--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're not building a nuclear reactor…" description: "\"We're not building a nuclear reactor here. We're not drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean with no plan in case something goes wrong. This i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/gord-downie-7576_beneath-the-surface_we-re-not-building-a-nuclear-reactor-her_940412.jpg" --- # We're not building a nuclear reactor here. We're not… ![“We're not building a nuclear reactor here. We're not drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean with no plan in case something goes wrong. This is making music, this is melodious air and people can hear what goes into it.” quote by Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/gord-downie-7576_beneath-the-surface_we-re-not-building-a-nuclear-reactor-her_940412.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/gord-downie-7576_beneath-the-surface_we-re-not-building-a-nuclear-reactor-her_940412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/gord-downie-7576_beneath-the-surface_we-re-not-building-a-nuclear-reactor-her_940412.jpg) > “We're not building a nuclear reactor here. We're not drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean with no plan in case something goes wrong. This is making music, this is melodious air and people can hear what goes into it.” [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music creation is a collaborative, improvisational process, unlike highly regulated engineering projects. **In simple terms:** Making music is creative and spontaneous. Key Takeaway Embrace improvisation in art. Themes creativity collaboration music production Mood inspirational reflective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - recording sessions - live performances - songwriting Key Concepts improvisation artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance structure and spontaneity? - What does “melodious air” mean to you? A Different Perspective Technical precision still matters in production. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beneath the surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beneath-the-surface/) [Making Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Two-thirds of earth's surface is ocean, and all we can see with the naked eye is the surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/two-thirds-of-earth-s-surface-is-ocean-and-all-we-can-see-with-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [In the spring of 2007, Israeli intelligence brought to Washington proof that the Assad regime in Syria was building a nuclear reactor along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/in-the-spring-of-2007-israeli-intelligence-brought-to-washington/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [“In a world of seven billion people, where every inch of land has been mapped, much of it developed, and too much of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nestor/in-a-world-of-seven-billion-people-where-every-inch-of-land-has-been/) [James Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nestor/) > [There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater,you realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-enjoying-looking-at-the-surface-of-the/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“The real world is in a much darker and deeper place than this, and most of it is occupied by jellyfish and things. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-real-world-is-in-a-much-darker-and-deeper-place-than-this-and/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Buying the right computer and getting it to work properly is no more complicated than building a nuclear reactor from wristwatch parts in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/buying-the-right-computer-and-getting-it-to-work-properly-is-no-more/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [We are one with God and He loves us. Now if that isn't a hazard to this country-How're we gonna keep building nuclear weapons?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/we-are-one-with-god-and-he-loves-us-now-if-that-isn-t-a-hazard-to/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [There will be no support in the island of Ireland for building a nuclear power station.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hain/there-will-be-no-support-in-the-island-of-ireland-for-building-a/) [Peter Hain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hain/) > [“Art, specifically music, is a living thing,” he says. “It isn’t just absorbed by the people who hear it, but it absorbs them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kennedy-ryan/art-specifically-music-is-a-living-thing-he-says-it-isn-t-just/) [Kennedy Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kennedy-ryan/) > [Music is always occurring. It is just a matter of marketing, attention, and many other factors, that determines whether people will hear these songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-collins/music-is-always-occurring-it-is-just-a-matter-of-marketing-attention/) [Judy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-collins/) > [I think wherever you go, when people hear good music, they will react to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/i-think-wherever-you-go-when-people-hear-good-music-they-will-react/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [For my first album, I thought it was most important for people to hear my voice and to not let it be drowned out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-james/for-my-first-album-i-thought-it-was-most-important-for-people-to-hear/) [Ro James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-james/) > [When people are like oh yeah I just heard you guys, Im like cool. It shows were still getting exposure. I love when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gym-class-heroes/when-people-are-like-oh-yeah-i-just-heard-you-guys-im-like-cool-it/) [Gym Class Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gym-class-heroes/) > [“It’s not that you can’t speak. It’s that other people can hear you. And they’re telling you what you’re saying is crazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayna-tortorici/it-s-not-that-you-can-t-speak-it-s-that-other-people-can-hear-you-and/) [Dayna Tortorici](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dayna-tortorici/) > [I just wanted people to hear the sounds and fall in love and not overthink it. You get a 12-year-old and you'll get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-jhn/i-just-wanted-people-to-hear-the-sounds-and-fall-in-love-and-not/) [Saint Jhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-jhn/) ## More by Gord Downie > [I come to America because if you're a rock 'n' roll musician you should come here every chance you get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-come-to-america-because-if-you-re-a-rock-n-roll-musician-you-should/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I had spend a lot of time looking at things intellectually, coming from the head, let's say, rather than the heart, and saying things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-had-spend-a-lot-of-time-looking-at-things-intellectually-coming/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I used to run the band hockey pool - regular season and playoffs. I would write weekly reports, which were meant to demoralize and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-used-to-run-the-band-hockey-pool-regular-season-and-playoffs-i/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I love dance - trying to express myself wordlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-love-dance-trying-to-express-myself-wordlessly/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I grew up on the lake and spent most of that time