Certainty Quote by Dylan Thomas
“Don't be too harsh to these poems until they're typed. I always think typescript lends some sort of certainty: at least, if the things are bad then, they appear to be bad with conviction.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Typescript” (unpublished), 1950s
He suggests that written poems feel more certain; if they are bad, they appear definitively bad.
In simple terms: Writing gives poems a sense of certainty, exposing their quality.
Key Takeaway
Write to test the strength of your work.
Themes
writing
certainty
self‑critique
Mood
contemplative
critical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- creative writing workshops
- personal journaling
Key Concepts
poetry
drafting
literary analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- How does seeing a poem in print change your perception?
- Can certainty hinder creative risk?
A Different Perspective
Typed drafts can limit interpretive freedom.
![“[I]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics, in so far as disposed through it we are able to reach certainty in other sciences and truth by the exclusion of error.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/roger-bacon-15067_able_i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-a_24209.jpg)