--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beethoven’s music always struck me…" description: "\"Beethoven’s music always struck me. Always. He had this fire you know. I remember reading this story of him going deaf and pushing himself into self-is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed5/rodney-mullen-25454_beethoven_beethoven-s-music-always-struck-me-alway_799782.png" --- # Beethoven’s music always struck me. Always. He had this… ![“Beethoven’s music always struck me. Always. He had this fire you know. I remember reading this story of him going deaf and pushing himself into self-isolation and that’s where he became himself. And to me that was, wow. Don’t let anything poison your individuality. Be away, break away and look in…” quote by Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed5/rodney-mullen-25454_beethoven_beethoven-s-music-always-struck-me-alway_799782.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed5/rodney-mullen-25454_beethoven_beethoven-s-music-always-struck-me-alway_799782.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed5/rodney-mullen-25454_beethoven_beethoven-s-music-always-struck-me-alway_799782.png) > “Beethoven’s music always struck me. Always. He had this fire you know. I remember reading this story of him going deaf and pushing himself into self-isolation and that’s where he became himself. And to me that was, wow. Don’t let anything poison your individuality. Be away, break away and look in not outward.” [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes Beethoven’s fire and isolation leading to authentic self‑expression, urging protection of individuality **In simple terms:** Isolation can foster true self, protect your uniqueness Key Takeaway Guard your individuality against external poison Themes individuality authenticity resilience Mood introspective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic pursuits - personal crises - mental health - creative work Key Concepts self‑discovery creative isolation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance solitude and connection? - What practices keep your individuality alive? A Different Perspective Isolation may cause loneliness and stagnation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [Don't let anything poison your individuality. Break away & look in, not outward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/don-t-let-anything-poison-your-individuality-break-away-look-in-not/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Beethoven's music tends to move from chaos to order, as if order were an imperative of human existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-barenboim/beethoven-s-music-tends-to-move-from-chaos-to-order-as-if-order-were/) [Daniel Barenboim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-barenboim/) > [If some of those people who wanted to ban Beethoven's music could hear the music that's being played today, wow, what would they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smokey-robinson/if-some-of-those-people-who-wanted-to-ban-beethoven-s-music-could/) [Smokey Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smokey-robinson/) > [The feelings that Beethoven put into his music were the feelings of a god. There was something olympian in his snarls and rages, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-feelings-that-beethoven-put-into-his-music-were-the-feelings-of-a/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [ Undoubtedly \[Beethoven's\] music often verges on kitsch ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/undoubtedly-beethoven-s-music-often-verges-on-kitsch/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“I know that hunger for self-isolation, it eats u up. Disconnecting yourself from external world and longing to disappear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shreya-gupta/i-know-that-hunger-for-self-isolation-it-eats-u-up-disconnecting/) [Shreya Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shreya-gupta/) > [When I walked outside of my room for the first time since being placed into self-isolation for breaking the Covid-19 protocols, I heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/when-i-walked-outside-of-my-room-for-the-first-time-since-being/) [Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/) > [When Beethoven went deaf, the mynah bird just used to mime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-chapman/when-beethoven-went-deaf-the-mynah-bird-just-used-to-mime/) [Graham Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-chapman/) > [Beethoven's last quartets were written by a deaf man and should only be listened to by a deaf man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/beethoven-s-last-quartets-were-written-by-a-deaf-man-and-should-only/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [The point of recapitulation in the first movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony unleashes one of the most horrifyingly violent episodes in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mcclary/the-point-of-recapitulation-in-the-first-movement-of-beethoven-s/) [Susan McClary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mcclary/) > [“He had said it bravely, and that is why one can trust Beethoven when he says other things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/he-had-said-it-bravely-and-that-is-why-one-can-trust-beethoven-when/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [“That Beethoven was capable of producing the ultimate musical definition of heroism in this context is itself extraordinary, for he was able to evoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-solomon/that-beethoven-was-capable-of-producing-the-ultimate-musical/) Maynard Solomon > [And now, in honour of the 150th anniversary of Beethoven's death, I would like to play 'Clear the Saloon', er, 'Clair de Lune', by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/and-now-in-honour-of-the-150th-anniversary-of-beethoven-s-death-i/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-he-must-know-in-which-spirit/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More by Rodney Mullen > [Any eyes on me - a late-night street sweeper, some dude texting in his parked car, the homeless guy talking to himself - make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/any-eyes-on-me-a-late-night-street-sweeper-some-dude-texting-in-his/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [I've been all around the world, and there will be a thousand kids crying out your name, and it's such a weird, visceral experience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/i-ve-been-all-around-the-world-and-there-will-be-a-thousand-kids/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [The biggest obstacle to creativity is breaking through the barrier of disbelief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/the-biggest-obstacle-to-creativity-is-breaking-through-the-barrier-of/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [The degree to which we connect to a community is in proportion to our individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/the-degree-to-which-we-connect-to-a-community-is-in-proportion-to-our/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Skateboarding is as much, or more, an art of mode of expression than it is a sport. What skateboarding has given me is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/skateboarding-is-as-much-or-more-an-art-of-mode-of-expression-than-it/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [I fell in love with skateboarding because it was individual; there were no teams, there were no captains, there was nothing to perfect. