--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't write poems with a purpose in…" description: "\"I don't write poems with a purpose in mind, but I'd hope that some readers would find their experiences mirrored or articulated here - and that the lan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/deborah-landau-76284_books_i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mi_44706.jpg" --- # I don't write poems with a purpose in mind, but I'd hope… ![“I don't write poems with a purpose in mind, but I'd hope that some readers would find their experiences mirrored or articulated here - and that the language would feel alive to them. Alive, in a way that is meaningful and pleasurable.” quote by Deborah Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/deborah-landau-76284_books_i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mi_44706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/deborah-landau-76284_books_i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mi_44706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/deborah-landau-76284_books_i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mi_44706.jpg) > “I don't write poems with a purpose in mind, but I'd hope that some readers would find their experiences mirrored or articulated here - and that the language would feel alive to them. Alive, in a way that is meaningful and pleasurable.” Deborah Landau ## 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 seeks to evoke resonance, allowing readers to see their own experiences reflected in vivid, living language that offers both meaning and pleasure. **In simple terms:** Poetry as a mirror for personal experience. Key Takeaway Language can be alive and meaningful. Themes self‑reflection empathy aesthetic pleasure communication subjectivity Mood contemplative hopeful intimate Type reflective expressive artistic When to use this quote - reading poetry alone - sharing poems in a workshop - using poetry in therapy - teaching literature - curating an anthology Key Concepts mirroring articulation experiential resonance Practical Applications - creative writing instruction - therapeutic writing exercises Questions to Reflect On - How does language become alive for a reader? - What makes a poem feel both meaningful and pleasurable? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Like the brightest star, you shine through. Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive. I've got purpose once again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/escape-the-fate/like-the-brightest-star-you-shine-through-ashley-baby-you-make-me/) [Escape The Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/escape-the-fate/) > [I lost my mother early, I've sometimes felt I haven't had anyone to show me the way. When I look to the future there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/i-lost-my-mother-early-i-ve-sometimes-felt-i-haven-t-had-anyone-to/) Deborah Landau > [Does life have any meaningful purpose?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/does-life-have-any-meaningful-purpose/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [She made me feel alive. <3 :\*](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-made-me-feel-alive-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel more alive, knowing that he was finally able to laugh at himself, let go and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-johnson/as-haw-prepared-to-leave-he-started-to-feel-more-alive-knowing-that/) [Spencer Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-johnson/) > [“We love the things that destroy us, because in that destruction we truly feel alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pobi/we-love-the-things-that-destroy-us-because-in-that-destruction-we/) Robert Pobi > [“The only thing that will ever be real, is this moment,' I turned to the statue, 'when you made me feel alive, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-hachton/the-only-thing-that-will-ever-be-real-is-this-moment-i-turned-to-the/) [Rae Hachton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-hachton/) > [“Ordinary goodness is fraught with veins of vanity and self-interest and above all with pleasure--because goodness makes you feel more alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/ordinary-goodness-is-fraught-with-veins-of-vanity-and-self-interest/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“The best thing about my writing is that it makes me feel alive again. If I am going to be obsessed with self, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd/the-best-thing-about-my-writing-is-that-it-makes-me-feel-alive-again/) [David Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd/) > [It's both exciting and scary, I feel my heart and skin when I receive a ball. Of course I'm excited and scared but those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willy-caballero/it-s-both-exciting-and-scary-i-feel-my-heart-and-skin-when-i-receive/) [Willy Caballero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willy-caballero/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [A good movie can take you out of your dull funk and the hopelessness that so often goes with slipping into a theatre; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/a-good-movie-can-take-you-out-of-your-dull-funk-and-the-hopelessness/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Playing interesting characters makes me feel alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fawad-khan/playing-interesting-characters-makes-me-feel-alive/) [Fawad Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fawad-khan/) > [I could lie, could lie, could lie. Everything thats kills me, makes me feel alive,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/i-could-lie-could-lie-could-lie-everything-thats-kills-me-makes-me/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [As a sports fan, the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup makes me feel very alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/five-for-fighting/as-a-sports-fan-the-los-angeles-kings-winning-the-stanley-cup-makes/) Five for Fighting ## More by Deborah Landau > [I lost my mother early, I've sometimes felt I haven't had anyone to show me the way. When I look to the future there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/i-lost-my-mother-early-i-ve-sometimes-felt-i-haven-t-had-anyone-to/) Deborah Landau > [My days are filled with work I love - reading poems, writing poems, talking with people about poems, teaching, directing a writing program, hosting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/my-days-are-filled-with-work-i-love-reading-poems-writing-poems/) Deborah Landau Explore all 3 Deborah Landau quotes ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [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/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't write poems with a purpose in mind, but I'd hope that some readers would find their experiences mirrored or articulated here - and that the language would feel alive to them. Alive, in a way that is meaningful and pleasurable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deborah Landau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mind-but-i-d-hope-that-some/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mind-but-i-d-hope-that-some/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/deborah-landau-76284_books_i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mi_44706.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/deborah-landau-76284_books_i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mi_44706.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/deborah-landau-76284_books_i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mi_44706.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't write poems with a purpose in mind, but I'd hope that some readers would find their experiences…” — Deborah Landau", "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": "Deborah Landau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-landau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't write poems with a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mind-but-i-d-hope-that-some/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mind-but-i-d-hope-that-some/#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 } } ] } ```