--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realized very early that I was never…" description: "\"I realized very early that I was never going to make by living by writing string quartets. But I wanted to write music and I didn't want to have to do ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/richard-rodney-bennett-40355_i-realized_i-realized-very-early-that-i-was-never-g_1546518.png" --- # I realized very early that I was never going to make by… ![“I realized very early that I was never going to make by living by writing string quartets. But I wanted to write music and I didn't want to have to do anything else.” quote by Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/richard-rodney-bennett-40355_i-realized_i-realized-very-early-that-i-was-never-g_1546518.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/richard-rodney-bennett-40355_i-realized_i-realized-very-early-that-i-was-never-g_1546518.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/richard-rodney-bennett-40355_i-realized_i-realized-very-early-that-i-was-never-g_1546518.png) > “I realized very early that I was never going to make by living by writing string quartets. But I wanted to write music and I didn't want to have to do anything else.” [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He realized early that making a living solely from string quartets was unrealistic, yet he pursued music without compromising. **In simple terms:** He knew he couldn't earn a living just writing quartets, but he kept writing music. Key Takeaway Pursue passion while planning practical income. Themes music career realism Mood inspirational pragmatic Type artistic practical When to use this quote - freelance composing - teaching - commissioned works Key Concepts artistic integrity financial planning Questions to Reflect On - How can artists balance creative desire with livelihood? - What alternatives support sustainable music careers? A Different Perspective Financial constraints may limit artistic freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Quartets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quartets/) [String quartets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/string-quartets/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The Detroit String Quartet played Brahms last night. Brahms lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-cerf/the-detroit-string-quartet-played-brahms-last-night-brahms-lost/) [Bennett Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-cerf/) > [One is that you have to take time, lots of time, to let an idea grow from within. The second is that when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/one-is-that-you-have-to-take-time-lots-of-time-to-let-an-idea-grow/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [The most perfect expression of human behavior is a string quartet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tate/the-most-perfect-expression-of-human-behavior-is-a-string-quartet/) [Jeffrey Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tate/) > [Beethoven's string quartets express pain itself; it is not MY pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/beethoven-s-string-quartets-express-pain-itself-it-is-not-my-pain/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [The great thing about string quartets is the players are kind of like family. They work really well as a unit, so you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-riley/the-great-thing-about-string-quartets-is-the-players-are-kind-of-like/) [Terry Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-riley/) > [The pieces that have survived, the ones that we all love, were not all popular in their time. Just look at Beethoven's late string…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finckel/the-pieces-that-have-survived-the-ones-that-we-all-love-were-not-all/) [David Finckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finckel/) > [There was one thing Beethoven didn't do. When one of his string quartets was played, you can believe the second violin wasn't improvising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/there-was-one-thing-beethoven-didn-t-do-when-one-of-his-string/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I suppose subconsciously I was thinking in terms of having the scale of it matching the scale of the images. Hence the sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-greenwood/i-suppose-subconsciously-i-was-thinking-in-terms-of-having-the-scale/) [Jonny Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-greenwood/) > [“Some people write string quartets, some grow lettuce and tomatoes. There have to be a few who build railroad stations,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-write-string-quartets-some-grow-lettuce-and-tomatoes/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I would like to hear Elliot Carter's Fourth String Quartet, if only to discover what a cranky prostate does to one's polyphony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sellars/i-would-like-to-hear-elliot-carter-s-fourth-string-quartet-if-only-to/) James Sellars > [Part of me is probably more conservative than people realise. I like my old string quartets, I don't like music that's trippy for trippy's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjork/part-of-me-is-probably-more-conservative-than-people-realise-i-like/) [Bjork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjork/) > [I don't know that I make a big distinction between the big pieces and the little pieces, because I don't experience them in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-glass/i-don-t-know-that-i-make-a-big-distinction-between-the-big-pieces-and/) [Philip Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-glass/) > [A Beethoven string-quartet is truly, as some one has said, a scraping of horses' tails on cats' bowels, and may be exhaustively described in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/a-beethoven-string-quartet-is-truly-as-some-one-has-said-a-scraping/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [A noble space, unlike any other of our time, for it is both strong and delicate. It seems to call at once for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goldberger/a-noble-space-unlike-any-other-of-our-time-for-it-is-both-strong-and/) [Paul Goldberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goldberger/) > [A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-colwin/a-world-without-tomatoes-is-like-a-string-quartet-without-violins/) [Laurie Colwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-colwin/) ## More by Richard Rodney Bennett > [I wanted to write music, and cook, and play cards, and have a nice