--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't want my poems to be sentimental…" description: "\"I don't want my poems to be sentimental, though I do acknowledge that sentiment is probably rather under-reported in a lot of people's feelings a lot o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/andrew-motion-12897_acknowledge_i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental_1281932.png" --- # I don't want my poems to be sentimental, though I do… ![“I don't want my poems to be sentimental, though I do acknowledge that sentiment is probably rather under-reported in a lot of people's feelings a lot of the time.” quote by Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/andrew-motion-12897_acknowledge_i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental_1281932.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/andrew-motion-12897_acknowledge_i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental_1281932.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/andrew-motion-12897_acknowledge_i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental_1281932.png) > “I don't want my poems to be sentimental, though I do acknowledge that sentiment is probably rather under-reported in a lot of people's feelings a lot of the time.” [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He wants his poetry to avoid cliché sentimentality while recognizing many people suppress true feelings. **In simple terms:** Avoid sentimental clichés but acknowledge hidden emotions. Key Takeaway Balance authenticity with restraint. Themes poetry authenticity emotion Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journals - therapy sessions - public readings Key Concepts sentimentality self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you convey depth without sentimentality? - What emotions are most under-reported? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating readers who seek emotional clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People's Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peoples-feelings/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Sentiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiment/) [Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I want to write poems which are very emotional, but I would have some hesitation in saying I want to write poems which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-want-to-write-poems-which-are-very-emotional-but-i-would-have-some/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [Poetry does not consist of words alone; there must be sentiment and fancy, combination and arrangement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-prout/poetry-does-not-consist-of-words-alone-there-must-be-sentiment-and/) Samuel Prout > [“Sentiment has never been unpopular except with a few sick persons who are made sicker by the sight of a child, a glimpse of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hammerstein-ii/sentiment-has-never-been-unpopular-except-with-a-few-sick-persons-who/) [Oscar Hammerstein II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hammerstein-ii/) > [Solidarity is not a matter of sentiment but a fact, cold and impassive as the granite foundations of a skyscraper. If the basic elements,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/solidarity-is-not-a-matter-of-sentiment-but-a-fact-cold-and-impassive/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [“Tully starts in again. 'See, the hidden value can go way deeper than sentimental attachment. Sometimes you feel it down to your soul. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/tully-starts-in-again-see-the-hidden-value-can-go-way-deeper-than/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [“Sentimental blackmailing is the melodrama done by heart over our brain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upasana-banerjee/sentimental-blackmailing-is-the-melodrama-done-by-heart-over-our-brain/) [Upasana Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upasana-banerjee/) > [I think people in Hollywood are afraid of sentiment because they think audiences will reject it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-maltin/i-think-people-in-hollywood-are-afraid-of-sentiment-because-they/) [Leonard Maltin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-maltin/) > [“I sighed. Two goodbyes in one night. It was depressing. And it wasn’t as though I had a whole Rolodex full of friends. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-sighed-two-goodbyes-in-one-night-it-was-depressing-and-it-wasn-t-as/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [I like grit, I like love and death, I'm tired of irony. ... A lot of good fiction is sentimental. ... The novelist who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-like-grit-i-like-love-and-death-i-m-tired-of-irony-a-lot-of-good/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [Age teaches us how to be more aware of other people's feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-huxley/age-teaches-us-how-to-be-more-aware-of-other-people-s-feelings/) [Laura Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-huxley/) > [Men in their teenage years and even into their mid to late 20s, they're just baboons. They're really not capable of taking account of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-catherwood/men-in-their-teenage-years-and-even-into-their-mid-to-late-20s-they/) Michael Catherwood > [I don't care about people's feelings, and I'm triggering people worldwide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-covington/i-don-t-care-about-people-s-feelings-and-i-m-triggering-people/) [Colby Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-covington/) > [I don't want to hurt people's feelings if I can help it. I don't want anyone unnecessarily humiliated, but I say whatever stands between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-don-t-want-to-hurt-people-s-feelings-if-i-can-help-it-i-don-t-want/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [It was never my intention to hurt people's feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-watters/it-was-never-my-intention-to-hurt-people-s-feelings/) [Jesse Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-watters/) > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/) [Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/) ## More by Andrew Motion > [In a general way, I want to be a kind of flag-waver, bunting hanger-up, drum-beater, you name it, for poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/in-a-general-way-i-want-to-be-a-kind-of-flag-waver-bunting-hanger-up/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [These places, and the ancient things you know, You won't know soon. I'm working on it now.