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/i-fell-in-love-with-skateboarding-because-it-was-individual-there/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [It puts a ceiling on your progress. You're blocked by your pride. To get good, you have to throw your board around and fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/it-puts-a-ceiling-on-your-progress-you-re-blocked-by-your-pride-to/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [What it is is that there's an intrinsic value in creating something for the sake of creating it, and better than that ... there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/what-it-is-is-that-there-s-an-intrinsic-value-in-creating-something/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [It wasn't until '79 I won my first amateur championship, and then, by '81, I was 14, and I won my first world championship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/it-wasn-t-until-79-i-won-my-first-amateur-championship-and-then-by-81/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Do what you love and try not to look at what other people occupy themselves with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/do-what-you-love-and-try-not-to-look-at-what-other-people-occupy/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [I can't wait to wake up and try something new. I can't sleep at night because I want to try something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/i-can-t-wait-to-wake-up-and-try-something-new-i-can-t-sleep-at-night/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [As a kid, I grew up on a farm in Florida, and I did what most little kids do. I played a little baseball,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/as-a-kid-i-grew-up-on-a-farm-in-florida-and-i-did-what-most-little/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Skaters, I think they tend to be outsiders who seek a sense of belonging, but belonging on their own terms, and real respect is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/skaters-i-think-they-tend-to-be-outsiders-who-seek-a-sense-of/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [There's an intrinsic value in creating something for the sake of creating it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/there-s-an-intrinsic-value-in-creating-something-for-the-sake-of/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [I like to study a lot of math, physics, and the Bible, too. For me, they all show that there's a lot more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/i-like-to-study-a-lot-of-math-physics-and-the-bible-too-for-me-they/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) [Explore all 23 Rodney Mullen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) ## More Beethoven quotes > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-he-must-know-in-which-spirit/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [And now, in honour of the 150th anniversary of Beethoven's death, I would like to play 'Clear the Saloon', er, 'Clair de Lune', by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/and-now-in-honour-of-the-150th-anniversary-of-beethoven-s-death-i/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [“That Beethoven was capable of producing the ultimate musical definition of heroism in this context is itself extraordinary, for he was able to evoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-solomon/that-beethoven-was-capable-of-producing-the-ultimate-musical/) Maynard Solomon > [“He had said it bravely, and that is why one can trust Beethoven when he says other things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/he-had-said-it-bravely-and-that-is-why-one-can-trust-beethoven-when/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [The point of recapitulation in the first movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony unleashes one of the most horrifyingly violent episodes in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mcclary/the-point-of-recapitulation-in-the-first-movement-of-beethoven-s/) [Susan McClary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mcclary/) > [“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-ll-have-a-good-secure-life-when-being-alive-means-more-to-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [I shall never forget Juliek. How could I forget this concert given before an audience of the dead and dying? Even today, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-shall-never-forget-juliek-how-could-i-forget-this-concert-given/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Did Beethoven create his symphonies for his glorification? I don't believe it. I believe he created them because the music in his soul demanded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/did-beethoven-create-his-symphonies-for-his-glorification-i-don-t/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“On behalf of all that is good and melodic, Ludwig van Beethoven, I apologize.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/on-behalf-of-all-that-is-good-and-melodic-ludwig-van-beethoven-i/) [Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/) > [Beethoven can't really be great because his picture isn't on a bubble gum card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/beethoven-can-t-really-be-great-because-his-picture-isn-t-on-a-bubble/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [“I hope Ludwig van Beethoven gets his cut, Langdon thought, fairly certain that the original inventor of bone conduction technology was the eighteenth-century composer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-hope-ludwig-van-beethoven-gets-his-cut-langdon-thought-fairly/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“A deaf composer's like a cook who's lost his sense of taste. A frog that's lost its webbed feet. A truck driver with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/a-deaf-composer-s-like-a-cook-who-s-lost-his-sense-of-taste-a-frog/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Pulse as an active means of expression, Stravinsky and Beethoven are the two masters of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/pulse-as-an-active-means-of-expression-stravinsky-and-beethoven-are/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [I think there are very few people that I would give the title of genius to, really, but Beethoven unquestionably is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-think-there-are-very-few-people-that-i-would-give-the-title-of/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) Browse all 240 Beethoven quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Beethoven’s music always struck me. Always. 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