--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Craft is a trick you make up to let you…" description: "\"Craft is a trick you make up to let you write the poem.\" — Anne Sexton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/anne-sexton-645_craft_craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you_1597154.png" --- # Craft is a trick you make up to let you write the poem. ![“Craft is a trick you make up to let you write the poem.” quote by Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/anne-sexton-645_craft_craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you_1597154.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/anne-sexton-645_craft_craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you_1597154.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/anne-sexton-645_craft_craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you_1597154.png) > “Craft is a trick you make up to let you write the poem.” [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creative process is a crafted illusion that enables poetic expression. **In simple terms:** Poetry is a crafted illusion. Key Takeaway Use structure to free expression. Themes creativity craft poetry Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - teaching - personal journaling Key Concepts literary technique imagination Questions to Reflect On - How does structure help your writing? - When should you break the rules? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on structure can stifle spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craft/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [For my next trick I will make everyone understand me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/for-my-next-trick-i-will-make-everyone-understand-me/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [“There's always someone we'd love to kill, the trick is to make it not look like an accident”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/there-s-always-someone-we-d-love-to-kill-the-trick-is-to-make-it-not/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [“The trick was to let everyone think that I couldn’t feel at all. The trick was to make everyone believe that I was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-manful/the-trick-was-to-let-everyone-think-that-i-couldn-t-feel-at-all-the/) [Melody Manful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-manful/) > [Muscle is good, but craft is better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wace/muscle-is-good-but-craft-is-better/) Wace > [It is by losing himself in the objective, in inquiry, creation, and craft, that a man becomes something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/it-is-by-losing-himself-in-the-objective-in-inquiry-creation-and/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Art is craft, not inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/art-is-craft-not-inspiration/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [Songwriting is as much a craft as a talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-t-hall/songwriting-is-as-much-a-craft-as-a-talent/) [Tom T. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-t-hall/) > [I try to only work with people whose craft I believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnis/i-try-to-only-work-with-people-whose-craft-i-believe-in/) [Donnis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnis/) > [A diva is someone who is a perfectionist, who does her best in her craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-labelle/a-diva-is-someone-who-is-a-perfectionist-who-does-her-best-in-her/) [Patti LaBelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-labelle/) > [I think it's always good to learn a craft from scratch the real way, so that you've learned it from the basis, the raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-campbell/i-think-it-s-always-good-to-learn-a-craft-from-scratch-the-real-way/) [Naomi Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-campbell/) > [You need to know your craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorena-garcia/you-need-to-know-your-craft/) [Lorena Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorena-garcia/) > [Part of what I do is a craft, but part of what I do is a science. And I guess the craft comes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moog/part-of-what-i-do-is-a-craft-but-part-of-what-i-do-is-a-science-and-i/) [Robert Moog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moog/) > [I don't assume, because I can write screenplays, that I know how to write a novel. It's a very different world. There's a craft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-rosenberg/i-don-t-assume-because-i-can-write-screenplays-that-i-know-how-to/) [Melissa Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-rosenberg/) > [Whatever your craft is, be a master of it. Being half assed at something, people will eventually see through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/whatever-your-craft-is-be-a-master-of-it-being-half-assed-at/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [All the craft skills that I have, I feel like I developed and honed in drama school. It's the most important thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/all-the-craft-skills-that-i-have-i-feel-like-i-developed-and-honed-in/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) ## More by Anne Sexton > [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I am crazy as hell, but I know it. And knowing it is a kind of sanity that makes the sickness worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-am-crazy-as-hell-but-i-know-it-and-knowing-it-is-a-kind-of-sanity/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [And what of the dead? They lie without shoes in the stone boats. They are more like stone than the sea would be if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/and-what-of-the-dead-they-lie-without-shoes-in-the-stone-boats-they/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [The Witch's Life" When I was a child there was an old woman in our neighborhood whom we called The Witch. All day she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/the-witch-s-life-when-i-was-a-child-there-was-an-old-woman-in-our/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I have forgiven all the old actors for dying. A new one comes on with the same lines, like large white growths, in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-have-forgiven-all-the-old-actors-for-dying-a-new-one-comes-on-with/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“From the Garden” Come, my beloved, consider the lilies. We are of little faith. We talk too much. Put your mouthful of words away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/from-the-garden-come-my-beloved-consider-the-lilies-we-are-of-little/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Oh thumb, I want a drink it is dark, where are the big people, when will I get there...?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/oh-thumb-i-want-a-drink-it-is-dark-where-are-the-big-people-when-will/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I want to kiss God on His nose and watch Him sneeze and so do you. Not out of disrespect. Out of pique. Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-want-to-kiss-god-on-his-nose-and-watch-him-sneeze-and-so-do-you-not/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I, in my brand new body, which was not a woman's yet, told the stars my questions and thought God could really see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-in-my-brand-new-body-which-was-not-a-woman-s-yet-told-the-stars-my/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Father, you died once, salted down at fifty-nine, packed down like a big snow angel, wasn't that enough?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/father-you-died-once-salted-down-at-fifty-nine-packed-down-like-a-big/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [When I'm writing, I know I'm doing the thing I was born to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/when-i-m-writing-i-know-i-m-doing-the-thing-i-was-born-to-do/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Cinderella and the prince lived, they say, happily ever after, like two dolls in a museum case never bothered by diapers or dust, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/cinderella-and-the-prince-lived-they-say-happily-ever-after-like-two/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“Quite collected at cocktail parties, meanwhile in my head I'm undergoing open-heart surgery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/quite-collected-at-cocktail-parties-meanwhile-in-my-head-i-m/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I cannot walk an inch / without trying to walk to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-cannot-walk-an-inch-without-trying-to-walk-to-god/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Now that I have written many words, and let out so many loves, for so many, and been altogether what I always was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/now-that-i-have-written-many-words-and-let-out-so-many-loves-for-so/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) [Explore all 428 Anne Sexton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) ## More Craft quotes > [As I progressed in the firm, I learnt the craft, and as I learnt my craft, my partners and the firm threw up different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punit-renjen/as-i-progressed-in-the-firm-i-learnt-the-craft-and-as-i-learnt-my/) [Punit Renjen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punit-renjen/) > [Learn your craft. You want to be a doctor or a teacher - it's very important to learn your craft and indulge in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-horry/learn-your-craft-you-want-to-be-a-doctor-or-a-teacher-it-s-very/) [Robert Horry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-horry/) > [What I didn't know that by sticking to craft we would blow open some doors that I never saw opened before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lipton/what-i-didn-t-know-that-by-sticking-to-craft-we-would-blow-open-some/) [James Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lipton/) > [All the craft skills that I have, I feel like I developed and honed in drama school. It's the most important thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/all-the-craft-skills-that-i-have-i-feel-like-i-developed-and-honed-in/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [“There is something deeply satisfying in shaping something with your hands. Proper artificing is like a song made solid. It is an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/there-is-something-deeply-satisfying-in-shaping-something-with-your/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I have a lot of fun working and training and learning and trying to figure out the different aspects of my craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-cannonier/i-have-a-lot-of-fun-working-and-training-and-learning-and-trying-to/) [Jared Cannonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-cannonier/) > [I probably learned most of my craft from singing to the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-b-schmit/i-probably-learned-most-of-my-craft-from-singing-to-the-radio/) [Timothy B. Schmit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-b-schmit/) > [The key to acting - from what little I know about that wonderful craft - is listening, and interacting with the other person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/the-key-to-acting-from-what-little-i-know-about-that-wonderful-craft/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [It is by losing himself in the objective, in inquiry, creation, and craft, that a man becomes something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/it-is-by-losing-himself-in-the-objective-in-inquiry-creation-and/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [I take a pretty expansive view of craft, which is to say I don't see craft as just being technique - it's also process;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-take-a-pretty-expansive-view-of-craft-which-is-to-say-i-don-t-see/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [“Writing is a craft, being an author is work, and having readers and a following is a gift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-kannengieser/writing-is-a-craft-being-an-author-is-work-and-having-readers-and-a/) [Michael J. Kannengieser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-kannengieser/) > [You need to know your craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorena-garcia/you-need-to-know-your-craft/) [Lorena Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorena-garcia/) > [I have developed my eye as a cinematographer through the craft of operating. When I am not operating, I am often anxious, uncertain, restless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-richardson/i-have-developed-my-eye-as-a-cinematographer-through-the-craft-of/) [Robert Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-richardson/) > [Muscle is good, but craft is better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wace/muscle-is-good-but-craft-is-better/) Wace [Browse all 514 Craft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craft/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Craft is a trick you make up to let you write the poem.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Sexton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you-write-the-poem/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Craft" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you-write-the-poem/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/anne-sexton-645_craft_craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you_1597154.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/anne-sexton-645_craft_craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you_1597154.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/anne-sexton-645_craft_craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you_1597154.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Craft is a trick you make up to let you write the poem.” — Anne Sexton", "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": "Anne Sexton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Craft is a trick you make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you-write-the-poem/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/craft-is-a-trick-you-make-up-to-let-you-write-the-poem/#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 } } ] } ```