--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I rarely think of poetry as something I…" description: "\"I rarely think of poetry as something I make happen; it is more accurate to say that it happens to me. Like a summer storm, a house afire, or the coinc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/barbara-kingsolver-200_accurate_i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i_129840.jpg" --- # I rarely think of poetry as something I make happen; it is… ![“I rarely think of poetry as something I make happen; it is more accurate to say that it happens to me. Like a summer storm, a house afire, or the coincidence of both on the same day.” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/barbara-kingsolver-200_accurate_i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i_129840.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/barbara-kingsolver-200_accurate_i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i_129840.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/barbara-kingsolver-200_accurate_i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i_129840.jpg) > “I rarely think of poetry as something I make happen; it is more accurate to say that it happens to me. Like a summer storm, a house afire, or the coincidence of both on the same day.” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry arrives unbidden, like natural forces, and we are passive recipients rather than creators. **In simple terms:** Poetry happens to us, not we to it. Key Takeaway Accept poetry as an external inspiration. Themes creativity passivity inspiration Mood wonderful contemplative Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - writing retreats - nature walks - unexpected moments Key Concepts aesthetics serendipity Practical Applications - allow yourself to be inspired by surroundings Questions to Reflect On - When did inspiration strike unexpectedly? - How can you welcome unplanned creativity? A Different Perspective One may also actively craft poetry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coincidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidence/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [All poetry has to do is to make a strong communication. All the poet has to do is listen. The poet is not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/all-poetry-has-to-do-is-to-make-a-strong-communication-all-the-poet/) [Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/) > [Poetry is when you make new things familiar and familiar things new](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-sutherland/poetry-is-when-you-make-new-things-familiar-and-familiar-things-new/) [Rory Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-sutherland/) > [Ban poetry. And make sure that anyone caught reading it is expelled from school. Then it will acquire the glamour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/ban-poetry-and-make-sure-that-anyone-caught-reading-it-is-expelled/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [Why should poetry have to make sense?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/why-should-poetry-have-to-make-sense/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [I have no desire to dress up my poetry and make it fancy. I want the poem to be as true as humanly possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-lia-prado/i-have-no-desire-to-dress-up-my-poetry-and-make-it-fancy-i-want-the/) [Adelia Prado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-lia-prado/) > [“It’s a beautiful way to put it: Leave the poetry in what you make. When something becomes too polished, it loses its soul. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried/it-s-a-beautiful-way-to-put-it-leave-the-poetry-in-what-you-make-when-2/) [Jason Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried/) > [Poetry is something to make us wiser and better, by continually revealing those types of beauty and truth, which God has set in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/poetry-is-something-to-make-us-wiser-and-better-by-continually/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [No one wants to read poetry. You have to make it impossible for them to put the poem down--impossible for them to stop reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-rukeyser/no-one-wants-to-read-poetry-you-have-to-make-it-impossible-for-them/) [Muriel Rukeyser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-rukeyser/) > [If the object of poetry is, to make men, then poetry is the heir of prophecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/if-the-object-of-poetry-is-to-make-men-then-poetry-is-the-heir-of/) [Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/) > [“It’s a beautiful way to put it: Leave the poetry in what you make. When something becomes too polished, it loses its soul. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried/it-s-a-beautiful-way-to-put-it-leave-the-poetry-in-what-you-make-when/) [Jason Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried/) > [Poetry, I think, intensifies the reader's experience. If it's a humorous facet of the story, poetry makes it more exuberant. If it's a sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/poetry-i-think-intensifies-the-reader-s-experience-if-it-s-a-humorous/) [Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/) > [The purpose of poetry is to make life complete in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-purpose-of-poetry-is-to-make-life-complete-in-itself/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Art: If the object of poetry is, to make men, then poetry is the heir of prophecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/art-if-the-object-of-poetry-is-to-make-men-then-poetry-is-the-heir-of/) [Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/) > [The poet, distracted by politics, asks of poetry that it make itself useful like metal or flour, that it get ready to stain its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-poet-distracted-by-politics-asks-of-poetry-that-it-make-itself/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Madaming is the sort of thing that happens to you - like getting a battlefield commission or becoming the dean of women at Stanford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-stanford/madaming-is-the-sort-of-thing-that-happens-to-you-like-getting-a/) [Sally Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-stanford/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Accurate quotes > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [A film is a chain of very difficult decisions, and I think one of them is to choose an accurate cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-camara/a-film-is-a-chain-of-very-difficult-decisions-and-i-think-one-of-them/) [Javier Camara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-camara/) > [“Madoc makes a snorting sound, then turns to me. 'I am sure that Wren here wouldn't mind taking Lady Nore's castle and lands for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/madoc-makes-a-snorting-sound-then-turns-to-me-i-am-sure-that-wren/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [ He \[Groucho's father\] had absolutely no training, and if you had ever seen one of his suits, you'd realize what an accurate statement that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/he-groucho-s-father-had-absolutely-no-training-and-if-you-had-ever/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [... the attempt to render visual intricacy makes words feel unwieldy, like sacks of meaning that must be lugged into place, dragged here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/the-attempt-to-render-visual-intricacy-makes-words-feel-unwieldy-like/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [Not forgiving prolongs hurt and anger and leads to smoldering resentment, which will make us miserable until it kills us. Resentment destroys the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-walters/not-forgiving-prolongs-hurt-and-anger-and-leads-to-smoldering/) Richard Walters > [Selfish hedonism is not a pejorative. It is a description - an exactly accurate description of what is involved in homosexual relations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/selfish-hedonism-is-not-a-pejorative-it-is-a-description-an-exactly/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [The western mantra is that Israel seeks negotiations without preconditions, while the Palestinians refuse. The opposite is more accurate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-western-mantra-is-that-israel-seeks-negotiations-without/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Love women! I hate feminism. "Hate" may be an accurate word, but too strong to use. I strongly oppose feminism because it's nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/love-women-i-hate-feminism-hate-may-be-an-accurate-word-but-too/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Most of my characters are romantic rather than sexual. I think that's an essential difference in my pictures. I think they are more accurate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hughes/most-of-my-characters-are-romantic-rather-than-sexual-i-think-that-s/) [John Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hughes/) > [While the Environmental Genome Project does not seek to assign allele frequencies, we are aware of the importance of accurate allele frequency estimates for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/while-the-environmental-genome-project-does-not-seek-to-assign-allele/) [Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/) Browse all 847 Accurate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I rarely think of poetry as something I make happen; it is more accurate to say that it happens to me. Like a summer storm, a house afire, or the coincidence of both on the same day.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Kingsolver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i-make-happen-it-is-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accurate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i-make-happen-it-is-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/barbara-kingsolver-200_accurate_i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i_129840.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/barbara-kingsolver-200_accurate_i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i_129840.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/barbara-kingsolver-200_accurate_i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i_129840.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I rarely think of poetry as something I make happen; it is more accurate to say that it happens to me. Like…” — Barbara Kingsolver", "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": "Barbara Kingsolver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I rarely think of poetry as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i-make-happen-it-is-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i-make-happen-it-is-more/#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 } } ] } ```