-tradition-when-they-don-t-want-to-explain-it-s-more-than/#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 } } ] } ```