--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was never academically driven in…" description: "\"I was never academically driven in English, but, again, Tom Waits is a perfect example of an influence. He writes so immaculately and paints so perfect..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/hozier-2856_gifted_i-was-never-academically-driven-in-engli_2047440.jpg" --- # I was never academically driven in English, but, again… ![“I was never academically driven in English, but, again, Tom Waits is a perfect example of an influence. He writes so immaculately and paints so perfectly a world and the characters within it. There are writers like that who are my influences: vivid and gifted storytellers.” quote by Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/hozier-2856_gifted_i-was-never-academically-driven-in-engli_2047440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/hozier-2856_gifted_i-was-never-academically-driven-in-engli_2047440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/hozier-2856_gifted_i-was-never-academically-driven-in-engli_2047440.jpg) > “I was never academically driven in English, but, again, Tom Waits is a perfect example of an influence. He writes so immaculately and paints so perfectly a world and the characters within it. There are writers like that who are my influences: vivid and gifted storytellers.” [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exceptional artists inspire through vivid, immaculate storytelling that shapes cultural imagination. **In simple terms:** Great storytellers inspire. Key Takeaway Seek vivid inspiration. Themes creativity influence storytelling Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic literary When to use this quote - writing - music composition - film - teaching Key Concepts literary analysis artistic inspiration Questions to Reflect On - Who are your personal storytelling idols? - How does vivid detail affect audience engagement? A Different Perspective Finding such artists can be rare. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gifted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifted/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influence Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-writes-3841847/) [Influences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influences/) [Influences Vivid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influences-vivid-3841846/) [Like Influences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-influences-363776/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writers Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-like/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Influences come from everywhere. I don't really feel like I had too many influences for the first record because I grew up listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/influences-come-from-everywhere-i-don-t-really-feel-like-i-had-too/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [Biggest musical influences would be people like Nina Simone and Tom Waits. A huge amount of writers like Leslie Feist and Paul Simon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/biggest-musical-influences-would-be-people-like-nina-simone-and-tom/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I don't think many writers like their best-known piece of work, particularly when it was written a long time ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/i-don-t-think-many-writers-like-their-best-known-piece-of-work/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [The worst thing for a writer is to know another writer, and worse than that, to know a number of other writers. Like flies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-worst-thing-for-a-writer-is-to-know-another-writer-and-worse-than/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I hate to see great writers like Ringel and Ansen and Jan Stuart (among many others) being put out to pastures because print media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alonso-duralde/i-hate-to-see-great-writers-like-ringel-and-ansen-and-jan-stuart/) [Alonso Duralde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alonso-duralde/) > [I never got too specialized but did like the Southern Gothic writers like William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-never-got-too-specialized-but-did-like-the-southern-gothic-writers/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [For some reason, it seems like pop writers, it's like they just get worse or something over time. And then you're really jealous of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/for-some-reason-it-seems-like-pop-writers-it-s-like-they-just-get/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [“All writers are like bomb-throwers, whether they attack with dense academic prose or jazzy riffs of stream-of-consciousness writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/all-writers-are-like-bomb-throwers-whether-they-attack-with-dense/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I really admire the experimentalists who challenge traditional narrative - writers like Ishmael Reed, Michael Martone, Donald Barthelme, Tatyana Tolstaya, George Saunders, and many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-weinstein/i-really-admire-the-experimentalists-who-challenge-traditional/) [Alexander Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-weinstein/) > [I was under the influence of the early modern masters, Fitzgerald and Steinbeck and Hemingway, especially, when I was a kid. I reacted against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stone/i-was-under-the-influence-of-the-early-modern-masters-fitzgerald-and/) [Robert Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stone/) > [I think writers like to see how people bring their words to life, and it's always surprising. Always, no matter what, whether it's good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-edelstein/i-think-writers-like-to-see-how-people-bring-their-words-to-life-and/) [Lisa Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-edelstein/) > [It's weird - I don't feel like I'm a better or more confident writer because I'm publishing something. I think, for most writers as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-gavin/it-s-weird-i-don-t-feel-like-i-m-a-better-or-more-confident-writer/) [James M. Gavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-gavin/) > [Most beginning writers - and I was the same - are like chefs trying to cook great dishes that they've never tasted themselves. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/most-beginning-writers-and-i-was-the-same-are-like-chefs-trying-to/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“Consequently, we sympathize. We identify. We care. In fact, most writers would like you to identify”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/consequently-we-sympathize-we-identify-we-care-in-fact-most-writers/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [It makes me proud not just to be a Canadian writer but to be a Canadian, to live in a country where we treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/it-makes-me-proud-not-just-to-be-a-canadian-writer-but-to-be-a/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) ## More by Hozier > [If I don't think something's worth saying, I don't think it's quite there, I'd rather just not say it, to be honest. In that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/if-i-don-t-think-something-s-worth-saying-i-don-t-think-it-s-quite/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [You grow up and recognize that in any educated secular society, there's no excuse for ignorance. You have to recognize in yourself, and challenge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/you-grow-up-and-recognize-that-in-any-educated-secular-society-there/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I find lyrics can come at any time during the day, as can music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-find-lyrics-can-come-at-any-time-during-the-day-as-can-music/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I didn't know what to expect of real America. What shocked me was the diversity of it and how different every city is. