--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always thought that the balance…" description: "\"I've always thought that the balance between the side of my mind that knows what it is doing and the side that really hasn't got a clue has to be caref..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/andrew-motion-12897_always_i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-bet_2343921.png" --- # I've always thought that the balance between the side of… ![“I've always thought that the balance between the side of my mind that knows what it is doing and the side that really hasn't got a clue has to be carefully maintained because if you write too knowingly then you get chilly, and if you write too unknowingly you write bollocks that nobody else can…” quote by Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/andrew-motion-12897_always_i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-bet_2343921.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/andrew-motion-12897_always_i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-bet_2343921.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/andrew-motion-12897_always_i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-bet_2343921.png) > “I've always thought that the balance between the side of my mind that knows what it is doing and the side that really hasn't got a clue has to be carefully maintained because if you write too knowingly then you get chilly, and if you write too unknowingly you write bollocks that nobody else can understand.” [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. Balancing conscious control with creative spontaneity prevents forced writing and incoherent output. **In simple terms:** Mix control and spontaneity for clear, authentic writing. Key Takeaway Find your sweet spot between planning and flow. Themes creativity control authenticity Mood reflective analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - daily journaling - creative brainstorming - editing drafts Key Concepts self-awareness cognitive balance Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when you’re over‑controlling? - What signals indicate you’re drifting into nonsense? A Different Perspective Too much control can stifle originality; too much freedom can cause incoherence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Knowingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowingly/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [Mr. Luskin also says that Rove did not knowingly disclose classified information and did not tell any reporters that Valerie Plame worked for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-isikoff/mr-luskin-also-says-that-rove-did-not-knowingly-disclose-classified/) [Michael Isikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-isikoff/) > [I knew more about Texas than the Texans and when they told me I would find summer here I smiled knowingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-davis/i-knew-more-about-texas-than-the-texans-and-when-they-told-me-i-would/) [Richard H. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-davis/) > [I would never ever knowingly break the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/i-would-never-ever-knowingly-break-the-law/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [The stereotype of psychotherapy portrayed in popular books and movies is lying on the couch and saying whatever comes into your mind, while a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-stereotype-of-psychotherapy-portrayed-in-popular-books-and-movies/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [Never knowingly be serious. Rule 27.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/never-knowingly-be-serious-rule-27/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [I was never a steroid user at all, at least not knowingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gatlin/i-was-never-a-steroid-user-at-all-at-least-not-knowingly/) [Justin Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gatlin/) > [We Jews who willingly and happily confirm our covenantal status and its attendant rights and duties must take the question of mission seriously: either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/we-jews-who-willingly-and-happily-confirm-our-covenantal-status-and/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [Men often act knowingly against their interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/men-often-act-knowingly-against-their-interest/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [all theology knowingly or not is by definition always engaged for or against the oppressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-schussler-fiorenza/all-theology-knowingly-or-not-is-by-definition-always-engaged-for-or/) [Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-schussler-fiorenza/) > [Our sport is not made for anybody to be able to play it, especially at the NFL level, so there's obviously some risk that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-polamalu/our-sport-is-not-made-for-anybody-to-be-able-to-play-it-especially-at/) [Troy Polamalu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-polamalu/) > [I would never knowingly go into a film that I wouldn't pay to see, or something that didn't challenge me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/i-would-never-knowingly-go-into-a-film-that-i-wouldn-t-pay-to-see-or/) [Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/) > [I never knowingly wanted to hurt anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-bardot/i-never-knowingly-wanted-to-hurt-anybody/) [Brigitte Bardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-bardot/) > [I have never knowingly dated a Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-dickinson/i-have-never-knowingly-dated-a-republican/) [Angie Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-dickinson/) > [Knowingly or unknowingly we spend most of our time around money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher/knowingly-or-unknowingly-we-spend-most-of-our-time-around-money/) [Mazher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher/) > [Countries that need monies so that they can provide health care and education and shelter to their people shouldn't have to repay debts that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/countries-that-need-monies-so-that-they-can-provide-health-care-and/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) ## 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 Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've always thought that the balance between the side of my mind that knows what it is doing and the side that really hasn't got a clue has to be carefully maintained because if you write too knowingly then you get chilly, and if you write too unknowingly you write bollocks that nobody else can understand.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Motion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-between-the-side-of-my-mind-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-between-the-side-of-my-mind-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/andrew-motion-12897_always_i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-bet_2343921.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/andrew-motion-12897_always_i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-bet_2343921.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/andrew-motion-12897_always_i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-bet_2343921.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've always thought that the balance between the side of my mind that knows what it is doing and the side…” — 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've always thought that the balance...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-between-the-side-of-my-mind-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-balance-between-the-side-of-my-mind-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 } } ] } ```