--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It reminds me of poets, before all…" description: "\"“It reminds me of poets, before all this—how the sensitive souls who submitted their work to literary journals outnumbered those who read those same pu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/adrian-barnes-56457_poetry_it-reminds-me-of-poets-before-all-this-h_667848.jpg" --- # It reminds me of poets, before all this—how the sensitive… ![“It reminds me of poets, before all this—how the sensitive souls who submitted their work to literary journals outnumbered those who read those same publications by a margin of about ten to one. Everyone wanting to be heard; no one interested in listening.” quote by Adrian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/adrian-barnes-56457_poetry_it-reminds-me-of-poets-before-all-this-h_667848.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/adrian-barnes-56457_poetry_it-reminds-me-of-poets-before-all-this-h_667848.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/adrian-barnes-56457_poetry_it-reminds-me-of-poets-before-all-this-h_667848.jpg) > ““It reminds me of poets, before all this—how the sensitive souls who submitted their work to literary journals outnumbered those who read those same publications by a margin of about ten to one. Everyone wanting to be heard; no one interested in listening.”” [Adrian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-barnes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Many writers publish, but far fewer people actually read, leading to a disconnect between creation and consumption. **In simple terms:** Writers outnumber readers, causing a listening gap. Key Takeaway Encourage active reading and listening. Themes communication culture media Mood reflective critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - publishing industry - social media - education Key Concepts literature audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - Why do we value being heard more than listening? - How can we promote reciprocal dialogue? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize reading habits across demographics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) ## Related quotes > [Poets have to be sensitive to their audience, but it does not mean that they censor themselves. I realise my audience is diverse. 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Without those,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-mcdaniel-on-the-savage-side/don-t-let-the-bad-times-get-you-down-you-have-some-of-those-moments/) Tiffany McDaniel, On the Savage Side > [Keelhaul the poets in the vestry chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-shapiro/keelhaul-the-poets-in-the-vestry-chairs/) [Karl Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-shapiro/) > [Knowledge and increase of enduring joy From the great Nature that exists in works Of mighty Poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/knowledge-and-increase-of-enduring-joy-from-the-great-nature-that/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Poerty is composition to which the soul bleeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adkruk/poerty-is-composition-to-which-the-soul-bleeds/) [ADKruk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adkruk/) > [ Neither men, nor gods, nor booksellers' shelves permit ordinary poets to exist. \[Lat., Mediocribus esse poetis Non homines, non di, non concessere columnae.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/neither-men-nor-gods-nor-booksellers-shelves-permit-ordinary-poets-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [There were so many Pittsburgh poets in my hallway that if, at that instant, a meteorite had come smashing through my roof, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/there-were-so-many-pittsburgh-poets-in-my-hallway-that-if-at-that/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. 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Dirty sex and direspect for authority is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/lyric-poets-are-always-corrupting-the-young-making-them-choke-in-self/) [Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/) > [ “\[poems are\] crystals deposited after the effervescent contact of the spirit with reality. (cristaux deposes apres l'effervescent contact de l'esprit avec la realite)” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-reverdy/poems-are-crystals-deposited-after-the-effervescent-contact-of-the/) [Pierre Reverdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-reverdy/) > [One of my favorite poets, Neruda, writes close to the bone. Though I know only a little Spanish, I like to compare the Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/one-of-my-favorite-poets-neruda-writes-close-to-the-bone-though-i/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) ## More by Adrian Barnes > [“It was a comfortable, familiar apocalypse,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-barnes/it-was-a-comfortable-familiar-apocalypse/) [Adrian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-barnes/) > [“didn’t have a lot of time for people; you could say I had my reservations about the species. Maybe I’d spent too much time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-barnes/didn-t-have-a-lot-of-time-for-people-you-could-say-i-had-my/) [Adrian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-barnes/) > [“The same waves had rolled along these shores for millions of years; dinosaurs once bathed in the same water I now paddled through. During…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-barnes/the-same-waves-had-rolled-along-these-shores-for-millions-of-years/) [Adrian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-barnes/) > [“can still hear the contempt in her voice. 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