time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/i-wanted-to-write-music-and-cook-and-play-cards-and-have-a-nice-time/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [The different parts of my career seemed to take part in different rooms, albeit in the same house. It was just the way things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/the-different-parts-of-my-career-seemed-to-take-part-in-different/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [Elizabeth Lutyens was the first professional composer that I ever knew. I sent someextremely infantile pieces that I I'd written and got marvellous encouragement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/elizabeth-lutyens-was-the-first-professional-composer-that-i-ever/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [Being on a musical quest was something I always enjoyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/being-on-a-musical-quest-was-something-i-always-enjoyed/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [I was a catastrophe at Science and Games, but the good thing about Quaker schools is that they encourage you in those subjects for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/i-was-a-catastrophe-at-science-and-games-but-the-good-thing-about/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [I am proud to be able to claim that, from the age of nineteen, I've managed to earna living entirely as a composer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/i-am-proud-to-be-able-to-claim-that-from-the-age-of-nineteen-i-ve/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [I hated teaching composition. I was playing music I didn't particularly want to play, being on committees I didn't want to be on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/i-hated-teaching-composition-i-was-playing-music-i-didn-t/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [When I came across something I liked, I wanted to find out as much as I could about it. This was as true of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/when-i-came-across-something-i-liked-i-wanted-to-find-out-as-much-as/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [People ask what was the first piece of music I wrote. There was no first piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/people-ask-what-was-the-first-piece-of-music-i-wrote-there-was-no/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [I just scribbled away and eventually a C-major chord was there. I didn't ever decide I was going to be a composer. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/i-just-scribbled-away-and-eventually-a-c-major-chord-was-there-i-didn/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) [Explore all 11 Richard Rodney Bennett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) ## More I realized quotes > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I realized my father's sister Joanne, who died at 19 had instilled her spirit in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-realized-my-father-s-sister-joanne-who-died-at-19-had-instilled-her/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I won contest after contest until finally I realized, "Ok, I am the best in the world, but now what?" So I opened my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-hosoi/i-won-contest-after-contest-until-finally-i-realized-ok-i-am-the-best/) [Christian Hosoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-hosoi/) > [All my life I've been involved with racial politics. I was a Freedom Rider in the South. I was the author of books on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/all-my-life-i-ve-been-involved-with-racial-politics-i-was-a-freedom/) [Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/) > [I've always been interested in medicine and was pleased when my brother became a doctor. But after thinking seriously about that field, I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-medicine-and-was-pleased-when-my/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [I stopped reading music reviews because it's somebody having a knee-jerk reaction to a song. I realized that that's not the definitive interpretation. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-roberts/i-stopped-reading-music-reviews-because-it-s-somebody-having-a-knee/) [Sam Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-roberts/) > [I realized early on that the academy and the literary world alike - and I don't think there really is a distinction between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/i-realized-early-on-that-the-academy-and-the-literary-world-alike-and/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [You see, years ago I was just an ordinary bee minding my own business, smelling flowers all day, and occasionally picking up part-time work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/you-see-years-ago-i-was-just-an-ordinary-bee-minding-my-own-business/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [Memoirs are going to be problematic sells for a while, though, because even if memoir means "based in memory," right now, in the collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-monroe/memoirs-are-going-to-be-problematic-sells-for-a-while-though-because/) [Debra Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-monroe/) > [When I was a girl, I would make up songs for fun. Then I realized, after making them up, that I could remember how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-saw/when-i-was-a-girl-i-would-make-up-songs-for-fun-then-i-realized-after/) [Lady Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-saw/) > [I realized that there are just certain things in life that are private. I have things in my past - like everyone - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-osmond/i-realized-that-there-are-just-certain-things-in-life-that-are/) [Ken Osmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-osmond/) > [I realized that what I was looking for was doing collaborations with other people - people who can play a ballad, rock, jazz. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-realized-that-what-i-was-looking-for-was-doing-collaborations-with/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [When I first prepared this particular talk... I realized that my usual approach is usually critical. That is, a lot of the things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/when-i-first-prepared-this-particular-talk-i-realized-that-my-usual/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) Browse all 1,693 I realized quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I realized very early that I was never going to make by living by writing string quartets. 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