--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that anything is a form of folk…" description: "\"I think that anything is a form of folk music. That's just me being glib, but the thing I like the best about humans, and there are not many other thin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/will-sheff-19978_artist_i-think-that-anything-is-a-form-of-folk_882268.jpg" --- # I think that anything is a form of folk music. That's just… ![“I think that anything is a form of folk music. That's just me being glib, but the thing I like the best about humans, and there are not many other things besides this, is that humans make culture. If you're an artist, a big part of folk is noticing what other people are doing and incorporating it…” quote by Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/will-sheff-19978_artist_i-think-that-anything-is-a-form-of-folk_882268.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/will-sheff-19978_artist_i-think-that-anything-is-a-form-of-folk_882268.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/will-sheff-19978_artist_i-think-that-anything-is-a-form-of-folk_882268.jpg) > “I think that anything is a form of folk music. That's just me being glib, but the thing I like the best about humans, and there are not many other things besides this, is that humans make culture. If you're an artist, a big part of folk is noticing what other people are doing and incorporating it and changing it - the way that songs warp and change over time.” [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human creativity thrives on borrowing, remixing, and evolving cultural expressions. **In simple terms:** Culture is shared, reshaped art. Key Takeaway Embrace influence, create anew. Themes creativity culture folk music influence evolution Mood enthusiastic curious inspired Type observational philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - music production - writing - artistic collaboration - education - media Key Concepts remix culture intertextuality collective creativity Questions to Reflect On - What traditions inspire your work? - How do you balance homage and originality? A Different Perspective Risk of losing originality or authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Changes over time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changes-over-time/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Folk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk/) [Folk music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk-music/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Even in ancient days they were, as a rule, shy of 'the Big Folk', as they call us, and now they avoid us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/even-in-ancient-days-they-were-as-a-rule-shy-of-the-big-folk-as-they/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [Punk is just as much a form of folk music as anything is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-shocked/punk-is-just-as-much-a-form-of-folk-music-as-anything-is/) [Michelle Shocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-shocked/) > [Classical is a more refined and structured dance form. Folk is made for celebration. That's not a very competitive dance form. Though you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-mohan/classical-is-a-more-refined-and-structured-dance-form-folk-is-made/) [Shakti Mohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-mohan/) > [A film cannot make it into the culture without the support of critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/a-film-cannot-make-it-into-the-culture-without-the-support-of-critics/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [The changes that we can make in the culture can be there for people that we will never meet, that will never know us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-c-hayes/the-changes-that-we-can-make-in-the-culture-can-be-there-for-people/) [Steven C. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-c-hayes/) > [We're supposed to be the people who make culture, not decorate culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-victore/we-re-supposed-to-be-the-people-who-make-culture-not-decorate-culture/) [James Victore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-victore/) > [I don't see a lot of studio executives caring at all about what the culture is telling us. They think they make the culture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-don-t-see-a-lot-of-studio-executives-caring-at-all-about-what-the/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I don't make culture. I sell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-clark/i-don-t-make-culture-i-sell-it/) [Dick Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-clark/) > [No doubt a leader or leaders can make that culture more effective or less effective, by the way that we behave. Most importantly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/no-doubt-a-leader-or-leaders-can-make-that-culture-more-effective-or/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [ I was taught in my Introduction to Anthropology \[course in college\], it is not just the great works of \[hu\]mankind that make a culture.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-colwin/i-was-taught-in-my-introduction-to-anthropology-course-in-college-it/) [Laurie Colwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-colwin/) > [“Eighty percent of all cultures are the same, it is the 20% that make a culture unique and slam dunks the brand promise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-coffman/eighty-percent-of-all-cultures-are-the-same-it-is-the-20-that-make-a/) [Curt Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-coffman/) > [It is not just the Great Works of mankind that make a culture. It is the daily things, like what people eat and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-colwin/it-is-not-just-the-great-works-of-mankind-that-make-a-culture-it-is/) [Laurie Colwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-colwin/) > [I believe that we have a responsibility to make culture available for all people, not only those who can afford to go to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-alexander/i-believe-that-we-have-a-responsibility-to-make-culture-available-for/) [Lexi Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexi-alexander/) > [“Queer people have had to actively make their culture and community and institutions, because the non-queer world is not going to do it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-liss/queer-people-have-had-to-actively-make-their-culture-and-community/) Sarah Liss > [I do worry because it takes all types to make our culture, to make our art. We need it to be available to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-mcintosh/i-do-worry-because-it-takes-all-types-to-make-our-culture-to-make-our/) [Neve McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-mcintosh/) ## More by Will Sheff > [Collaboration is such a thrill when you're working with someone you really respect. When it's just one person working alone you get a singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/collaboration-is-such-a-thrill-when-you-re-working-with-someone-you/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [This is going to sound really corny, but it's the way I feel: Musicians have been around for a really long time. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/this-is-going-to-sound-really-corny-but-it-s-the-way-i-feel-musicians/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [It's a really common trap to want your life to live up to some standard that you believe in, and then you start to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/it-s-a-really-common-trap-to-want-your-life-to-live-up-to-some/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I wanted to be a filmmaker, actually, when I was in high school and college. But I just decided it would be more expensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-wanted-to-be-a-filmmaker-actually-when-i-was-in-high-school-and/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [If I'm working on a set of songs, and thinking about putting them together in a collection, I start to think about what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/if-i-m-working-on-a-set-of-songs-and-thinking-about-putting-them/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [When you're a songwriter, people wonder about your personal life and the meanings behind the songs, and that can feel pretty invasive, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/when-you-re-a-songwriter-people-wonder-about-your-personal-life-and/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [When your head is smashing into the concrete you don't have question about whether it's a real sensation. And ultimately, that's what's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/when-your-head-is-smashing-into-the-concrete-you-don-t-have-question/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [When people downloading records for free you start to think, "Is it worth spending all this money to make a record sound good, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/when-people-downloading-records-for-free-you-start-to-think-is-it/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [People think that because they've seen your name in print, you're rich. I assume that. But all it means is that there was some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/people-think-that-because-they-ve-seen-your-name-in-print-you-re-rich/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I always just wanted to have the wherewithal to make another record. I never really dreamt of fortune or fame, because it seemed so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-always-just-wanted-to-have-the-wherewithal-to-make-another-record-i/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I always think it's far more admirable to confuse people than it is to reassure them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-always-think-it-s-far-more-admirable-to-confuse-people-than-it-is/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I'm not pro-life. I'm very emphatically pro-choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-m-not-pro-life-i-m-very-emphatically-pro-choice/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [Songwriting is an emotional medium, and rock and roll is an emotional medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/songwriting-is-an-emotional-medium-and-rock-and-roll-is-an-emotional/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I have complicated feelings about nostalgia. I think that sometimes it can be dangerous. It can airbrush the truth, or fictionalize the truth, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-have-complicated-feelings-about-nostalgia-i-think-that-sometimes-it/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [You have to pretend that you're not bothered by your record leaked early. So that's the tack that I'm taking. It's like if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/you-have-to-pretend-that-you-re-not-bothered-by-your-record-leaked/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) [Explore all 31 Will Sheff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. 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