Art & Creativity Quote by Tom Glazer

"They say poets write mostly for themselves; if anyone else likes it, well and good, if not, it doesn't matter; certainly, not to me"

Tom Glazer, Musician

About this Quote

Glazer’s line lands like a shrug with a backbone: a working musician’s refusal to let audience approval become the meter of artistic worth. Coming from a folk singer and songwriter who spent decades writing for children’s records, unions, and classrooms, it reads less like aloof genius posturing and more like self-protection earned on the road. When your livelihood depends on being liked, declaring that it “doesn’t matter” isn’t denial; it’s a boundary.

The phrasing does quiet work. “They say” pushes the cliché away from his own ego, letting him borrow a familiar romantic idea about poets without fully buying the mythology. Then he pivots: “if anyone else likes it, well and good” offers a polite nod to the listener, the kind you’d give a crowd before you play the song you wanted to play anyway. The real punch is the double emphasis: “certainly, not to me.” That “certainly” isn’t certainty about the world; it’s determination about how he intends to survive it.

Subtext: he’s rejecting the market’s demand that every piece be optimized for applause. Folk music has always carried that tension - community art that can be swallowed by entertainment. Glazer’s stance insists on an inner standard, a private compass. It’s not anti-audience so much as anti-pleasing. He’ll take affection as a bonus, not as a verdict.

Quote Details

Topic	Poetry

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About the Author

Tom Glazer

Tom Glazer (September 2, 1914 - February 21, 2003) was a Musician from USA.

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