"I've always associated the moment of writing with a moment of lift, of joy, of unexpected reward"
About this Quote
The structure matters too. "Moment" repeats, twice, like a measured breath: he`s not promising permanent bliss, just the flash of it, the workable kind that keeps a practice going. Then he slips in "unexpected reward", which counters the idea that writing is merely the execution of intention. For Heaney, the best part arrives unbidden - a phrase that lands cleaner than you planned, an image that opens a door you didn`t know was there. It`s a theology of craft without the sermon: grace, but earned through attention.
Placed against Heaney`s public stature (Nobel laureate, cultural ballast for Ireland), the line reads almost defiant. It insists the private, intimate pleasure of making is the real engine, not prestige or pronouncement. The poet isn`t elevated by fame; he`s lifted by the sentence.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Heaney, Seamus. (n.d.). I've always associated the moment of writing with a moment of lift, of joy, of unexpected reward. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ive-always-associated-the-moment-of-writing-with-11079/
Chicago Style
Heaney, Seamus. "I've always associated the moment of writing with a moment of lift, of joy, of unexpected reward." FixQuotes. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ive-always-associated-the-moment-of-writing-with-11079/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I've always associated the moment of writing with a moment of lift, of joy, of unexpected reward." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ive-always-associated-the-moment-of-writing-with-11079/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.







