--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't even begin to express the joy I…" description: "\"I can't even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own and with others, I hold it all sacred.\" — Rostam Batmanglij" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81a/rostam-batmanglij-3648_even_i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i_2471311.jpg" --- # I can't even begin to express the joy I get from writing… ![“I can't even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own and with others, I hold it all sacred.” quote by Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81a/rostam-batmanglij-3648_even_i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i_2471311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81a/rostam-batmanglij-3648_even_i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i_2471311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81a/rostam-batmanglij-3648_even_i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i_2471311.jpg) > “I can't even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own and with others, I hold it all sacred.” [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing songs is a sacred act that connects personal expression with collaborative creation, fostering deep emotional resonance. **In simple terms:** Songwriting is a cherished, collaborative, and emotional process. Key Takeaway Approach songwriting as a sacred, shared experience. Themes creativity collaboration emotion expression music Mood reflective intimate Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - songwriting sessions - band rehearsals - personal reflection - studio work Key Concepts artistic reverence shared vulnerability creative synergy Questions to Reflect On - How does treating art as sacred affect creative freedom? - What practices keep the process grounded? A Different Perspective The sacred view may pressure artists to over‑idealize their work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Express Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/express-joy-367884/) [Hold Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-sacred-457452/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Joy Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy-writing-642884/) [Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/others/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-hold-764649/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-songs/) ## Related quotes > [It's weird being a DJ and you have a playlist of your own songs that you could hold it down for an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mannie-fresh/it-s-weird-being-a-dj-and-you-have-a-playlist-of-your-own-songs-that/) [Mannie Fresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mannie-fresh/) > [I got a lot more interested in songs that could hold up completely on their own, with just a guitar and voice. For some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-rossen/i-got-a-lot-more-interested-in-songs-that-could-hold-up-completely-on/) [Daniel Rossen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-rossen/) > [Songs hold different memories for different people and the great ones are the ones that become a part of you and your story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-nott/songs-hold-different-memories-for-different-people-and-the-great-ones/) [Georgia Nott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-nott/) > [“Get them to vow on whatever geek shit you guys hold sacred”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/get-them-to-vow-on-whatever-geek-shit-you-guys-hold-sacred/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [“No net less wide than a man's whole heart, nor less fine of mesh than love, will hold the sacred Fish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/no-net-less-wide-than-a-man-s-whole-heart-nor-less-fine-of-mesh-than/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Loyalty is something you should always hold sacred in your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daunte-culpepper/loyalty-is-something-you-should-always-hold-sacred-in-your-heart/) [Daunte Culpepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daunte-culpepper/) > [What we hold sacred is honor, justice, and glory. You need not swear allegiance to our storm god, to serve with us. Fighters are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/what-we-hold-sacred-is-honor-justice-and-glory-you-need-not-swear/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [“By all you hold sacred, by all you hold dear, by your love that is lost, by your hope that lives, for the sake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/by-all-you-hold-sacred-by-all-you-hold-dear-by-your-love-that-is-lost/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [Laugh at what you hold sacred, and still hold it sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/laugh-at-what-you-hold-sacred-and-still-hold-it-sacred/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [I have the power of choice in every moment. Where will I place my attention? What do I hold sacred? Whom can I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-small/i-have-the-power-of-choice-in-every-moment-where-will-i-place-my/) [Fred Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-small/) > [a church ought to express the joy of religion as well as its majesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/a-church-ought-to-express-the-joy-of-religion-as-well-as-its-majesty/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [“The joy of knowing a foreign language is inexpressible. I find it really difficult to express such joy in my mother tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/the-joy-of-knowing-a-foreign-language-is-inexpressible-i-find-it/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [I really can't pinpoint why I celebrate the way I do. I just love it when I pick a wicket, and it comes naturally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-tahir/i-really-can-t-pinpoint-why-i-celebrate-the-way-i-do-i-just-love-it/) [Imran Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-tahir/) > [Words can not express the joy of new life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/words-can-not-express-the-joy-of-new-life/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“Love makes temporary saints and poets of us all. We feel the source of life welling up inside us and long to express