--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The poem is never complete in the mind…" description: "\"The poem is never complete in the mind. It emerges, and then it's like an act of unveiling. The unveiling is the longest and most difficult part of it...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ben-okri-3640_act_the-poem-is-never-complete-in-the-mind-i_3014559.jpg" --- # The poem is never complete in the mind. It emerges, and… ![“The poem is never complete in the mind. It emerges, and then it's like an act of unveiling. The unveiling is the longest and most difficult part of it.” quote by Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ben-okri-3640_act_the-poem-is-never-complete-in-the-mind-i_3014559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ben-okri-3640_act_the-poem-is-never-complete-in-the-mind-i_3014559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ben-okri-3640_act_the-poem-is-never-complete-in-the-mind-i_3014559.jpg) > “The poem is never complete in the mind. It emerges, and then it's like an act of unveiling. The unveiling is the longest and most difficult part of it.” [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work unfolds gradually, with the act of revealing its full form being the hardest part. **In simple terms:** Creating is a slow unveiling process. Key Takeaway Patience is key in artistic creation. Themes creativity process revelation Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - writing - painting - music composition - film editing Key Concepts literature psychology Questions to Reflect On - What part of your work feels hidden? - How do you handle the reveal? A Different Perspective Perfectionism may stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Unveiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unveiling/) ## Related quotes > [I hardly ever go into the studio with a work complete in my head. It emerges from communal activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-hardly-ever-go-into-the-studio-with-a-work-complete-in-my-head-it/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [“Within certain limits terminology is always arbitrary. But the definition of being-true as unveiling, making manifest, is not an arbitrary, private invention of mine;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/within-certain-limits-terminology-is-always-arbitrary-but-the/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [Out- out are the lights- out all! And, over each quivering form, The curtain, a funeral pall, Comes down with the rush of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/out-out-are-the-lights-out-all-and-over-each-quivering-form-the/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Know that the science of unveiling has no end to it, for it consists in the journey of the intellect in the stations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-ata-allah/know-that-the-science-of-unveiling-has-no-end-to-it-for-it-consists/) [Ibn Ata Allah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-ata-allah/) > [Teachers and students (leadership and people), co-intent on reality, are both Subjects, not only in the task of unveiling that reality, and thereby coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/teachers-and-students-leadership-and-people-co-intent-on-reality-are/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [ In the field of marketing . . . the trend toward selling \[has\] reached something of a nadir with the unveiling . . .… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-packard/in-the-field-of-marketing-the-trend-toward-selling-has-reached/) [Vance Packard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-packard/) > [You know, it is not God's desire to conceal but to reveal. 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If anything goes wrong, you'll be sitting there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/what-was-wrong-with-train-toilet-doors-that-just-locked-instead-of/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [Health begins with firmness in the body, deepens to emotional stability, then leads to intellectual clarity, wisdom and finally the unveiling of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/health-begins-with-firmness-in-the-body-deepens-to-emotional/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [How cool it is to see a bride walking down the aisle with a beautiful long gown with beautiful layers of tulle and organza,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reem-acra/how-cool-it-is-to-see-a-bride-walking-down-the-aisle-with-a-beautiful/) [Reem Acra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reem-acra/) > [Our goal is not so much the imparting of knowledge as the unveiling and developing of spiritual energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/our-goal-is-not-so-much-the-imparting-of-knowledge-as-the-unveiling/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Apocalypse can mean the unveiling of the deeper self of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-marx-hubbard/apocalypse-can-mean-the-unveiling-of-the-deeper-self-of-humanity/) [Barbara Marx Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-marx-hubbard/) > [Like any family, like any group - the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, EPMD, Public Enemy - they've had bumps in the road. I just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/like-any-family-like-any-group-the-beatles-led-zeppelin-epmd-public/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [“Nobody hits it right more of the time than E. B. White: "All writing is both a mask and an unveiling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeri-parker/nobody-hits-it-right-more-of-the-time-than-e-b-white-all-writing-is/) Jeri Parker ## More by Ben Okri > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [“In a fractured age, when cynicism is god, here is a possible heresy: we live by stories, we also live in them. One way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/in-a-fractured-age-when-cynicism-is-god-here-is-a-possible-heresy-we/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [The best writing is not about the writer, the best writing is absolutely not about the writer, it's about us, it's about the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-best-writing-is-not-about-the-writer-the-best-writing-is/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stories-those-we-live-those-we/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [The earliest storytellers were magi, seers, bards, griots, shamans. 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It's the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/our-time-here-is-magic-it-s-the-only-space-you-have-to-realize/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Fire is one of my temperaments. It is behind all my work... Fire is a chemical presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/fire-is-one-of-my-temperaments-it-is-behind-all-my-work-fire-is-a/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [I lived rough, by my wits, was homeless, lived on the streets, lived on friends' floors, was happy, was miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/i-lived-rough-by-my-wits-was-homeless-lived-on-the-streets-lived-on/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [If we could be pure dancers in spirit we would never be afraid to love, and we would love with strength and wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/if-we-could-be-pure-dancers-in-spirit-we-would-never-be-afraid-to/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Without stories we would go mad. Life would lose its moorings or lose its orientations. even in silence we are living our stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/without-stories-we-would-go-mad-life-would-lose-its-moorings-or-lose/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Literature doesn't have a country. Shakespeare is an African writer. His Falstaff, for example, is very African in his appetite for life, his largeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/literature-doesn-t-have-a-country-shakespeare-is-an-african-writer/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [“So long as a canvas is empty its potential is infinite… The empty canvas can become a gateway into the landscape of nightmares or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/so-long-as-a-canvas-is-empty-its-potential-is-infinite-the-empty/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [I went to London because, for me, it was the home of literature. I went there because of Dickens and Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/i-went-to-london-because-for-me-it-was-the-home-of-literature-i-went/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) [Explore all 124 Ben Okri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) ## More Act quotes > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/) [Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/) [Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/) > [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/) [Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/) [Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/) Browse all 1,802 Act quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The poem is never complete in the mind. 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