"But there is some way in which poets believe that and this is dangerous, too believe that their calling gives them a certain freedom. A certain freedom to live in a free way"
About this Quote
The intent is corrective. Davison is describing a seductive logic artists sometimes absorb: if your work is about truth, or beauty, or the human spirit, then ordinary rules are optional. “Calling” is the loaded word here. It drags art out of the realm of job or craft and into near-religious vocation, the kind of identity that can justify selfishness as necessity and chaos as authenticity. “A certain freedom” sounds modest, almost reasonable, until he repeats it and clarifies: “to live in a free way.” That’s the pivot from artistic license (necessary for making work) to lifestyle license (often used to excuse damage).
As an actor, Davison is speaking from a neighboring room: performance culture lives on the same mythos, where intensity becomes alibi and “the work” becomes cover. The subtext is about boundaries - not prudishness, but responsibility. He’s sketching the line between creative freedom that serves art and personal freedom that quietly demands others pick up the costs.
Quote Details
| Topic | Poetry |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Davison, Peter. (2026, January 16). But there is some way in which poets believe that and this is dangerous, too believe that their calling gives them a certain freedom. A certain freedom to live in a free way. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-there-is-some-way-in-which-poets-believe-that-105602/
Chicago Style
Davison, Peter. "But there is some way in which poets believe that and this is dangerous, too believe that their calling gives them a certain freedom. A certain freedom to live in a free way." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-there-is-some-way-in-which-poets-believe-that-105602/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"But there is some way in which poets believe that and this is dangerous, too believe that their calling gives them a certain freedom. A certain freedom to live in a free way." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-there-is-some-way-in-which-poets-believe-that-105602/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.











