Bleeds Quote by Dorianne Laux
“Who you are contributes to your poetry in a number of important ways, but you shouldn't identify with your poems so closely that when they are cut, you're the one that bleeds.”
About This Quote
Source Poetry Collection: “The Art of Losing” by Dorianne Laux, 2005
Your identity is intertwined with your work, but over‑identification makes personal loss painful when creative output is rejected.
In simple terms: Don’t let your work define you completely.
Key Takeaway
Separate self from creative output.
Themes
identity
creativity
vulnerability
Mood
introspective
empathetic
Type
advice
poetic
When to use this quote
- writing
- visual arts
- personal setbacks
Key Concepts
Self‑concept
artistic criticism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you maintain healthy attachment to your art?
- What practices protect emotional wellbeing after criticism?
A Different Perspective
Total separation may diminish passion.
![“It's difficult to talk about [W.S.] Merwin's poems, as it's hard to talk about a feeling or a smell. It is what it is, but so much so that it overwhelms both sense and the senses. I aspire to something about his work, that imbues his poems, though I'm not sure I could say what that is. A purity…” quote by Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8c1/dorianne-laux-12252_aspire_it-s-difficult-to-talk-about-w-s-merwin_654128.jpg)