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-didn-t-know-what-to-expect-of-real-america-what-shocked-me-was-the/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/there-is-no-sweeter-innocence-than-our-gentle-sin/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [By the time I was in my teens, I was listening to Delta blues and jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/by-the-time-i-was-in-my-teens-i-was-listening-to-delta-blues-and-jazz/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I remember writing lyrics for 'Take Me to Church' for a long time before I even had a song in mind for. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-remember-writing-lyrics-for-take-me-to-church-for-a-long-time/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [Blues is a very physical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/blues-is-a-very-physical-music/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [The public discourse online is not done through the polite language of debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/the-public-discourse-online-is-not-done-through-the-polite-language/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I am absolutely behind equal rights but I am also bridging the gap between cultural mentality and society's mindset as there are huge amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-am-absolutely-behind-equal-rights-but-i-am-also-bridging-the-gap/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I think all that we would know of America back home is foreign policy, and maybe the snippets of the madness of political culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-think-all-that-we-would-know-of-america-back-home-is-foreign-policy/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I think it's very hard to write things about being joyful. I find that quite difficult. I think when you're happy, you don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-think-it-s-very-hard-to-write-things-about-being-joyful-i-find-that/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I love a lot of Irish folk music and Irish folk songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-love-a-lot-of-irish-folk-music-and-irish-folk-songs/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [The first time I heard Tom Waits, it was like everything just flipped. It was just this fascination with him. My cousin showed me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/the-first-time-i-heard-tom-waits-it-was-like-everything-just-flipped/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [It's kind of strange to hear your songs sung back to you! You get a big insight into what people connect to, what's moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/it-s-kind-of-strange-to-hear-your-songs-sung-back-to-you-you-get-a/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) [Explore all 147 Hozier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) ## More Gifted quotes > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [There are special, strange gifted people in the world and they have to be treated with understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/there-are-special-strange-gifted-people-in-the-world-and-they-have-to/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“A lot of gifted kids are angels who are on this earth with responsibilities to help others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-silverman/a-lot-of-gifted-kids-are-angels-who-are-on-this-earth-with/) [Linda Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-silverman/) > [There have been times when a particularly heavy dose of such cynicism has caused me to reflect that surely this is the age and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/there-have-been-times-when-a-particularly-heavy-dose-of-such-cynicism/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [I am neither especially clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-neither-especially-clever-nor-especially-gifted-i-am-only-very/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/) [L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/) > [Even though I am nearly deaf, I seem to be gifted with a kind of inner hearing which enables me to detect sounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/even-though-i-am-nearly-deaf-i-seem-to-be-gifted-with-a-kind-of-inner/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [For me, men and women are different. A man is genetically gifted to pull more than a woman. But at the same time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajol/for-me-men-and-women-are-different-a-man-is-genetically-gifted-to/) [Kajol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajol/) > [I grew up feeling like a weirdo like many kids do. But I was lucky to find my own home for peculiar children. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-grew-up-feeling-like-a-weirdo-like-many-kids-do-but-i-was-lucky-to/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [There are a lot of people who can slide on talent their whole lives; they're just naturally gifted. I've never considered myself one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-efron/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-can-slide-on-talent-their-whole-lives/) [Zac Efron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-efron/) > [As long as a man's heart beats, as long as a man's flesh quivers, I do not allow that a being gifted with thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/as-long-as-a-man-s-heart-beats-as-long-as-a-man-s-flesh-quivers-i-do/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [The secular mind and heart, however gifted and personally charming, has no place in the leadership of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/the-secular-mind-and-heart-however-gifted-and-personally-charming-has/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [However gifted an individual is at the outset, if his or her talents cannot be developed because of his or her social condition, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/however-gifted-an-individual-is-at-the-outset-if-his-or-her-talents/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I watch people get older and lose their intellectual acuity; you lose that sharpness, that cleanness, that brain that you worked so hard on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/i-watch-people-get-older-and-lose-their-intellectual-acuity-you-lose/) [Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/) [Browse all 882 Gifted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifted/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was never academically driven in English, but, again, Tom Waits is a perfect example of an influence. 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