---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you agree with me that a poem can be…"
description: "\"If you agree with me that a poem can be as bountiful as a rich Victorian narrative, and as wise... then you'll want to join me here in the Wow, I Like ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/albert-goldbarth-34966_agree_if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be_2254658.jpg"
---

#  If you agree with me that a poem can be as bountiful as a…

![“If you agree with me that a poem can be as bountiful as a rich Victorian narrative, and as wise... then you'll want to join me here in the Wow, I Like No Need of Sympathy Club. Your membership fee is the same as your membership privileges: this book.” quote by Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/albert-goldbarth-34966_agree_if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be_2254658.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/albert-goldbarth-34966_agree_if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be_2254658.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/albert-goldbarth-34966_agree_if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be_2254658.jpg)

> “If you agree with me that a poem can be as bountiful as a rich Victorian narrative, and as wise... then you'll want to join me here in the Wow, I Like No Need of Sympathy Club. Your membership fee is the same as your membership privileges: this book.”

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Comparing poetry to Victorian narratives, the author invites readers to join a club that offers no sympathy, only the book itself as reward.

**In simple terms:** Art can be self‑sufficient, needing no external validation.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate art for its own sake.

Themes

art self‑reliance literature humor critique

Mood

witty ironic

Type

satirical philosophical

When to use this quote

- reading clubs
- literary criticism
- creative writing

Key Concepts

poetry victorian narrative self‑reference

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you value art without external praise?
- How does humor affect literary critique?

A Different Perspective

The club’s irony may alienate some readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Victorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victorian/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/)

## Related quotes

> [Investors, of course, can, by their own behavior make stock ownership highly risky. And many do. Active trading, attempts to "time" market movements, inadequate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/investors-of-course-can-by-their-own-behavior-make-stock-ownership/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [I tell jokes to pay my green fees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/i-tell-jokes-to-pay-my-green-fees/)

[Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/)

> [The prospect of the UK without a BBC funded by the licence fee is anywhere between improbable and impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-jowell/the-prospect-of-the-uk-without-a-bbc-funded-by-the-licence-fee-is/)

[Tessa Jowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-jowell/)

> [I want the BBC to be a mass market public service broadcaster still funded by the licence fee... and the licence fee is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavyn-davies/i-want-the-bbc-to-be-a-mass-market-public-service-broadcaster-still/)

[Gavyn Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavyn-davies/)

> [Two of the biggest drivers of airline profit are change fees and baggage fees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hudson/two-of-the-biggest-drivers-of-airline-profit-are-change-fees-and/)

Paul Hudson

> [I tell my kids, what is the difference between a hero and a coward? What is the difference between being yellow and being brave?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cus-d-amato/i-tell-my-kids-what-is-the-difference-between-a-hero-and-a-coward/)

[Cus D'Amato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cus-d-amato/)

> [Most investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best way to own common stocks (shares') is through an index fund that charges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/most-investors-both-institutional-and-individual-will-find-that-the/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [In addition, black folks need to attend green conferences, too. We just self-segregate and don't go. They might even waive your fee if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/in-addition-black-folks-need-to-attend-green-conferences-too-we-just/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [“A plan is the transport medium which conveys a person from the station of dreams to the destination of success. Goals are the transport…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/a-plan-is-the-transport-medium-which-conveys-a-person-from-the/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [A man may as well open an oyster without a knife, as a lawyer's mouth without a fee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barten-holyday/a-man-may-as-well-open-an-oyster-without-a-knife-as-a-lawyer-s-mouth/)

Barten Holyday

> [When I was a kid I got so much help from the Church. When I was a kid, our family was so poor they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-woo/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-so-much-help-from-the-church-when-i-was-a-kid/)

[John Woo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-woo/)

> [Obamacare comes to more than two thousand pages of rules, mandates, taxes, fees, and fines that have no place in a free country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/obamacare-comes-to-more-than-two-thousand-pages-of-rules-mandates/)

[Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/)

> [The true principle of taxation is the benefit principle - those who benefit from a government service should pay for it. It's also known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-skousen/the-true-principle-of-taxation-is-the-benefit-principle-those-who/)

[Mark Skousen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-skousen/)

> [The players themselves can be classified into two groups- the attractions and the entry fees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-demaret/the-players-themselves-can-be-classified-into-two-groups-the/)

[Jimmy Demaret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-demaret/)

> [We are all wounded. But wounds are necessary for his healing light to enter into our beings. Without wounds and failure and frustrations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-sanchez/we-are-all-wounded-but-wounds-are-necessary-for-his-healing-light-to/)

[Bo Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-sanchez/)

## More by Albert Goldbarth

> [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [“If your life depended on coming up with a tally, if you could straighten its numbers into a flexible line around the moon and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/if-your-life-depended-on-coming-up-with-a-tally-if-you-could/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [“... I slipped our wicker bed and walked the sands where we were also roughly repeated: some young couple, "you did," "I didn't," "you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-slipped-our-wicker-bed-and-walked-the-sands-where-we-were-also/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [“you don’t understand the protoknowledge we’re born with, coded into our cells: soon soon soon enough we die. Even before we’ve seen the breast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/you-don-t-understand-the-protoknowledge-we-re-born-with-coded-into/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [I don't spend time thinking about an aesthetic out of which I create or an ideal toward which my body of work is heading.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-don-t-spend-time-thinking-about-an-aesthetic-out-of-which-i-create/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [“Talk to me. I'll believe anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/talk-to-me-i-ll-believe-anything/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [“then "love," or "falling in love," an extra density textured into the weave of the days, a craziness, an orchidaceous interdimensional blossoming of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/then-love-or-falling-in-love-an-extra-density-textured-into-the-weave/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [Physics says: go to sleep. Of course you're tired. Every atom in you has been dancing the shimmy in silver shoes nonstop from mitosis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/physics-says-go-to-sleep-of-course-you-re-tired-every-atom-in-you-has/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [“Physics says: go to sleep. Of course you’re tired. Every atom in you has been dancing the shimmy in silver shoes nonstop from mitosis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/physics-says-go-to-sleep-of-course-you-re-tired-every-atom-in-you-has-2/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [Astronomy says: the sun will rise tomorrow, Zoology says: on rainbow-fish and lithe gazelle, Psychology says: but first it has to be night, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/astronomy-says-the-sun-will-rise-tomorrow-zoology-says-on-rainbow/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [“How many hands were shook and names were signed and pipes were passed congenially in a circle, before the first of the used-car dealerships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/how-many-hands-were-shook-and-names-were-signed-and-pipes-were-passed/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [Perhaps you have seen me. I know well, my purpose was merely that of a symbol, 'equals', 'times'... ; but what is said, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/perhaps-you-have-seen-me-i-know-well-my-purpose-was-merely-that-of-a/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

[Explore all 13 Albert Goldbarth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

## More Agree quotes

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/)

[Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/)

> [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/)

[Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/)

> [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/)

[Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/)

> [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/)

[Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/)

Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you agree with me that a poem can be as bountiful as a rich Victorian narrative, and as wise... then you'll want to join me here in the Wow, I Like No Need of Sympathy Club. Your membership fee is the same as your membership privileges: this book.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Albert Goldbarth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be-as-bountiful-as-a-rich/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agree"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be-as-bountiful-as-a-rich/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/albert-goldbarth-34966_agree_if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be_2254658.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/albert-goldbarth-34966_agree_if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be_2254658.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/albert-goldbarth-34966_agree_if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be_2254658.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you agree with me that a poem can be as bountiful as a rich Victorian narrative, and as wise... then…” — Albert Goldbarth",
                "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": "Albert Goldbarth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you agree with me that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be-as-bountiful-as-a-rich/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/if-you-agree-with-me-that-a-poem-can-be-as-bountiful-as-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
