--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know that one of the things that I…" description: "\"I know that one of the things that I really did to push myself was to write more formal poems, so I could feel like I was more of a master of language ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/barbara-hamby-30836_challenges_i-know-that-one-of-the-things-that-i-rea_2691187.jpg" --- # I know that one of the things that I really did to push… ![“I know that one of the things that I really did to push myself was to write more formal poems, so I could feel like I was more of a master of language than I had been before. That was challenging and gratifying in so many ways. Then with these new poems, I've gone back to free verse, because it…” quote by Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/barbara-hamby-30836_challenges_i-know-that-one-of-the-things-that-i-rea_2691187.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/barbara-hamby-30836_challenges_i-know-that-one-of-the-things-that-i-rea_2691187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/barbara-hamby-30836_challenges_i-know-that-one-of-the-things-that-i-rea_2691187.jpg) > “I know that one of the things that I really did to push myself was to write more formal poems, so I could feel like I was more of a master of language than I had been before. That was challenging and gratifying in so many ways. Then with these new poems, I've gone back to free verse, because it would be easy to paint myself into a corner with form. I saw myself becoming more opaque with the formal poems than I wanted to be. It took me a long time to work back into free verse again. That was a challenge in itself. You're always having to push yourself.” [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing formal poems sharpened language mastery but risked rigidity; returning to free verse restored openness and flexibility. **In simple terms:** Formal structure improves skill but can limit expression; free verse offers freedom. Key Takeaway Balance structure with spontaneity. Themes creativity self‑discipline artistic growth Mood reflective inspired Type artistic process When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal writing practice - teaching poetry - self‑reflection Key Concepts Poetic form self‑expression creative tension Questions to Reflect On - How does structure influence your voice? - When do you need freedom in writing? A Different Perspective Too much focus on form may stifle authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Free verse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-verse/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Push yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/push-yourself/) [Verses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verses/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [So, some of the most difficult formal poems that I've written, say one sentence sonnets, I've been able to do those fairly quickly whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/so-some-of-the-most-difficult-formal-poems-that-i-ve-written-say-one/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [There's one of my new poems actually - is a good example of where my poetry has ended up. My earlier river poetry was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adamson/there-s-one-of-my-new-poems-actually-is-a-good-example-of-where-my/) [Robert Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adamson/) > [“Sometimes John had recorded new compositions, or lines from his new poems. Sometimes he'd just record a busy night in The Green Man. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/sometimes-john-had-recorded-new-compositions-or-lines-from-his-new/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [These are crystalline - oftentimes incandescent - translations of Juarroz's powerful metaphysical poems where eternity and silence jut up against a world where “writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorie-graham/these-are-crystalline-oftentimes-incandescent-translations-of-juarroz/) [Jorie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorie-graham/) > [I guess my poems feel to me a bit like they are doing something in relation to experience, i.e. time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/i-guess-my-poems-feel-to-me-a-bit-like-they-are-doing-something-in/) [Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/) > [I am interested in the movement of my own thoughts and in trying make the poems feel more accurate to experience, including the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/i-am-interested-in-the-movement-of-my-own-thoughts-and-in-trying-make/) [Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/) > [I have these rhyme-based ideas because I love Julia Donaldson. 'The Snail and the Whale' is one of the most beautiful poems, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-have-these-rhyme-based-ideas-because-i-love-julia-donaldson-the/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [When fiction writers like my poems I feel like I've hit the jackpot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/when-fiction-writers-like-my-poems-i-feel-like-i-ve-hit-the-jackpot/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Free verse is chained in sentence-to-sentence links and breaks free in line breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/free-verse-is-chained-in-sentence-to-sentence-links-and-breaks-free/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [“I am a poet writing frenetic free verse I am pretentious”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-h-hanson/i-am-a-poet-writing-frenetic-free-verse-i-am-pretentious/) Michael H. Hanson > [Teenagers are free verse walking around on two legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/teenagers-are-free-verse-walking-around-on-two-legs/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“If You Knew What if you knew you'd be the last to touch someone? If you were taking tickets, for example, at the theater,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/if-you-knew-what-if-you-knew-you-d-be-the-last-to-touch-someone-if/) [Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/) > [“A midst deceit I found the truth; there in the rough I found a diamond. And from the moment we met, I think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donato-dicristino/a-midst-deceit-i-found-the-truth-there-in-the-rough-i-found-a-diamond/) Donato DiCristino > [“Leaches Ten Tall by Stewart Stafford Don't play this game with me, Predatory whelk of tide pools, Taint me as Rigoletto to a bawd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/leaches-ten-tall-by-stewart-stafford-don-t-play-this-game-with-me/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) ## More by Barbara Hamby > [I want a God big enough to love those who don't believe in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/i-want-a-god-big-enough-to-love-those-who-don-t-believe-in-him/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [I was born in New Orleans, but I grew up in Hawaii. That was a paradise. That's a paradise I keep inside of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/i-was-born-in-new-orleans-but-i-grew-up-in-hawaii-that-was-a-paradise/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [I guess it was easier for me to find my voice in poetry than it was in fiction. I'm working on fiction again, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/i-guess-it-was-easier-for-me-to-find-my-voice-in-poetry-than-it-was/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [One of my problems with religion is that it's limiting in so many ways. I remember the first time I took a humanities class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/one-of-my-problems-with-religion-is-that-it-s-limiting-in-so-many/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [Travel is something that I like to do because it gives you lots of images, and it also really makes you think about your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/travel-is-something-that-i-like-to-do-because-it-gives-you-lots-of/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [Cynie Cory roams the outer reaches of the heart’s territory, from the snowy winter of family life to the tropical jungles of love. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/cynie-cory-roams-the-outer-reaches-of-the-heart-s-territory-from-the/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [I was raised in a strict fundamentalist household, and I always say that gives you a muscle of belief. I want to believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/i-was-raised-in-a-strict-fundamentalist-household-and-i-always-say/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [I think it's really hard to be joyful. I work hard at it. I always feel like it's a choice. You can be joyful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/i-think-it-s-really-hard-to-be-joyful-i-work-hard-at-it-i-always-feel/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [When I was a young woman, I had this friend who was really beautiful, and she would talk about how she was losing her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/when-i-was-a-young-woman-i-had-this-friend-who-was-really-beautiful/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [I've been writing fiction as long as I've been writing poetry. It's just that the poetry took off, and it took me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/i-ve-been-writing-fiction-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-poetry-it-s/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [If someone didn't believe in me that would kind of be a compliment in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/if-someone-didn-t-believe-in-me-that-would-kind-of-be-a-compliment-in/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [You want to make a representative selection, but at the same time, you want to give a sense of the whole project. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/you-want-to-make-a-representative-selection-but-at-the-same-time-you/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [For 2,500 years, people have been writing odes. Why? I think that there's something innately human in wanting to praise the world even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/for-2-500-years-people-have-been-writing-odes-why-i-think-that-there/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [One of things I write about a lot is the role of women. An older friend of mine said that she feels like there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/one-of-things-i-write-about-a-lot-is-the-role-of-women-an-older/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [Everybody spoke English in my class, and they would turn to me and say, "What's going on in your country?" I would try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/everybody-spoke-english-in-my-class-and-they-would-turn-to-me-and-say/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) [Explore all 17 Barbara Hamby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know that one of the things that I really did to push myself was to write more formal poems, so I could feel like I was more of a master of language than I had been before. That was challenging and gratifying in so many ways. 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