--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I guess what concerns me always is the…" description: "\"I guess what concerns me always is the need for a field, a rich compost, for any art to flourish. But however isolate or unheard you may feel, if you h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/adrienne-rich-803_art_i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-n_2466940.jpg" --- # I guess what concerns me always is the need for a field, a… ![“I guess what concerns me always is the need for a field, a rich compost, for any art to flourish. But however isolate or unheard you may feel, if you have the need to write poetry, are compelled to write it, you go on, whether there is resonance or not.” quote by Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/adrienne-rich-803_art_i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-n_2466940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/adrienne-rich-803_art_i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-n_2466940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/adrienne-rich-803_art_i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-n_2466940.jpg) > “I guess what concerns me always is the need for a field, a rich compost, for any art to flourish. But however isolate or unheard you may feel, if you have the need to write poetry, are compelled to write it, you go on, whether there is resonance or not.” [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art needs fertile ground; writers must persist even when unheard, because the act of writing is essential. **In simple terms:** Write despite lack of audience. Key Takeaway Write regardless of reception. Themes creativity perseverance artistic integrity solitude Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - poetry workshops - personal journaling - isolated creative work Key Concepts existentialism creative process self-expression Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to write when no one listens? - How does solitude shape your art? A Different Perspective Isolation can stifle creative exchange. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The issues that matter to me are the social safety nets for people, health care, middle-class concerns. We need to take care of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/the-issues-that-matter-to-me-are-the-social-safety-nets-for-people/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [In the '80s, I thought I'd be a success as a woman if I were the president of a billion dollar company, had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/in-the-80s-i-thought-i-d-be-a-success-as-a-woman-if-i-were-the/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [The gardener knows how to turn garbage into compost. Therefore our anger, sadness, and fear is the best compost for our compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-mueller/the-gardener-knows-how-to-turn-garbage-into-compost-therefore-our/) [Kayla Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-mueller/) > [Grant knew that people could not imagine geological time. Human life was lived on another scale of time entirely. An apple turned brown in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/grant-knew-that-people-could-not-imagine-geological-time-human-life/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [In my beginning is my end. In succession Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/in-my-beginning-is-my-end-in-succession-houses-rise-and-fall-crumble/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [I've frequently been asked over the years who Lily Savage was based on and I've always answered that it was no one in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-o-grady/i-ve-frequently-been-asked-over-the-years-who-lily-savage-was-based/) [Paul O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-o-grady/) > [All sorts of dung and compost contain some matter which, when mixed with the soil, ferments therein; and by such ferment dissolves, crumbles, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/all-sorts-of-dung-and-compost-contain-some-matter-which-when-mixed/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) > [The organic gardener does not think of throwing away the garbage. She knows that she needs the garbage. She is capable of transforming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-organic-gardener-does-not-think-of-throwing-away-the-garbage-she/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that let's you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/my-whole-life-has-been-spent-waiting-for-an-epiphany-a-manifestation/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [It's all a compost heap. You just put down a layer of humus that helps other stuff grow. Your work will all be forgotten,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-edelman/it-s-all-a-compost-heap-you-just-put-down-a-layer-of-humus-that-helps/) Murray Edelman > [“You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-are-not-a-beautiful-and-unique-snowflake-you-are-the-same-2/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I’m not even much of a gardener—my contribution to the family garden consists mainly of compost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-vogel/i-m-not-even-much-of-a-gardener-my-contribution-to-the-family-garden/) [Steven Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-vogel/) > [The main characteristic of Nature's farming can therefore be summed up in a few words. Mother earth never attempts to farm without live stock;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-main-characteristic-of-nature-s-farming-can-therefore-be-summed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So let's not get frightened when the children read fantasy. It's the compost for a healthy mind. It stimulate s the inquisitive nodes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/so-let-s-not-get-frightened-when-the-children-read-fantasy-it-s-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“People are just like seeds, needing the compost, in other words, harsh conditions, to grow. All the inconveniences in our lives serve as fertilizers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talidari/people-are-just-like-seeds-needing-the-compost-in-other-words-harsh/) [Talidari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talidari/) ## More by Adrienne Rich > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you...it means that you do not treat your body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/responsibility-to-yourself-means-refusing-to-let-others-do-your/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [What I search for continuously in my art is adequate language, language I hope can stand beyond any particular occasion. What I'm finding is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/what-i-search-for-continuously-in-my-art-is-adequate-language/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Well, she's long about her coming, who must be more merciless to herself than history. Her mind full to the wind, I see her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/well-she-s-long-about-her-coming-who-must-be-more-merciless-to/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I think my work comes out of both an intense desire for connection and what it means to feel isolated. There's always going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-think-my-work-comes-out-of-both-an-intense-desire-for-connection/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Popular culture entered my life as Shirley Temple, who was exactly my age and wrotea letter in the newspapers telling how her mother fixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/popular-culture-entered-my-life-as-shirley-temple-who-was-exactly-my/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/in-a-history-of-spiritual-rupture-a-social-compact-built-on-fantasy/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [It's as if, in the mother's eyes, her smile, her stroking touch, the child first reads the message:'You are there!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/it-s-as-if-in-the-mother-s-eyes-her-smile-her-stroking-touch-the/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The women's movement appeared at a very crucial moment in my life. There was a whole political movement asking such questions and others I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-women-s-movement-appeared-at-a-very-crucial-moment-in-my-life/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The word revolution itself has become not only a dead relic of Leftism, but a key to the deadendedness of male politics: the revolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-word-revolution-itself-has-become-not-only-a-dead-relic-of/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The decision to feed the world is the real decision. No revolution has chosen it. For that choice requires that women shall be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-decision-to-feed-the-world-is-the-real-decision-no-revolution-has/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The necessity of poetry has to be stated over and over, but only to those who have reason to fear its power, or those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-necessity-of-poetry-has-to-be-stated-over-and-over-but-only-to/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I think many poets, including myself, write both for the voice and for the page. I certainly write for the person alone in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-think-many-poets-including-myself-write-both-for-the-voice-and-for/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [If I cling to circumstances I could feel not responsible. Only she who says she did not choose, is the loser in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/if-i-cling-to-circumstances-i-could-feel-not-responsible-only-she-who/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) [Explore all 364 Adrienne Rich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I guess what concerns me always is the need for a field, a rich compost, for any art to flourish. But however isolate or unheard you may feel, if you have the need to write poetry, are compelled to write it, you go on, whether there is resonance or not.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adrienne Rich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-need-for-a-field-a-rich/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-need-for-a-field-a-rich/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/adrienne-rich-803_art_i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-n_2466940.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/adrienne-rich-803_art_i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-n_2466940.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/adrienne-rich-803_art_i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-n_2466940.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I guess what concerns me always is the need for a field, a rich compost, for any art to flourish. But…” — Adrienne Rich", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Adrienne Rich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I guess what concerns me always...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-need-for-a-field-a-rich/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-guess-what-concerns-me-always-is-the-need-for-a-field-a-rich/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```