outdoors. As a musician, I travel widely around the country and talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-grew-up-on-the-lake-and-spent-most-of-that-time-outdoors-as-a/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [You sort of get so lulled into thinking of yourself as this five-headed thing, the group, the band, The Hip. I guess you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/you-sort-of-get-so-lulled-into-thinking-of-yourself-as-this-five/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [As we move towards resolution and understanding and greater serenity in all aspects of our life, love's pretty elemental and that's nice to know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/as-we-move-towards-resolution-and-understanding-and-greater-serenity/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [You know, Prime Minister Trudeau's got me. His work with First Nations. He's got everybody. He's going to take us where we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/you-know-prime-minister-trudeau-s-got-me-his-work-with-first-nations/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [If we weren't in this band, some of us wouldn't be playing at all. You have tiffs with someone when he has smelly feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/if-we-weren-t-in-this-band-some-of-us-wouldn-t-be-playing-at-all-you/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I enjoy making and creating things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-enjoy-making-and-creating-things/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I think I'm a dancer in terms of what I do onstage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-think-i-m-a-dancer-in-terms-of-what-i-do-onstage/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I'm grateful for the friendships and being able to show it, for people's dancing pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-m-grateful-for-the-friendships-and-being-able-to-show-it-for-people/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I work a couple of hours a day with a guitar or pushing words around, so over time I have a lot of material,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-work-a-couple-of-hours-a-day-with-a-guitar-or-pushing-words-around/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I've always liked R.E.M. because, like so many things I like, they exude a warmth; I like to think that we do, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-ve-always-liked-r-e-m-because-like-so-many-things-i-like-they-exude/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [When I'm in front of a crowd, I don't think 'Oh, there's some hard-core metalheads and some alternative fringe types, so we should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/when-i-m-in-front-of-a-crowd-i-don-t-think-oh-there-s-some-hard-core/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) [Explore all 89 Gord Downie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) ## More Beneath the surface quotes > [“So you intend to go through life never loving anyone? Just … things?” “No. I’m looking for something more.” “More than love?” “Yes.” “Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ahdieh/so-you-intend-to-go-through-life-never-loving-anyone-just-things-no-i/) [Renee Ahdieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ahdieh/) > [We are true to our name. We're somewhat beneath the surface, and I think well always be to a certain extent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-thought/we-are-true-to-our-name-we-re-somewhat-beneath-the-surface-and-i/) [Black Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-thought/) > [Stir not murky waters if you know not the depth or the creatures that dwell beneath the surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-davis/stir-not-murky-waters-if-you-know-not-the-depth-or-the-creatures-that/) [Bryan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-davis/) > [“The burning glow of fire basked him in a warm light. I feared to look at him, to study him again after the train,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-z-ryans/the-burning-glow-of-fire-basked-him-in-a-warm-light-i-feared-to-look/) [Rae Z. Ryans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-z-ryans/) > [Whether it is photography, assemblage art or filmmaking, my work is to see beneath the surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christophe-agou/whether-it-is-photography-assemblage-art-or-filmmaking-my-work-is-to/) [Christophe Agou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christophe-agou/) > [I'm of that generation of Jews still deeply influenced by the Holocaust. Certainly the notion that the state power to kill can be subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-m-of-that-generation-of-jews-still-deeply-influenced-by-the/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I prefer neurotic people. I like to hear rumblings beneath the surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/i-prefer-neurotic-people-i-like-to-hear-rumblings-beneath-the-surface/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [“Yes, the hermitage is underground--miles beneath the surface of Antarctica. And yes, Ike refers to it as unten--literally 'under' or 'below.' But, hello, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/yes-the-hermitage-is-underground-miles-beneath-the-surface-of/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) > [All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/all-art-is-at-once-surface-and-symbol-those-who-go-beneath-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Her father...was all front to back in his transparency: what you saw was what there was, there was nothing clandestine in his character, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-wiggins/her-father-was-all-front-to-back-in-his-transparency-what-you-saw-was/) [Marianne Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-wiggins/) > [The past lies beneath the surface, intransigent truth. Remembered or not, what we say and do remains, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-hall/the-past-lies-beneath-the-surface-intransigent-truth-remembered-or/) [Meredith Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-hall/) > [“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to the Earth. But man has only to sink beneath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaques-barzun-cousteau/from-birth-man-carries-the-weight-of-gravity-on-his-shoulders-he-is/) Jaques Barzun Cousteau > [Be willing to face life squarely and get down beneath the surface of life where the verities and realities are to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peace-pilgrim/be-willing-to-face-life-squarely-and-get-down-beneath-the-surface-of/) [Peace Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peace-pilgrim/) > [It's like, imagine the ripples on top of an ocean. And I'm in a rowboat, reactively dealing with the waves and water coming into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/it-s-like-imagine-the-ripples-on-top-of-an-ocean-and-i-m-in-a-rowboat/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [“But not all its avenues were paved with marble nor all its denizens dwellers in palaces. Men and women of a dozen races huddled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-duncan/but-not-all-its-avenues-were-paved-with-marble-nor-all-its-denizens/) [Dave Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-duncan/) [Browse all 295 Beneath the surface quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beneath-the-surface/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We're not building a nuclear reactor here. We're not drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean with no plan in case something goes wrong. 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