the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maxwell-taylor/love-makes-temporary-saints-and-poets-of-us-all-we-feel-the-source-of/) [John Maxwell Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maxwell-taylor/) ## More by Rostam Batmanglij > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-am-a-very-big-fan-of-brian-eno-of-his-work-as-an-artist-and-making/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [I tend to use different microphones, different mic techniques, and different recording mediums - like analogue tape - that evoke multiple eras of recorded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-tend-to-use-different-microphones-different-mic-techniques-and/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [I think the music that speaks to me the most is music that is personal. And that's the music that I'm trying to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-think-the-music-that-speaks-to-me-the-most-is-music-that-is/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [I've always been very good at helping other people finish their songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-ve-always-been-very-good-at-helping-other-people-finish-their-songs/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [The most exciting songs to me are the unlikely hits, when you think, 'I love this, but why is it on the radio?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/the-most-exciting-songs-to-me-are-the-unlikely-hits-when-you-think-i/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [Even though I've been making electronic music since I was 14, it's hard for people to see you as a producer with a musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/even-though-i-ve-been-making-electronic-music-since-i-was-14-it-s/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [It's always my mission to try to do something that hasn't been done before, whether that's musically, lyrically or in terms of mixing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/it-s-always-my-mission-to-try-to-do-something-that-hasn-t-been-done/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [There's a line in the Arthur Russell documentary where his partner talks about how Arthur is really interested in process. He never felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/there-s-a-line-in-the-arthur-russell-documentary-where-his-partner/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [The first Vampire Weekend record was the first full-length album that I produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/the-first-vampire-weekend-record-was-the-first-full-length-album-that/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [Classical music can be catchy, so can African instrumental guitar music. It's not just pop songs that are catchy. Rhythms can be catchy, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/classical-music-can-be-catchy-so-can-african-instrumental-guitar/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [Because of who I am, and how open I am, there's something inherently political about just writing love songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/because-of-who-i-am-and-how-open-i-am-there-s-something-inherently/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [I've always had a complex relationship towards my identity as an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-ve-always-had-a-complex-relationship-towards-my-identity-as-an/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [When my mom was pregnant with me, my parents moved from France to America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/when-my-mom-was-pregnant-with-me-my-parents-moved-from-france-to/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [You want the personality of each performer - whether it's singing or bass or drums or piano - to be intact. In some ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/you-want-the-personality-of-each-performer-whether-it-s-singing-or/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [I thought it would be interesting to play classical music on rock instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-thought-it-would-be-interesting-to-play-classical-music-on-rock/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) [Explore all 125 Rostam Batmanglij quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) ## More Even quotes > [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [If you're a top 10 guy you should pay a top 10 guy or even a top 5 guy what he deserves, whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljamain-sterling/if-you-re-a-top-10-guy-you-should-pay-a-top-10-guy-or-even-a-top-5/) [Aljamain Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aljamain-sterling/) > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [Even after years of observing, a new picture of Uranus from Keck Observatory can stop me in my tracks and make me say, 'Wow!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/even-after-years-of-observing-a-new-picture-of-uranus-from-keck/) [Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. 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Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Browse all 8,987 Even quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own and with others, I hold it all sacred.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rostam Batmanglij" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i-get-from-writing-songs-both/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Even" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i-get-from-writing-songs-both/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81a/rostam-batmanglij-3648_even_i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i_2471311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81a/rostam-batmanglij-3648_even_i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i_2471311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81a/rostam-batmanglij-3648_even_i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i_2471311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own and with others, I hold it…” — Rostam Batmanglij", "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": "Rostam Batmanglij", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can't even begin to express...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i-get-from-writing-songs-both/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-can-t-even-begin-to-express-the-joy-i-get-from-writing-songs-both/#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 } } ] } ```