--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What rare days were those, When my chief…" description: "\"What rare days were those, When my chief duty was to write a song.\" — George Arnold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/george-arnold-32628_chiefs_what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief_815277.jpg" --- # What rare days were those, When my chief duty was to write… ![“What rare days were those, When my chief duty was to write a song.” quote by George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/george-arnold-32628_chiefs_what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief_815277.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/george-arnold-32628_chiefs_what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief_815277.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/george-arnold-32628_chiefs_what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief_815277.jpg) > “What rare days were those, When my chief duty was to write a song.” [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reminisces about a rare, cherished time when his primary purpose was artistic creation. **In simple terms:** Rare days of pure creative duty. Key Takeaway Value creative moments. Themes creativity nostalgia purpose Mood nostalgic inspirational Type reflection motivational When to use this quote - songwriting - writing retreats - artist residencies Key Concepts artistic expression personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - When did you feel your work was your sole purpose? - How can you reclaim that focus? A Different Perspective Creative duty can be fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chiefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“READERS ARE MY FAMILY AND IT IS MY DUTY TO WRITE FOR THEM.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahendra-trivedi/readers-are-my-family-and-it-is-my-duty-to-write-for-them/) Mahendra Trivedi > [ “\[I\]t is the writer's duty to write fiction which promotes virtue, the good, the beautiful, and above all, the true. ... It is the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/i-t-is-the-writer-s-duty-to-write-fiction-which-promotes-virtue-the/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“You give me the duty to write about love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-an/you-give-me-the-duty-to-write-about-love/) [Nicola An](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-an/) > [“But it is a writer's duty to write and speak and record the truth, always the truth, no matter whom may be offended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/but-it-is-a-writer-s-duty-to-write-and-speak-and-record-the-truth/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-poet-s-the-writer-s-duty-is-to-write-about-these-things-it-is-his/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I feel a duty to write because I can write songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hayward/i-feel-a-duty-to-write-because-i-can-write-songs/) [Justin Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hayward/) > [Musically, I would never run dry. Any time I sit down to an instrument, I could write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/musically-i-would-never-run-dry-any-time-i-sit-down-to-an-instrument/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [We write the song, then it gets played for the artist, and they somehow fall in love with it and go back in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-rexha/we-write-the-song-then-it-gets-played-for-the-artist-and-they-somehow/) [Bebe Rexha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-rexha/) > [“It took me 42 years to write this song, and 5 minutes to sing it." \[On The Heart of the Matter , during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/it-took-me-42-years-to-write-this-song-and-5-minutes-to-sing-it-on/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [What we've learned is there's no right way to write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/what-we-ve-learned-is-there-s-no-right-way-to-write-a-song/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) > [Sometimes I'll write a song. When I've gone through something really hard in my life, sometimes it's other people's music. Other times it's actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-johnson/sometimes-i-ll-write-a-song-when-i-ve-gone-through-something-really/) [Jack Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-johnson/) > [I can't freestyle or else I'll just start saying anything, so I'll write the song first and then record. I'll rap to the producer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tee-grizzley/i-can-t-freestyle-or-else-i-ll-just-start-saying-anything-so-i-ll/) [Tee Grizzley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tee-grizzley/) > [There's a lot of hurry up and wait. But it gives you time to write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/there-s-a-lot-of-hurry-up-and-wait-but-it-gives-you-time-to-write-a/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [If I'm extra happy or excited, it'll take me an hour or two to write a song. Or, if I'm really sad or something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astro/if-i-m-extra-happy-or-excited-it-ll-take-me-an-hour-or-two-to-write-a/) [Astro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astro/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) ## More by George Arnold > [The glass of your life is darkened, and darkly through it you see distorted and ghastly fragments of duty and destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/the-glass-of-your-life-is-darkened-and-darkly-through-it-you-see/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [I love this simple maiden, She grows upon me more and more, And--ask the moon who 't was that kissed, Last night upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/i-love-this-simple-maiden-she-grows-upon-me-more-and-more-and-ask-the/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [The living need charity more than the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/the-living-need-charity-more-than-the-dead/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [O sweet September, thy first breezes bring The dry leaf's rustle and the squirrel's laughter, The cool fresh air whence health and vigor spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/o-sweet-september-thy-first-breezes-bring-the-dry-leaf-s-rustle-and/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [Ah, many a one has started forth with hope and purpose high; Has fought throughout a weary life, and passed all pleasure by; Has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/ah-many-a-one-has-started-forth-with-hope-and-purpose-high-has-fought/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [Here with my beer I sit, while golden moments flit: alas! They pass unheeded by: and as they fly, I, being dry, sit idly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/here-with-my-beer-i-sit-while-golden-moments-flit-alas-they-pass/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [But leave me to my beer! Gold is dross, love is loss, so if I gulp my sorrows down, or see them drown in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/but-leave-me-to-my-beer-gold-is-dross-love-is-loss-so-if-i-gulp-my/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [I hold that all the evil we know on earth finds in this violence done to love its true and legitimate birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/i-hold-that-all-the-evil-we-know-on-earth-finds-in-this-violence-done/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [O'er hill and field October's glories fade; O'er hill and field the blackbirds southward fly; The brown leaves rustle down the forest glade, Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/o-er-hill-and-field-october-s-glories-fade-o-er-hill-and-field-the/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [I let my summer days pass idly on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/i-let-my-summer-days-pass-idly-on/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [Twas a jolly old pedagogue, long ago, Tall and slender, and sallow and dry; His form was bent, and his gait was slow, His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/twas-a-jolly-old-pedagogue-long-ago-tall-and-slender-and-sallow-and/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [Life for the living, and rest for the dead!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/life-for-the-living-and-rest-for-the-dead/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [Experience is bitter, but its teachings we retain; It has taught me this--who once has loved, loves never on earth again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/experience-is-bitter-but-its-teachings-we-retain-it-has-taught-me/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) > [A silence reigns upon the air, Upon the pansies by the shore, Upon the violets, pale and fair, Upon the willow, bending o'er; The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/a-silence-reigns-upon-the-air-upon-the-pansies-by-the-shore-upon-the/) [George Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) [Explore all 15 George Arnold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/) ## More Chiefs quotes > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-chief-wonder-of-education-is-that-it-does-not-ruin-everybody/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Las Vegas is a resort whose two chief sources of income are seven and eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/las-vegas-is-a-resort-whose-two-chief-sources-of-income-are-seven-and/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [There is no one force, no group, and no class that is the preserver of liberty. Liberty is preserved by those who are against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/there-is-no-one-force-no-group-and-no-class-that-is-the-preserver-of/) [James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/) > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [There is a wealth of unexpressed love in the world. It is one of the chief causes of sorrow evoked by death: what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hopkins/there-is-a-wealth-of-unexpressed-love-in-the-world-it-is-one-of-the/) Arthur Hopkins > [Pure love is the chief manifestation of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/pure-love-is-the-chief-manifestation-of-education/) [Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/) > [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [No commander in chief would ever say, 'I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/no-commander-in-chief-would-ever-say-i-m-not-going-to-listen-to-the/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. Let's go to North Africa, she was the chief engineer of the disastrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-m-going-to-be-specific-so-you-can-render-your-verdict-let-s-go-to/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [...virtue is attended by more peace of mind than vice, and meets with a more favourable reception from the world. I am sensible, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-is-attended-by-more-peace-of-mind-than-vice-and-meets-with-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) [Browse all 1,428 Chiefs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What rare days were those, When my chief duty was to write a song.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Arnold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief-duty-was-to-write-a-song/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chiefs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief-duty-was-to-write-a-song/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/george-arnold-32628_chiefs_what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief_815277.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/george-arnold-32628_chiefs_what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief_815277.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/george-arnold-32628_chiefs_what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief_815277.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What rare days were those, When my chief duty was to write a song.” — George Arnold", "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": "George Arnold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-arnold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What rare days were those, When...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief-duty-was-to-write-a-song/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arnold/what-rare-days-were-those-when-my-chief-duty-was-to-write-a-song/#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 } } ] } ```