--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't picture myself starting out…" description: "\"I can't picture myself starting out aiming to do anything or having much of an agenda.I think in writing a poem, I'm making some tonal adjustments, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/billy-collins-3004_adjustment_i-can-t-picture-myself-starting-out-aimi_1002478.jpg" --- # I can't picture myself starting out aiming to do anything… ![“I can't picture myself starting out aiming to do anything or having much of an agenda.I think in writing a poem, I'm making some tonal adjustments, and it took me a long time to allow anything like fun into my poetry.” quote by Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/billy-collins-3004_adjustment_i-can-t-picture-myself-starting-out-aimi_1002478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/billy-collins-3004_adjustment_i-can-t-picture-myself-starting-out-aimi_1002478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/billy-collins-3004_adjustment_i-can-t-picture-myself-starting-out-aimi_1002478.jpg) > “I can't picture myself starting out aiming to do anything or having much of an agenda.I think in writing a poem, I'm making some tonal adjustments, and it took me a long time to allow anything like fun into my poetry.” [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet struggles to incorporate fun into his work, fearing it may undermine seriousness, but eventually embraces playfulness. **In simple terms:** Poet learns to allow fun in writing. Key Takeaway Allow playful tone in creative work. Themes creativity playfulness self-doubt artistic growth Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journals - creative retreats - teaching poetry Key Concepts poetic voice tone modulation Questions to Reflect On - How does fun affect poetic impact? - When is playfulness appropriate? A Different Perspective Balancing seriousness and fun can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agendas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agendas/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Starting out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-out/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Writing a poem is making music with words and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-adoff/writing-a-poem-is-making-music-with-words-and-space/) Arnold Adoff > [Usually form seems to find me in the process of writing a poem, though I have nothing against starting out with the form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/usually-form-seems-to-find-me-in-the-process-of-writing-a-poem-though/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [For poetry is, I believe, always an act of the spirit. The poem teaches us something while we make it. The poem makes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-poetry-is-i-believe-always-an-act-of-the-spirit-the-poem-teaches/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I think writing a poem is like being a greyhound. Writing a novel is like being a mule. You go up one long row,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/i-think-writing-a-poem-is-like-being-a-greyhound-writing-a-novel-is/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [I think all writing is about writing. All writing is a way of going out and exploring the world, of examining the way we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/i-think-all-writing-is-about-writing-all-writing-is-a-way-of-going/) [Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/) > [Poems are not easy to start, and they're not easy to finish. There's a great pleasure in - I wouldn't say ease, but maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/poems-are-not-easy-to-start-and-they-re-not-easy-to-finish-there-s-a/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I have always thought of poetry as an act of celebration. Just by nature of writing a poem you are taking the time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-have-always-thought-of-poetry-as-an-act-of-celebration-just-by/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Entering into writing a poem is an emotional endeavor for me as well as a spiritual and creative one. Having to write those poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-blanco/entering-into-writing-a-poem-is-an-emotional-endeavor-for-me-as-well/) [Richard Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-blanco/) > [“Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/considering-the-ways-in-which-so-many-of-us-waste-our-time-what-would/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-have-never-started-a-poem-yet-whose-end-i-knew-writing-a-poem-is/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [When I feel something very intensely or deeply or personally, I can go to extremes of self-expression or self-analysis by writing a poem -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/when-i-feel-something-very-intensely-or-deeply-or-personally-i-can-go/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [The writing of a poem is, for me, in the first place, an almost total act of abandon leading to discovery leading to recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/the-writing-of-a-poem-is-for-me-in-the-first-place-an-almost-total/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [I remember that as I was writing a poem on 'Snow' when I was eight, I said aloud, 'I wish I could have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-remember-that-as-i-was-writing-a-poem-on-snow-when-i-was-eight-i/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [One of my greatest joys is poetry. I read it almost every day, and I've even taken a stab at writing some of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/one-of-my-greatest-joys-is-poetry-i-read-it-almost-every-day-and-i-ve/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [I should be writing a poem every morning but I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-d-souza/i-should-be-writing-a-poem-every-morning-but-i-m-not/) [Tony D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-d-souza/) ## More by Billy Collins > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I think clarity is the real risk in poetry because you are exposed. You're out in the open field. You're actually saying things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-think-clarity-is-the-real-risk-in-poetry-because-you-are-exposed/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [...pleasure, of course, is a slippery word… Our pleasures ultimately belong to us, not to the pleasure's so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/pleasure-of-course-is-a-slippery-word-our-pleasures-ultimately-belong/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I stared up at the ebbing quarter moon and the stars scattered like a handful of salt across the faraway sky...