At home in Ireland, theres a habit of avoidance, an ironical attitude towards the authority figure. – Seamus Heaney
As writers and readers, as sinners and citizens, our realism and our aesthetic sense make us wary of crediting the positive note. – Seamus Heaney
The fact of the matter is that the most unexpected and miraculous thing in my life was the arrival in it of poetry itself – as a vocation and an elevation almost. – Seamus Heaney
Poetry is always slightly mysterious, and you wonder what is your relationship to it. – Seamus Heaney
When I first left university, I thought about going into the private sector. But I discovered when I went to interview that I could only have a career in the back office, or doing HR. The attitude was, My dear lady, you cannot possibly think about going on the board. – Pauline Neville-Jones