--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was writing since I can remember - I…" description: "\"I was writing since I can remember - I just didn't know it was poetry yet, or that writing could be a career.\" — Amanda Gorman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/amanda-gorman-13784_career_i-was-writing-since-i-can-remember-i-jus_2549758.jpg" --- # I was writing since I can remember - I just didn't know it… ![“I was writing since I can remember - I just didn't know it was poetry yet, or that writing could be a career.” quote by Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/amanda-gorman-13784_career_i-was-writing-since-i-can-remember-i-jus_2549758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/amanda-gorman-13784_career_i-was-writing-since-i-can-remember-i-jus_2549758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/amanda-gorman-13784_career_i-was-writing-since-i-can-remember-i-jus_2549758.jpg) > “I was writing since I can remember - I just didn't know it was poetry yet, or that writing could be a career.” [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on discovering writing as poetry and a potential career later in life. **In simple terms:** Realizing writing can be poetry and a career. Key Takeaway Embrace writing early and explore its possibilities. Themes self-discovery creativity career Mood reflective inspirational Type personal career When to use this quote - school essays - personal journals - career planning - creative workshops Key Concepts poetry identity growth Questions to Reflect On - When did you first recognize your talent? - How can you nurture hidden passions? A Different Perspective May overlook formal training or mentorship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Know Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-poetry-274082/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-writing-325471/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-career/) [Writing Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-remember-1510052/) ## Related quotes > [The best way to become a successful writer is to read good writing, remember it, and then forget where you remember it from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-fowler/the-best-way-to-become-a-successful-writer-is-to-read-good-writing/) [Gene Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-fowler/) > [Ever since I was 7 years old, I was writing. I remember being in the basement of my house, this dank, horrible basement, putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis-daley/ever-since-i-was-7-years-old-i-was-writing-i-remember-being-in-the/) [John Francis Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-francis-daley/) > [In writing ... remember that the biggest stories are not written about wars, or about politics, or even murders. The biggest stories are written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/in-writing-remember-that-the-biggest-stories-are-not-written-about/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) > [I love teaching poetry writing. Students come into the class thinking poetry has to be one way, then leave having created pieces that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-love-teaching-poetry-writing-students-come-into-the-class-thinking/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I really enjoy English and poetry and writing classes. You do get writer's block when you're writing music, and having inspiration from other great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-momsen/i-really-enjoy-english-and-poetry-and-writing-classes-you-do-get/) [Taylor Momsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-momsen/) > [I really enjoy English and poetry and writing classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-momsen/i-really-enjoy-english-and-poetry-and-writing-classes/) [Taylor Momsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-momsen/) > [I never think about poetry except when I'm writing it. I mean my poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maccaig/i-never-think-about-poetry-except-when-i-m-writing-it-i-mean-my-poetry/) [Norman MacCaig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maccaig/) > [“I think poor poetry writing skills are excused when you’re simply trying to flush out emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kiesler/i-think-poor-poetry-writing-skills-are-excused-when-you-re-simply/) [Katie Kiesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kiesler/) > [“This is poetry. You’re writing about Heaven’s Gate and the Caribou Herd, but what comes across is loneliness, displacement, angst, and a cynical look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/this-is-poetry-you-re-writing-about-heaven-s-gate-and-the-caribou/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [What has praise and fame to do with poetry? Was not writing poetry a secret transaction, a voice answering a voice? So that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-has-praise-and-fame-to-do-with-poetry-was-not-writing-poetry-a-2/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [When I devoted myself to poetry - and poetry is a very serious medium - I don't think the people that knew me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/when-i-devoted-myself-to-poetry-and-poetry-is-a-very-serious-medium-i/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [“With poetry and writing, the question isn’t “do you know the right words?”. The real question is, “can you make words from the unwordable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-nordby/with-poetry-and-writing-the-question-isn-t-do-you-know-the-right/) [Jacob Nordby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-nordby/) > [I would say my life experiences are my poetry, whether I'm writing about those actual, factual experiences or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/i-would-say-my-life-experiences-are-my-poetry-whether-i-m-writing/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [I don't think there's any essential difference, at least for me, between writing poetry and writing prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-essential-difference-at-least-for-me/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Poetry is like air. It's one of the necessary things. Everyone benefits from poetry. And as you know, poetry is international. There are only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/poetry-is-like-air-it-s-one-of-the-necessary-things-everyone-benefits/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) ## More by Amanda Gorman > [As a young black woman, I notice at times in the mainstream media framing of the 'me too' movement you see a white female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/as-a-young-black-woman-i-notice-at-times-in-the-mainstream-media/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I think we run into issues when our online brands are not rooted in who we are, and I think we need to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-think-we-run-into-issues-when-our-online-brands-are-not-rooted-in/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [Whenever I listen to songs, I rewrite them in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/whenever-i-listen-to-songs-i-rewrite-them-in-my-head/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [The oration of poetry, I consider to be its own art form and tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/the-oration-of-poetry-i-consider-to-be-its-own-art-form-and-tradition/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [My speech impediment wasn't a stutter but it was dropping several letters that I just could not say for several years, most specifically the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/my-speech-impediment-wasn-t-a-stutter-but-it-was-dropping-several/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [Poetry has never been the language of barriers, it's always been the language of bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/poetry-has-never-been-the-language-of-barriers-it-s-always-been-the/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [Poetry is the lens we use to interrogate the history we stand on and the future we stand for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/poetry-is-the-lens-we-use-to-interrogate-the-history-we-stand-on-and/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [It's this weird binary where I'm getting media images and narratives thrown at me all the time through something I hold in my hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/it-s-this-weird-binary-where-i-m-getting-media-images-and-narratives/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I'm a student at Harvard University, and currently work as the United States Youth Poet Laureate, a community organizer, and an activist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-m-a-student-at-harvard-university-and-currently-work-as-the-united/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I grew up at this incredibly odd intersection in Los Angeles, where it felt like the black 'hood met black elegance met white gentrification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-grew-up-at-this-incredibly-odd-intersection-in-los-angeles-where-it/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I think it made me all that much stronger of a writer when you have to teach yourself how to say words from scratch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-think-it-made-me-all-that-much-stronger-of-a-writer-when-you-have/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [It wasn't until I was named Youth Poet Laureate of L.A. in high school though that I officially began calling myself a poet. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/it-wasn-t-until-i-was-named-youth-poet-laureate-of-l-a-in-high-school/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I have to interweave my poetry with purpose. For me, that purpose is to help people, and to shed a light on issues that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-have-to-interweave-my-poetry-with-purpose-for-me-that-purpose-is-to/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [But as for the future, I foresee a world which is more creative, more open, more loving, more ecologically friendly, more honest about its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/but-as-for-the-future-i-foresee-a-world-which-is-more-creative-more/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [One: whose shoulders do you stand on? And two: what do you stand for? These are two questions that I always begin my poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/one-whose-shoulders-do-you-stand-on-and-two-what-do-you-stand-for/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) [Explore all 49 Amanda Gorman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) ## More Career quotes > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. 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There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [There are so many things you can do with your life, you can go to school and study toward your career, you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/there-are-so-many-things-you-can-do-with-your-life-you-can-go-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-am-a-very-big-fan-of-brian-eno-of-his-work-as-an-artist-and-making/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [If I can beat a proven champion like Canelo, that will take my career to a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/if-i-can-beat-a-proven-champion-like-canelo-that-will-take-my-career/) [Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“The vocation of a man lies in his vision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-vocation-of-a-man-lies-in-his-vision/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. 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