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/these-places-and-the-ancient-things-you-know-you-won-t-know-soon-i-m/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I'm also a great believer in the dream life; that while we're asleep, a deep subconscious connection is made about our profoundest fears, hopes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-m-also-a-great-believer-in-the-dream-life-that-while-we-re-asleep-a/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I like eating out. I like buying beautiful paintings and being surrounded by beautiful things. I have to finance that life. I can barely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-like-eating-out-i-like-buying-beautiful-paintings-and-being/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I read ' Treasure Island' for the first time at university. And I started to notice then how unresolved some things were. Later, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-read-treasure-island-for-the-first-time-at-university-and-i-started/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [Poems are a hotline to our hearts, and we forget this emotional power at our peril](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/poems-are-a-hotline-to-our-hearts-and-we-forget-this-emotional-power/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [When you're being looked at very hard, it's very hard to look back. And that made me stop paying attention to the world in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/when-you-re-being-looked-at-very-hard-it-s-very-hard-to-look-back-and/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [If I were to die thinking that I'd written three poems that people might read after me, I would feel that I hadn't lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/if-i-were-to-die-thinking-that-i-d-written-three-poems-that-people/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I wish I'd been better able to resist the sense of obligation to write some of the poems I did. It's in the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-wish-i-d-been-better-able-to-resist-the-sense-of-obligation-to/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I'm not much given to making shamanistic remarks about all this, but I'm a great believer in the dream life. If I can carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-m-not-much-given-to-making-shamanistic-remarks-about-all-this-but-i/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [Honor the miraculousness of the ordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/honor-the-miraculousness-of-the-ordinary/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [Keats writes better about poems than anybody I've ever read. The things that he says about what he wants his own poems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/keats-writes-better-about-poems-than-anybody-i-ve-ever-read-the/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I deeply adored my mum. She was an extraordinary person, even for the prejudice I'm likely to have. She was beautiful, amusing, a tremendous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-deeply-adored-my-mum-she-was-an-extraordinary-person-even-for-the/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I am writing more than I have ever done. My life has come back to me in the most extraordinary way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-am-writing-more-than-i-have-ever-done-my-life-has-come-back-to-me/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [I've found a different way to scent the air: already it's a by-word for despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-ve-found-a-different-way-to-scent-the-air-already-it-s-a-by-word/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) [Explore all 52 Andrew Motion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) ## More Acknowledge quotes > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [The only way to ease our fear and be truly happy is to acknowledge our fear and look deeply at its source. Instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-to-ease-our-fear-and-be-truly-happy-is-to-acknowledge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/on-thanksgiving-day-we-acknowledge-our-dependence/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [You can't go into games with any fear. You can acknowledge a good team but you can't go in worrying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/you-can-t-go-into-games-with-any-fear-you-can-acknowledge-a-good-team/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/) > [We must acknowledge that bearing and raising children is not some pesky, peripheral activity that we engage in, but the whole point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/we-must-acknowledge-that-bearing-and-raising-children-is-not-some/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [When we pray, we must begin by conceiving God in full and vigorous images, but we must go on to acknowledge the inadequacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-farrer/when-we-pray-we-must-begin-by-conceiving-god-in-full-and-vigorous/) [Austin Farrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-farrer/) > [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Actually, when I look at my old notebooks, I think I have been a bit self-indulgent and have given myself too much time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/actually-when-i-look-at-my-old-notebooks-i-think-i-have-been-a-bit/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I would like, then, to end by putting in a good word for the non-industrious poor. At least they aren’t hurting anyone. Insofar as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/i-would-like-then-to-end-by-putting-in-a-good-word-for-the-non/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [As objects of contemplation, images of the atrocious can answer to several different needs. To steel oneself against weakness. To make oneself more numb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/as-objects-of-contemplation-images-of-the-atrocious-can-answer-to/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [It is in the measure that special methods acknowledge their common core in transcendental method, that norms common to all the sciences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/it-is-in-the-measure-that-special-methods-acknowledge-their-common/) [Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/) > [I can hear of the brilliant accomplishments of any of my sex with pleasure and rejoice in that liberality of sentiment which acknowledges them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/i-can-hear-of-the-brilliant-accomplishments-of-any-of-my-sex-with/) [Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/) Browse all 1,475 Acknowledge quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't want my poems to be sentimental, though I do acknowledge that sentiment is probably rather under-reported in a lot of people's feelings a lot of the time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Motion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental-though-i-do-acknowledge-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acknowledge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental-though-i-do-acknowledge-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/andrew-motion-12897_acknowledge_i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental_1281932.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/andrew-motion-12897_acknowledge_i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental_1281932.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/andrew-motion-12897_acknowledge_i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental_1281932.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't want my poems to be sentimental, though I do acknowledge that sentiment is probably rather…” — Andrew Motion", "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": "Andrew Motion", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't want my poems to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental-though-i-do-acknowledge-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-don-t-want-my-poems-to-be-sentimental-though-i-do-acknowledge-that/#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 } } ] } ```