--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We feared that the music which had given…" description: "\"“We feared that the music which had given us sustenance was in danger of spiritual starvation. We feared it losing its sense of purpose, we feared it f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/patti-smith-394_electric-guitar_we-feared-that-the-music-which-had-given_2044320.jpg" --- # We feared that the music which had given us sustenance was… ![“We feared that the music which had given us sustenance was in danger of spiritual starvation. We feared it losing its sense of purpose, we feared it falling into fattened hands, we feared it floundering in a mire of spectacle, finance, and vapid technical complexity. We would call forth in our…” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/patti-smith-394_electric-guitar_we-feared-that-the-music-which-had-given_2044320.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/patti-smith-394_electric-guitar_we-feared-that-the-music-which-had-given_2044320.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/patti-smith-394_electric-guitar_we-feared-that-the-music-which-had-given_2044320.jpg) > ““We feared that the music which had given us sustenance was in danger of spiritual starvation. We feared it losing its sense of purpose, we feared it falling into fattened hands, we feared it floundering in a mire of spectacle, finance, and vapid technical complexity. We would call forth in our minds the image of Paul Revere, riding through the American night, petitioning the people to wake up, to take up arms. We too would take up arms, the arms of our generation, the electric guitar and the microphone.”” [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that music risks losing its soul to commercialism and technical excess, urging artists to reclaim its purpose with passionate, rebellious energy. **In simple terms:** Music can become empty without purpose; artists must fight to keep it alive. Key Takeaway Use art to resist commodification. Themes art rebellion authenticity culture music Mood defiant urgent inspirational Type manifesto call to action. When to use this quote - musician activism - music education - community organizing - media critique Key Concepts cultural criticism creative activism generational voice Questions to Reflect On - How can modern musicians stay true to purpose? - What role does technology play in diluting art? A Different Perspective Commercial pressures can still dominate despite artistic resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Electric guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-guitar/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feared/) [Feared Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feared-music-3821050/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Paul Revere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paul-revere/) [Purpose Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-feared-3821051/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Rock and roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-and-roll/) [Spiritual Starvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-starvation-2509117/) [Starvation Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starvation-feared-3821052/) ## Related quotes > [We imagined ourselves as the Sons of Liberty with a mission to preserve, protect, and project the revolutionary spirit of rock and roll. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/we-imagined-ourselves-as-the-sons-of-liberty-with-a-mission-to/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“God. Father. Lover. For each shaken source of faith, I have hoarded a seismic sense of hurt--a sensation that led to spiritual starvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-irvine/god-father-lover-for-each-shaken-source-of-faith-i-have-hoarded-a/) [Amy Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-irvine/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I don't have an image of myself, when I'm walking down the street, like I'm a rock star or something. I'm a human being,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-have-an-image-of-myself-when-i-m-walking-down-the-street-like/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm from Los Angeles. I grew up on the west side. I went to Pali High, Paul Revere, Country Canyon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/i-m-from-los-angeles-i-grew-up-on-the-west-side-i-went-to-pali-high/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [As time has gone by, I have looked more and more like Paul Revere than the alarmist my critics have sought to portray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/as-time-has-gone-by-i-have-looked-more-and-more-like-paul-revere-than/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) > [I've never rapped. I karaoke-d 'Paul Revere' from Beastie Boys when I was 15, 14 years old, but that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shavo-odadjian/i-ve-never-rapped-i-karaoke-d-paul-revere-from-beastie-boys-when-i/) [Shavo Odadjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shavo-odadjian/) > [To her British lover about to climb in bed with 80-something Mae: She said that she hoped soon to be able to say what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/to-her-british-lover-about-to-climb-in-bed-with-80-something-mae-she/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled,--- How the farmers gave them ball for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/you-know-the-rest-in-the-books-you-have-read-how-the-british-regulars/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [My first ones were The Young Rascals. I made out with Dino Danelli, the drummer, in the alley behind the City Auditorium. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/my-first-ones-were-the-young-rascals-i-made-out-with-dino-danelli-the/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) > [ You know what? I didn't mess up about Paul Revere. ... \[I\]n a shout-out, gotcha type of question that was asked of me, I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/you-know-what-i-didn-t-mess-up-about-paul-revere-i-n-a-shout-out/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [“They ended up at the Old Corner Bookstore, which Brian had read about in a tour guide to Boston. "Longfellow and Hawthorne and Oliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/they-ended-up-at-the-old-corner-bookstore-which-brian-had-read-about/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [Paul Revere was warning the British about gun control, and George Washington apparently was crossing the Delaware to bomb an abortion clinic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/paul-revere-was-warning-the-british-about-gun-control-and-george/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Lonely people have enthusiasms which cannot always be explained. When something strikes them as funny, the intensity and length of their laughter mirrors the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/lonely-people-have-enthusiasms-which-cannot-always-be-explained-when/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-ellis/paul-revere-earned-his-living-as-a-silversmith-but-what-do-we/) [Susan J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-ellis/) ## More by Patti Smith > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/inside-it-he-inscribed-a-few-lines-of-poetry-portraying-us-as-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-clawed-through-a-thick-web-of-the-culture-s-consciousness-that-i/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/ultimately-we-are-not-seeking-others-to-bow-to-but-to-reinforce-our/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm certain, as we filled down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve years-old, all arms and legs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-certain-as-we-filled-down-the-great-staircase-that-i-appeared-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/in-art-and-dream-may-you-proceed-with-abandon-in-life-may-you-proceed/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/new-york-is-the-thing-that-seduced-me-new-york-is-the-thing-that/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I don't wanna be equal with anybody. I wanna be above equal. I don't think most people are equal to me. I'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-wanna-be-equal-with-anybody-i-wanna-be-above-equal-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/somehow-i-started-introducing-writing-into-my-drawings-and-after-a/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## More Electric guitar quotes > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [The use of electronics is a natural extension of the instrument - it is an electric guitar. So we guitarists have been plugging into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brady/the-use-of-electronics-is-a-natural-extension-of-the-instrument-it-is/) [Tim Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brady/) > [There are tons of people in the West who love fiddles, banjos and mandolins. If you got to any cowboy poetry and music gathering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-martin-murphey/there-are-tons-of-people-in-the-west-who-love-fiddles-banjos-and/) [Michael Martin Murphey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-martin-murphey/) > [Technology was something I avoided when I started out - I didn't even have electric guitars. Only played acoustic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beck/technology-was-something-i-avoided-when-i-started-out-i-didn-t-even/) [Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beck/) > [... Charlie Christians' contributions to the electric guitar are as big as Thomas Edisons' contributions to the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-kessel/charlie-christians-contributions-to-the-electric-guitar-are-as-big-as/) [Barney Kessel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-kessel/) > [I've just been recording mostly acoustic stuff, drums, and sax, and electric guitar. I'm just still writing songs and what not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-phillips/i-ve-just-been-recording-mostly-acoustic-stuff-drums-and-sax-and/) [Phillip Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-phillips/) > [All I want for Christmas is a rock n roll electric guitar...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-rock-n-roll-electric-guitar/) [Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/) > [If the person who can effectively sanction ill-conceived wars can play the electric guitar, which is a symbol of rebellion, then that whole worldview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/if-the-person-who-can-effectively-sanction-ill-conceived-wars-can/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I don't touch electric guitars. It's just not my thing - I stick with acoustic guitars only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/i-don-t-touch-electric-guitars-it-s-just-not-my-thing-i-stick-with/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [When I first started playing, I definitely had a younger scum-punk crowd, but as my music developed more and after I started playing electric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-loveless/when-i-first-started-playing-i-definitely-had-a-younger-scum-punk/) [Lydia Loveless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-loveless/) > [When I was a kid. I started writing when I was 13. I got my first electric guitar when I was 13, but I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/when-i-was-a-kid-i-started-writing-when-i-was-13-i-got-my-first/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [The electric guitar was vital in helping what I've achieved where would I be without it? Playing awfully quietly, for a start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/the-electric-guitar-was-vital-in-helping-what-i-ve-achieved-where/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [My parents got me a $25 Kent steel-string acoustic guitar when I was around 12. The following Christmas, my parents bought me a Conora…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/my-parents-got-me-a-25-kent-steel-string-acoustic-guitar-when-i-was/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [My dreams are always quite attainable, I wouldn't like to spend a lot of money on a car. I've got a mental block about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kane/my-dreams-are-always-quite-attainable-i-wouldn-t-like-to-spend-a-lot/) [Russell Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kane/) [Browse all 144 Electric guitar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-guitar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We feared that the music which had given us sustenance was in danger of spiritual starvation. We feared it losing its sense of purpose, we feared it falling into fattened hands, we feared it floundering in a mire of spectacle, finance, and vapid technical complexity. We would call forth in our minds the image of Paul Revere, riding through the American night, petitioning the people to wake up, to take up arms. 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