---
title: "1 Understand Writing Quotes By Richard Hugo"
description: "1 Understand Writing quotes by Richard Hugo. Plus more from Richard Hugo and more Understand Writing sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/richard-hugo-14365_aesthetics_never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-re_2170418.jpg"
---

> [“Never worry about the reader, what the reader can understand. When you are writing, glance over your shoulder, and you’ll find there is no reader. Just you and the page. Feel lonely? Good! Assuming you can write clear English (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-reader-can-understand-when-you/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/richard-hugo-14365_aesthetics_never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-re_2170418.jpg)

## More by Richard Hugo

> [“there’s too many people in here. If I had my way, I’d have nothing but young chicks, the innocent ones you can teach something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/there-s-too-many-people-in-here-if-i-had-my-way-i-d-have-nothing-but/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [I will garden on the double run, my rhythm obvious in the ringing rakes, and trust in fate to keep me poor and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/i-will-garden-on-the-double-run-my-rhythm-obvious-in-the-ringing/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [“I fear, trying to improve human nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/i-fear-trying-to-improve-human-nature/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [A poet is seldom hard up for advice. The worst part of it all is that sometimes the advice is coming from other poets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/a-poet-is-seldom-hard-up-for-advice-the-worst-part-of-it-all-is-that/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [...an imagined town is at least as real as an actual town. If it isn't, you may be in the wrong business. Our words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/an-imagined-town-is-at-least-as-real-as-an-actual-town-if-it-isn-t/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [“The imagination is a cynic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/the-imagination-is-a-cynic/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [“…I’ve seen the world tell us with wars and real estate developments and bad politics and odd court decisions that our lives don’t matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/i-ve-seen-the-world-tell-us-with-wars-and-real-estate-developments/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [An act of imagination is an act of self-acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/an-act-of-imagination-is-an-act-of-self-acceptance/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [A creative writing class may be one of the last places you can go where your life still matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/a-creative-writing-class-may-be-one-of-the-last-places-you-can-go/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [Maximum sentence length: seventeen words. Minimum:one No semicolons. Semicolons indicate relationships that only idiots need defined by punctuation. Besides, they are ugly. Make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/maximum-sentence-length-seventeen-words-minimum-one-no-semicolons/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [A good creative-writing teacher can save a good writer a lot of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/a-good-creative-writing-teacher-can-save-a-good-writer-a-lot-of-time/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [“We won’t all disappear on a remote country road in the Monroe Valley, but like The Admiral and his wife we are all going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/we-won-t-all-disappear-on-a-remote-country-road-in-the-monroe-valley/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [“You might come here Sunday on a whim. Say your life broke down. The last good kiss you had was years ago. You walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/you-might-come-here-sunday-on-a-whim-say-your-life-broke-down-the/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [Assuming you can write clear English sentences, give up all worry about communication. If you want to communicate, use the telephone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/assuming-you-can-write-clear-english-sentences-give-up-all-worry/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

> [Don't write love poems when you're in love. Write them when you're not in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/don-t-write-love-poems-when-you-re-in-love-write-them-when-you-re-not/)

[Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/richard-hugo/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 Understand Writing Quotes By Richard Hugo",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Never worry about the reader, what the reader can understand. When you are writing, glance over your shoulder, and you’ll find there is no reader. Just you and the page. Feel lonely? Good! Assuming you can write clear English (or Norwegian) sentences, give up all worry about communication. If you want to communicate, use the telephone. To write a poem you have to have a streak of arrogance (…) when you are writing you must assume that the next thing you put down belongs not for reasons of logic, good sense, or narrative development, but because you put it there. You, the same person who said that, also said this. The adhesive force is your way of writing, not sensible connection.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Richard Hugo"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-reader-can-understand-when-you/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/richard-hugo-14365_aesthetics_never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-re_2170418.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/richard-hugo-14365_aesthetics_never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-re_2170418.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/richard-hugo-14365_aesthetics_never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-re_2170418.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Never worry about the reader, what the reader can understand. When you are writing, glance over your…” — Richard Hugo",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/richard-hugo/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/richard-hugo/",
            "name": "Understand Writing Quotes by Richard Hugo",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/richard-hugo/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/richard-hugo-14365_aesthetics_never-worry-about-the-reader-what-the-re_2170418.jpg"
            },
            "description": "1 Understand Writing quotes by Richard Hugo. Plus more from Richard Hugo and more Understand Writing sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/richard-hugo/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/richard-hugo/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Understand Writing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Richard Hugo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing/richard-hugo/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```