--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some on commission, some for the love of…" description: "\"Some on commission, some for the love of learning, Some because they have nothing better to do Or because they hope these walls of books will deaden Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/louis-macneice-13584_books_some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of_2133146.jpg" --- # Some on commission, some for the love of learning, Some… ![“Some on commission, some for the love of learning, Some because they have nothing better to do Or because they hope these walls of books will deaden The drumming of the demon in their ears.” quote by Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/louis-macneice-13584_books_some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of_2133146.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/louis-macneice-13584_books_some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of_2133146.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/louis-macneice-13584_books_some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of_2133146.jpg) > “Some on commission, some for the love of learning, Some because they have nothing better to do Or because they hope these walls of books will deaden The drumming of the demon in their ears.” [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neice critiques those who seek escape in books to avoid confronting inner demons. **In simple terms:** Reading can be an avoidance tool. Key Takeaway Balance reading with self‑reflection. Themes literature escape inner conflict avoidance Mood contemplative melancholic Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - personal growth - mental health - creative writing Key Concepts psychology introspection literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do we turn to books for comfort? - Can literature truly heal? A Different Perspective Books cannot silence inner turmoil alone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Deaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-deaden-4406616/) [Commission Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commission-love-4406619/) [Demon Ears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demon-ears-4406618/) [Drumming Demon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drumming-demon-4406617/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love of learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-of-learning/) [Walls Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walls-books-1304293/) ## Related quotes > [“No season lives here. This space has quite successfully shut out any such interference. The cunning designer saw to it that there is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-o-brien/no-season-lives-here-this-space-has-quite-successfully-shut-out-any/) [Geoffrey O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-o-brien/) > [“The walls of books around him, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world and its disasters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-mcdonald/the-walls-of-books-around-him-dense-with-the-past-formed-a-kind-of-2/) [Ross McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-mcdonald/) > [The walls of books around him, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world of disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-macdonald/the-walls-of-books-around-him-dense-with-the-past-formed-a-kind-of/) [Ross Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-macdonald/) > [All around me, I see girls forced to become rat racers in the College Application Industrial Complex, the subculture where students must craft themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/all-around-me-i-see-girls-forced-to-become-rat-racers-in-the-college/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [A Confucian or Jewish love of learning would gain minorities far more than any affirmative action laws we might pass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/a-confucian-or-jewish-love-of-learning-would-gain-minorities-far-more/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [Warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/warmth-is-the-vital-element-for-the-growing-plant-and-for-the-soul-of/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I can give my love of learning to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/i-can-give-my-love-of-learning-to-other-people/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [One of my signature strengths is the love of learning, and by teaching, I have built it into the fabric of my life. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/one-of-my-signature-strengths-is-the-love-of-learning-and-by-teaching/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [A good teacher has a love of teaching. A great teacher has a love of learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-good-teacher-has-a-love-of-teaching-a-great-teacher-has-a-love-of/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Wherever they went the Irish brought with them their books, many unseen in Europe for centuries and tied to their waists as signs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cahill/wherever-they-went-the-irish-brought-with-them-their-books-many/) [Thomas Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cahill/) > [I was never told that the purpose of school was to get a job at the end of it. What was pushed on me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-walker/i-was-never-told-that-the-purpose-of-school-was-to-get-a-job-at-the/) [Nicola Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-walker/) > [Love of learning led to monasteries, which became the cradle of academic guilds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/love-of-learning-led-to-monasteries-which-became-the-cradle-of/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Love of goodness without love of learning degenerates into simple-mindedness. Love of knowledge without love of learning degenerates into utter lack of principle. Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/love-of-goodness-without-love-of-learning-degenerates-into-simple/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [People are attracted to teaching because they want to make a real impact. The teachers who are making the greatest difference go far beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-kopp/people-are-attracted-to-teaching-because-they-want-to-make-a-real/) [Wendy Kopp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-kopp/) > [If you had always been free to learn, you would follow your natural tendency to find out as fully as possible about the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-llewellyn/if-you-had-always-been-free-to-learn-you-would-follow-your-natural/) [Grace Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-llewellyn/) ## More by Louis MacNeice > [World is crazier and more of it than we think, Incorrigibly plural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/world-is-crazier-and-more-of-it-than-we-think-incorrigibly-plural/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“Bagpipe Music' It's no go the merrygoround, it's no go the rickshaw, All we want is a limousine and a ticket for the peepshow.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/bagpipe-music-it-s-no-go-the-merrygoround-it-s-no-go-the-rickshaw-all/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me, otherwise kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/let-them-not-make-me-a-stone-and-let-them-not-spill-me-otherwise-kill/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“Thus were we weaned to knowledge of the Will That wills the natural world, but wills us dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/thus-were-we-weaned-to-knowledge-of-the-will-that-wills-the-natural/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Politics: distrust all parties but consider capitalism must go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/politics-distrust-all-parties-but-consider-capitalism-must-go/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“If war is the test of reality, then all poetry is unreal; but in that case unreality is a virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/if-war-is-the-test-of-reality-then-all-poetry-is-unreal-but-in-that/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“If war is the test of reality, than all poetry is unreal; but in that case unreality is a virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/if-war-is-the-test-of-reality-than-all-poetry-is-unreal-but-in-that/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Why do we like being Irish? Partly because It gives us a hold on the sentimental English As members of a world that never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/why-do-we-like-being-irish-partly-because-it-gives-us-a-hold-on-the/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [A city built upon mud; A culture built upon profit; Free speech nipped in the bud, The minority always guilty. Why should I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/a-city-built-upon-mud-a-culture-built-upon-profit-free-speech-nipped/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“Cradle Song for Eleanor”: Sleep, my darling, sleep; The pity of it all Is all we compass if We watch disaster fall. Put off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/cradle-song-for-eleanor-sleep-my-darling-sleep-the-pity-of-it-all-is/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [A pharaoh's profile, a Krishna's grace, tail like a question mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/a-pharaoh-s-profile-a-krishna-s-grace-tail-like-a-question-mark/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [I was the rector's son, born to the anglican order, Banned for ever from the candles of the Irish poor; The Chichesters knelt in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/i-was-the-rector-s-son-born-to-the-anglican-order-banned-for-ever/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Better authentic mammon than a bogus god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/better-authentic-mammon-than-a-bogus-god/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Dublin was a glorious name in our family and had pleasurable associations of violence …Today I am so at home in Dublin, more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/dublin-was-a-glorious-name-in-our-family-and-had-pleasurable/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [So they were married-to be the more together- And found they were never again so much together, Divided by the morning tea, By the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/so-they-were-married-to-be-the-more-together-and-found-they-were/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) [Explore all 50 Louis MacNeice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [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/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Some on commission, some for the love of learning, Some because they have nothing better to do Or because they hope these walls of books will deaden The drumming of the demon in their ears.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis MacNeice" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of-learning-some-because-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of-learning-some-because-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/louis-macneice-13584_books_some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of_2133146.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/louis-macneice-13584_books_some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of_2133146.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/louis-macneice-13584_books_some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of_2133146.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Some on commission, some for the love of learning, Some because they have nothing better to do Or because…” — Louis MacNeice", "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": "Louis MacNeice", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Some on commission, some for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of-learning-some-because-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/some-on-commission-some-for-the-love-of-learning-some-because-they/#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 } } ] } ```