---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Until recently, I thought 'occasional…"
description: "\"Until recently, I thought 'occasional poetry' meant that you wrote only occasionally.\" — Billy Collins"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/billy-collins-3004_occasional_until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poet_1271260.png"
---

#  Until recently, I thought 'occasional poetry' meant that…

![“Until recently, I thought 'occasional poetry' meant that you wrote only occasionally.” quote by Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/billy-collins-3004_occasional_until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poet_1271260.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/billy-collins-3004_occasional_until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poet_1271260.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/billy-collins-3004_occasional_until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poet_1271260.png)

> “Until recently, I thought 'occasional poetry' meant that you wrote only occasionally.”

[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.

"Occasional poetry" actually means writing only at rare moments, not just occasional topics.

**In simple terms:** Occasional poetry = rare writing moments.

Key Takeaway

Write regularly to avoid rarity.

Themes

writing creativity habit

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

advice creative

When to use this quote

- writing practice
- daily journaling
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

poetry discipline inspiration

Questions to Reflect On

- How often do you write?
- What barriers prevent regular writing?

A Different Perspective

Even occasional writers can develop a routine.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Occasional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasional/) [Occasional Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasional-poetry-4075466/) [Occasionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasionally/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thought Occasional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-occasional-4075467/) [Wrote Occasionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-occasionally-4075465/)

## Related quotes

> [The poem began with the title. Then I was annoyed by one of the occasional poetry-is-dead articles. Then I refute that notion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lux/the-poem-began-with-the-title-then-i-was-annoyed-by-one-of-the/)

[Thomas Lux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lux/)

> [“I found another girl to pose for Myrto and then I didn't think about Rafaela much, not until a spring day years later. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellis-avery/i-found-another-girl-to-pose-for-myrto-and-then-i-didn-t-think-about/)

[Ellis Avery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellis-avery/)

> [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/)

> [“Where there’s a winner, there’s a loser, and always at the same time. Occasionally even in the same person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/where-there-s-a-winner-there-s-a-loser-and-always-at-the-same-time/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I'd occasionally do some exercises at home, but I never cared for gyms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-moore/i-d-occasionally-do-some-exercises-at-home-but-i-never-cared-for-gyms/)

[Roger Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-moore/)

> [I've never really suffered complete and utter writer's block, really. I equate it with sex: in the beginning of my career, I was writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loudon-wainwright-iii/i-ve-never-really-suffered-complete-and-utter-writer-s-block-really-i/)

[Loudon Wainwright III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loudon-wainwright-iii/)

> [Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-forleo/success-doesn-t-come-from-what-you-do-occasionally-it-comes-from-what/)

[Marie Forleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-forleo/)

> [Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a-song-comes-along-that-jolts/)

[Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/)

> [“defend women’s right to be wrong, at least occasionally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/defend-women-s-right-to-be-wrong-at-least-occasionally/)

[Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/)

> [Occasionally I'll have a slip, and I might watch 'RuPaul's Drag Race' or something. But for the most part, I am out on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/occasionally-i-ll-have-a-slip-and-i-might-watch-rupaul-s-drag-race-or/)

[Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/)

> [I have the ability, occasionally, of being able to step out and see who you think I could end up being. And I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-have-the-ability-occasionally-of-being-able-to-step-out-and-see-who/)

[Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/)

> [You have to accept gifts occasionally, because there are some things you can’t give yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-marshall-smith/you-have-to-accept-gifts-occasionally-because-there-are-some-things/)

[Michael Marshall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-marshall-smith/)

> [Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most times he will pick himself up and carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/man-will-occasionally-stumble-over-the-truth-but-most-times-he-will/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/)

[Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/)

## 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 Occasional quotes

> [Nature will eventually do what nature has always done. It will respond in a self-stabilizing manner over the long term with moderate variability over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sununu/nature-will-eventually-do-what-nature-has-always-done-it-will-respond/)

[John H. Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sununu/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [You will be at your best forever, Even now you have good moments. Occasional glimpses of your heavenly self. When you change your baby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/you-will-be-at-your-best-forever-even-now-you-have-good-moments/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [I feel a little more tired than usual, ... Ive had to recover from everything, my illnesses and things this summer. Its not perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/i-feel-a-little-more-tired-than-usual-ive-had-to-recover-from/)

[Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/)

> [The whole history of pop music had rested on the first person singular, with occasional intrusions of the second person singular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-whole-history-of-pop-music-had-rested-on-the-first-person/)

[Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/)

> [Real writers-that is, capital W Writers-rarely make much money. Their biggest reward is the occasional reader's response… Commentators-in-print voicing big fat opinions-you might call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/real-writers-that-is-capital-w-writers-rarely-make-much-money-their/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-stevens/well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-harsh-critic-because-i-know/)

[Dave Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-stevens/)

> [Even in the Western world, one cannot argue that the ideal has been achieved given the existence of issues like the integration, participation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/recep-tayyip-erdogan/even-in-the-western-world-one-cannot-argue-that-the-ideal-has-been/)

[Recep Tayyip Erdogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/recep-tayyip-erdogan/)

> [Have you ever noticed that life consists mostly of interruptions, with occasional spells of rush work in between?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buwei-yang-chao/have-you-ever-noticed-that-life-consists-mostly-of-interruptions-with/)

[Buwei Yang Chao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buwei-yang-chao/)

> ["Compromise" means giving up more than the other side is big enough to take; if and when they have the muscle, they'll be back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-knox/compromise-means-giving-up-more-than-the-other-side-is-big-enough-to/)

[Neal Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-knox/)

> [Once the decision has been made, close your ear even to the best counter argument: sign of a strong character. Thus an occasional will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/once-the-decision-has-been-made-close-your-ear-even-to-the-best/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [A Grand Design we couldn't see because we were part of it. A Grand Design we only got occasional, fleeting glimpses of. A Grand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/a-grand-design-we-couldn-t-see-because-we-were-part-of-it-a-grand/)

[Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/)

> [The basic project of art is always to make the world whole and comprehensible, to restore it to us in all its glory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/the-basic-project-of-art-is-always-to-make-the-world-whole-and/)

[Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/)

> [It is always possible that occasional individuals may have overstepped the law and humanity in treatment of criminals and those charged with crime, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-always-possible-that-occasional-individuals-may-have/)

[Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/)

> [ Hitler ... lacked the \[inclination\] for anything more than the occasional sensational display of emotion, in particular the great set-piece speech which mesmerized the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keegan/hitler-lacked-the-inclination-for-anything-more-than-the-occasional/)

[John Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keegan/)

[Browse all 460 Occasional quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasional/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Until recently, I thought 'occasional poetry' meant that you wrote only occasionally.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Billy Collins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poetry-meant-that-you-wrote-only/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Occasional"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poetry-meant-that-you-wrote-only/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/billy-collins-3004_occasional_until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poet_1271260.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/billy-collins-3004_occasional_until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poet_1271260.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/billy-collins-3004_occasional_until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poet_1271260.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Until recently, I thought 'occasional poetry' meant that you wrote only occasionally.” — Billy Collins",
                "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": "Billy Collins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Until recently, I thought 'occasional poetry'...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poetry-meant-that-you-wrote-only/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/until-recently-i-thought-occasional-poetry-meant-that-you-wrote-only/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```