--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never learned how to tune a harp, or…" description: "\"I never learned how to tune a harp, or play upon a lute; but I know how to raise a small and obscure city to glory and greatness...whereto all kindreds..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/themistocles-48826_all-kinds_i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-pl_2019758.jpg" --- # I never learned how to tune a harp, or play upon a lute… ![“I never learned how to tune a harp, or play upon a lute; but I know how to raise a small and obscure city to glory and greatness...whereto all kindreds of the earth will pilgrim.” quote by Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/themistocles-48826_all-kinds_i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-pl_2019758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/themistocles-48826_all-kinds_i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-pl_2019758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/themistocles-48826_all-kinds_i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-pl_2019758.jpg) > “I never learned how to tune a harp, or play upon a lute; but I know how to raise a small and obscure city to glory and greatness...whereto all kindreds of the earth will pilgrim.” [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He admits lacking musical skill but claims ability to elevate a modest city to greatness, inviting all peoples to pilgrimage. **In simple terms:** He can’t play music but can lead a city to glory. Key Takeaway Focus on leadership over personal talent. Themes leadership vision community legacy Mood inspirational determined hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - city planning - political campaigns - public speaking - nation building Key Concepts political strategy urban development cultural unity Questions to Reflect On - How can you leverage your strengths to uplift others? - What does “pilgrimage” symbolize in your life? A Different Perspective Success depends on collective effort, not just individual skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Harp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harp/) [Kindred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindred/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrim/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [Fro and to in my dreams to you To the haunting tune of the harp For the price I paid when you died that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/fro-and-to-in-my-dreams-to-you-to-the-haunting-tune-of-the-harp-for/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [All of us are pilgrims on this earth. I've even heard people say that the earth itself is a pilgrim in the heavens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/all-of-us-are-pilgrims-on-this-earth-i-ve-even-heard-people-say-that/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [People say all kinds of hurtful things, but I've learned to tune it out the best I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-davis/people-say-all-kinds-of-hurtful-things-but-i-ve-learned-to-tune-it/) [Baron Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-davis/) > [I learned to tune a guitar by ear. That method has served me pretty well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/i-learned-to-tune-a-guitar-by-ear-that-method-has-served-me-pretty/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [The harp sounds at each passing breeze, but that does not mean the tune is masterfully played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/the-harp-sounds-at-each-passing-breeze-but-that-does-not-mean-the/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Go ye, who rest so placidly upon the sacred Bard who had been young, and when he strung his harp was old, and had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/go-ye-who-rest-so-placidly-upon-the-sacred-bard-who-had-been-young/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [There's something fundamental to the harp that has retained its appeal my whole life. It's an instrument I am just in love with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/there-s-something-fundamental-to-the-harp-that-has-retained-its/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [It's defeatist to harp on what might have been, and yet, it's hard to resist considering what might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/it-s-defeatist-to-harp-on-what-might-have-been-and-yet-it-s-hard-to/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [I didn't sing for years and years, but I started playing harp when I was maybe 9 or 10. I had actually wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-didn-t-sing-for-years-and-years-but-i-started-playing-harp-when-i/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [“My music teacher offered twittering madrigals and something about how, in Italy, in Italy, the oranges hang on the tree. He treated me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-rose-o-reilley/my-music-teacher-offered-twittering-madrigals-and-something-about-how/) [Mary Rose O'Reilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-rose-o-reilley/) > [Two touch the string, The harp is dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/two-touch-the-string-the-harp-is-dumb/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [During the reign of Rameses III (the Twentieth Dynasty) Egypt saw a flowering of its civilization and the harp became the royal instrument of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-heline/during-the-reign-of-rameses-iii-the-twentieth-dynasty-egypt-saw-a/) [Corinne Heline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-heline/) > [I am producing sounds that people are not used to hearing from the harp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-am-producing-sounds-that-people-are-not-used-to-hearing-from-the/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [Nature is an aeolian harp, a musical instrument whose tones are the re-echo of higher strings within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/nature-is-an-aeolian-harp-a-musical-instrument-whose-tones-are-the-re/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [(As a boy) I was listening to Sonny Boy Williamson's (I) records and I would close my eyes and I could visualize myself playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-wells/as-a-boy-i-was-listening-to-sonny-boy-williamson-s-i-records-and-i/) Junior Wells ## More by Themistocles > [I have with me two gods, Persuasion and Compulsion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-have-with-me-two-gods-persuasion-and-compulsion/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [He who commands the sea has command of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/he-who-commands-the-sea-has-command-of-everything/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [I choose the likely man in preference to the rich man; I want a man without money rather than money without a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-choose-the-likely-man-in-preference-to-the-rich-man-i-want-a-man/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [The Athenians govern the Greeks; I govern the Athenians; you, my wife, govern me; your son governs you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/the-athenians-govern-the-greeks-i-govern-the-athenians-you-my-wife/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [May I never sit on a tribunal where my friends shall not find more favor from me than strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/may-i-never-sit-on-a-tribunal-where-my-friends-shall-not-find-more/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [I cannot fiddle, but I can make a great state from a little city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-cannot-fiddle-but-i-can-make-a-great-state-from-a-little-city/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [Strike, if you will, but listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/strike-if-you-will-but-listen/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) [Explore all 8 Themistocles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) ## More All kinds quotes > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [I'm not technically proficient enough to attempt all kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-m-not-technically-proficient-enough-to-attempt-all-kinds-of-music/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [My office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/my-office-in-new-york-is-overflowing-with-all-kinds-of-cookbooks-and/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [Sydney is full of the craziest and most talented artists of all kinds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiynan-lonsdale/sydney-is-full-of-the-craziest-and-most-talented-artists-of-all-kinds/) [Keiynan Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiynan-lonsdale/) > [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [You know, the world’s not running out of oil. 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The best writers write children's books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-scarry/there-are-all-kinds-of-writers-the-best-writers-write-children-s-books/) [Richard Scarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-scarry/) > [We also need to make sure women can be in charge of their reproductive health. We can't defund places like Planned Parenthood, where women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-teigen/we-also-need-to-make-sure-women-can-be-in-charge-of-their/) [Chrissy Teigen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-teigen/) > [The single greatest pleasure that I have in doing ('Bizarre Foods') is when I meet families with 6, 7, 8-year-olds, or teenagers, who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/the-single-greatest-pleasure-that-i-have-in-doing-bizarre-foods-is/) [Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. 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That actually means they like no kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/do-you-know-people-who-insist-they-like-all-kinds-of-music-that/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) Browse all 1,489 All kinds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never learned how to tune a harp, or play upon a lute; but I know how to raise a small and obscure city to glory and greatness...whereto all kindreds of the earth will pilgrim.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Themistocles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-play-upon-a-lute-but-i-know-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "All kinds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-play-upon-a-lute-but-i-know-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/themistocles-48826_all-kinds_i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-pl_2019758.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/themistocles-48826_all-kinds_i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-pl_2019758.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/themistocles-48826_all-kinds_i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-pl_2019758.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never learned how to tune a harp, or play upon a lute; but I know how to raise a small and obscure city to…” — Themistocles", "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": "Themistocles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I never learned how to tune...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-play-upon-a-lute-but-i-know-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-never-learned-how-to-tune-a-harp-or-play-upon-a-lute-but-i-know-how/#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 } } ] } ```