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-stared-up-at-the-ebbing-quarter-moon-and-the-stars-scattered-like-a/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Death is what makes life fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/death-is-what-makes-life-fun/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [A trouble with poetry is the presence of presumptuousness in poetry, the sense you get in a poem that the poet takes for granted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/a-trouble-with-poetry-is-the-presence-of-presumptuousness-in-poetry/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [You come by your style by learning what to leave out. At first you tend to overwrite—embellishment instead of insight. You either continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/you-come-by-your-style-by-learning-what-to-leave-out-at-first-you/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [But my heart is always propped up in a field on its tripod, ready for the next arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/but-my-heart-is-always-propped-up-in-a-field-on-its-tripod-ready-for/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I can hear the library humming in the night, a choir of authors murmuring inside their books along the unlit, alphabetical shelves, Giovanni Pontano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-can-hear-the-library-humming-in-the-night-a-choir-of-authors/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Every Day Is for the Thief is a vivid, episodic evocation of the truism that you can't go home again; but that doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/every-day-is-for-the-thief-is-a-vivid-episodic-evocation-of-the/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Humor, for me, is really a gate of departure. Its a way of enticing a reader into a poem so that less funny things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/humor-for-me-is-really-a-gate-of-departure-its-a-way-of-enticing-a/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [You know how sometimes you just have a memory of looking up and seeing a face looking over your crib and then remember nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/you-know-how-sometimes-you-just-have-a-memory-of-looking-up-and/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Usually the poems are written in one sitting. There's always a groping towards some satisfying ending. But I'd say the hardest part is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/usually-the-poems-are-written-in-one-sitting-there-s-always-a-groping/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I was influenced by the Beats because I actually just began to commit adolescence around 1955, when "Howl" and Rebel Without a Cause and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-was-influenced-by-the-beats-because-i-actually-just-began-to-commit/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Some difficulty is warranted and other difficulty I think is gratuitous. And I think I can tell the difference. There are certainly very difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/some-difficulty-is-warranted-and-other-difficulty-i-think-is/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) [Explore all 141 Billy Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) ## More Adjustment quotes > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-johnson/the-human-body-has-been-designed-to-resist-an-infinite-number-of/) Harry Johnson > [The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-chances-are-that-you-have-already-come-to-believe-that-happiness/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [The biggest adjustment from the minors was learning to spend $45 in meal money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-van-slyke/the-biggest-adjustment-from-the-minors-was-learning-to-spend-45-in/) [Andy Van Slyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-van-slyke/) > [Memory, with its fugitive adjustments, is the merciful veil to the grim enactments of the first law. It hides the anguish in the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/memory-with-its-fugitive-adjustments-is-the-merciful-veil-to-the-grim/) [Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/) > [Success comes from repeated efforts day in and day out. You learn from your mistakes, make adjustments and continue pressing forward until you achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/success-comes-from-repeated-efforts-day-in-and-day-out-you-learn-from/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [If your plan isn't working, adjust your plan. Never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-martin/if-your-plan-isn-t-working-adjust-your-plan-never-give-up/) Matt Martin > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [The terror of the atom age is not the violence of the new power but the speed of man's adjustment to it, the speed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/the-terror-of-the-atom-age-is-not-the-violence-of-the-new-power-but/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [I'm intrigued by films that have a singular vision behind them. A lot of studio movies have ten writers by the time they're done.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-gugino/i-m-intrigued-by-films-that-have-a-singular-vision-behind-them-a-lot/) [Carla Gugino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-gugino/) > [“It is not even governed by ‘nature’. It is simply a natural adjustment! ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/it-is-not-even-governed-by-nature-it-is-simply-a-natural-adjustment/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [Game management, game decisions, adjustments, seeing things during games - it's all important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-belichick/game-management-game-decisions-adjustments-seeing-things-during-games/) [Bill Belichick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-belichick/) > [Instead of imposing your will on every situation...focus on including everyone else, and just that little adjustment of attitude gives you the space to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/instead-of-imposing-your-will-on-every-situation-focus-on-including/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [A lot of people just thought I'd be a .260 hitter all my life. 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