Eliot Quote by Robert Lowell
““Would you like me to write Mrs. Ames about inviting you to Yaddo? Get Miss Moore to write too. You can’t invite yourself, though, of course, almost all the invitations are planned. It would be marvelous to have you there. I know the solitude that gets too much. It doesn’t drug me, but I get fantastic and uncivilized. At last my divorce [from Jean Stafford] is over. It’s funny at my age to have one’s life so much in and on one’s hands. All the rawness of learning, what I used to think should be done with by twenty-five. Sometimes nothing is so solid to me as writing—I suppose that’s what vocation means—at times a torment, a bad conscience, but all in all, purpose and direction, so I’m thankful, and call it good, as Eliot would say.””
About This Quote
Source Letter: Correspondence with a friend, 1960s
He discusses invitations, solitude, and the purpose of writing as a vocation, despite its torments.
In simple terms: Writing is his calling, both painful and purposeful.
Key Takeaway
Pursue your vocation despite hardships.
Themes
creativity
solitude
purpose
Mood
reflective
determined
Type
literary
personal
When to use this quote
- academic conferences
- writer’s block
- personal milestones
- career decisions
Key Concepts
literature
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives you to continue your craft?
- How do you balance solitude with connection?
A Different Perspective
Writing can become isolating and burdensome.
