--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A great model for this is the way that…" description: "\"A great model for this is the way that Dante calls on Virgil at the beginning of 'The Inferno,' 'The Divine Comedy,' to help guide him through the unde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edward-hirsch-1614_comedy_a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-d_1276802.png" --- # A great model for this is the way that Dante calls on… ![“A great model for this is the way that Dante calls on Virgil at the beginning of 'The Inferno,' 'The Divine Comedy,' to help guide him through the underworld.” quote by Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edward-hirsch-1614_comedy_a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-d_1276802.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edward-hirsch-1614_comedy_a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-d_1276802.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edward-hirsch-1614_comedy_a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-d_1276802.png) > “A great model for this is the way that Dante calls on Virgil at the beginning of 'The Inferno,' 'The Divine Comedy,' to help guide him through the underworld.” [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dante uses Virgil as a guide, showing the need for mentorship when navigating unknown challenges. **In simple terms:** Mentors help us through difficult journeys. Key Takeaway Seek guidance when facing the unknown. Themes literature guidance journey Mood inspirational reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - personal growth - creative writing - spiritual exploration Key Concepts classical literature mentor‑protégé dynamic Questions to Reflect On - Who can you trust as a mentor? - What risks arise from following guidance blindly? A Different Perspective Relying on a guide may limit personal discovery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning Inferno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning-inferno-4111802/) [Calls Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calls-virgil-4111800/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dante/) [Dante Calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dante-calls-4111801/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-comedy/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Inferno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inferno/) [Models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/models/) [Underworld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underworld/) [Virgil Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgil-beginning-4111799/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [As Dante says in the beginning of the Inferno, 'In the midst of life's journey I found myself in a dark wood, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-vogler/as-dante-says-in-the-beginning-of-the-inferno-in-the-midst-of-life-s/) [Christopher Vogler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-vogler/) > [“Non isperate mai veder lo cielo: i’ vegno per menarvi a l’altra riva ne le tenebre etterne, in caldo e ’n gelo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante/non-isperate-mai-veder-lo-cielo-i-vegno-per-menarvi-a-l-altra-riva-ne/) [Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante/) > [Abandon all hope, ye who enter here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/abandon-all-hope-ye-who-enter-here/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I had journeyed half of our life's way, I found myself within a shadowed forest, for I had lost the path that does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/when-i-had-journeyed-half-of-our-life-s-way-i-found-myself-within-a/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [“There are souls beneath that water. Fixed in slime they speak their piece, end it, and start again: 'Sullen were we in the air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/there-are-souls-beneath-that-water-fixed-in-slime-they-speak-their/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [This miserable way is taken by the sorry souls of those who lived without disgrace and without praise. They now commingle with the coward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/this-miserable-way-is-taken-by-the-sorry-souls-of-those-who-lived/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [In a way, that's also a recognition that Dante needs Virgil and that the Inferno needs the Aeneid and that the epic needs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/in-a-way-that-s-also-a-recognition-that-dante-needs-virgil-and-that/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Strangely, Dante's Divine Comedy did not produce a prose of that creative height or it did so after centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenio-montale/strangely-dante-s-divine-comedy-did-not-produce-a-prose-of-that/) [Eugenio Montale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenio-montale/) > [“Dante was standing near the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that crosses the Arno River in Florence. It was just before 1300… Dante saw Beatrice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/dante-was-standing-near-the-ponte-vecchio-a-bridge-that-crosses-the/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read, not as a contradiction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-happy-ending-of-the-fairy-tale-the-myth-and-the-divine-comedy-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“HELEN HAYES: “Which part of The Divine Comedy do you like the most, Tiziano?” TIZIANO CONTI: “The fifth Canto.” HELEN HAYES: “The Hell, huh?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merce-cardus/helen-hayes-which-part-of-the-divine-comedy-do-you-like-the-most/) [Merce Cardus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merce-cardus/) > [“This was part of the divine comedy-God's sense of humor undergirding the inner workings of the universe. Sinners participated in the redemption of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/this-was-part-of-the-divine-comedy-god-s-sense-of-humor-undergirding/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“If you lead me astray, then my wanderings will bring me to my destination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-you-lead-me-astray-then-my-wanderings-will-bring-me-to-my/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“His (Islamic astronomer al-Farghani) legacy also endures through the Italian writer and poet Dante (1265-1321), who derived most of the astronomical knowledge he included…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-al-khalili/his-islamic-astronomer-al-farghani-legacy-also-endures-through-the/) [Jim Al-Khalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-al-khalili/) > [“Everyone loves a comedy, my dear. It is divine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/everyone-loves-a-comedy-my-dear-it-is-divine/) [Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/) ## More by Edward Hirsch > [And my experience is the best titles, for me, emerge in the process of writing. They don't usually come at the very beginning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-my-experience-is-the-best-titles-for-me-emerge-in-the-process-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“I did not know the work of mourning Is like carrying a bag of cement Up a mountain at night The mountaintop is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-did-not-know-the-work-of-mourning-is-like-carrying-a-bag-of-cement/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Fall" Fall, falling, fallen. That’s the way the season Changes its tense in the long-haired maples That dot the road; the veiny hand-shaped leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/fall-fall-falling-fallen-that-s-the-way-the-season-changes-its-tense/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I find great consolation in having a lot of poetry books around. I believe that writing poetry and reading it are deeply intertwined. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-find-great-consolation-in-having-a-lot-of-poetry-books-around-i/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I had feelings that I didn't know what to do with, and I felt better when I started writing them. I thought of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-had-feelings-that-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-and-i-felt-better/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I think in terms of educating a group of readers, MFA programs are very good. I just think the model of MFA programs in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-think-in-terms-of-educating-a-group-of-readers-mfa-programs-are/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Jonson wrote a poem and called his son His best piece of poetrie A lovely line a little loathsome I loved that poem once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/jonson-wrote-a-poem-and-called-his-son-his-best-piece-of-poetrie-a/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [It does demand a certain space in order to read it and I think that space is somewhat threatened by the lack of attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/it-does-demand-a-certain-space-in-order-to-read-it-and-i-think-that/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [...I put down these memorandums of my affections in honor of tenderness, in honor of all of those who have been conscripted into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-put-down-these-memorandums-of-my-affections-in-honor-of-tenderness/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry is a vocation. It is not a career but a calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-is-a-vocation-it-is-not-a-career-but-a-calling/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [You're shadowed by your own dream, especially as you get older, of trying to create something that will last in poetry. And so, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/you-re-shadowed-by-your-own-dream-especially-as-you-get-older-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [The attention deficit disorder of the culture is very distressing in America now and I think it puts a lot of things at risk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-attention-deficit-disorder-of-the-culture-is-very-distressing-in/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Now, as I've gotten older I've been able to write more quickly. Sometimes I get in the space of something and I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/now-as-i-ve-gotten-older-i-ve-been-able-to-write-more-quickly/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry takes courage because you have to face things and you try to articulate how you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-takes-courage-because-you-have-to-face-things-and-you-try-to/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) [Explore all 222 Edward Hirsch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A great model for this is the way that Dante calls on Virgil at the beginning of 'The Inferno,' 'The Divine Comedy,' to help guide him through the underworld.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Hirsch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-dante-calls-on-virgil-at-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-dante-calls-on-virgil-at-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edward-hirsch-1614_comedy_a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-d_1276802.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edward-hirsch-1614_comedy_a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-d_1276802.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edward-hirsch-1614_comedy_a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-d_1276802.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A great model for this is the way that Dante calls on Virgil at the beginning of 'The Inferno,' 'The Divine…” — Edward Hirsch", "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": "Edward Hirsch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A great model for this is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-dante-calls-on-virgil-at-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-great-model-for-this-is-the-way-that-dante-calls-on-virgil-at-the/#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 } } ] } ```