---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A stress on the system and I think a…"
description: "\"A stress on the system and I think a painful thing for many young poets who are looking to find a life in poetry that they're not going to be able to f..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/edward-hirsch-1614_able_a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-pai_2588815.jpg"
---

#  A stress on the system and I think a painful thing for…

![“A stress on the system and I think a painful thing for many young poets who are looking to find a life in poetry that they're not going to be able to find.” quote by Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/edward-hirsch-1614_able_a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-pai_2588815.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/edward-hirsch-1614_able_a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-pai_2588815.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/edward-hirsch-1614_able_a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-pai_2588815.jpg)

> “A stress on the system and I think a painful thing for many young poets who are looking to find a life in poetry that they're not going to be able to find.”

[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.

Young poets often feel pressured to find a poetic identity but fear they cannot achieve it, leading to stress and disillusionment.

**In simple terms:** Poets feel pressure and doubt about their future.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty and focus on growth.

Themes

creativity identity pressure growth

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- college literature classes
- ment‑career transitions

Key Concepts

artistic development self‑esteem career expectations

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you nurture your voice despite external expectations?
- What small steps can reduce creative anxiety?

A Different Perspective

The pressure may stifle authentic expression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful-things/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [These poets (fans of whatever) should be contacting other young poets on their way - not those who have made it, who sit on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/these-poets-fans-of-whatever-should-be-contacting-other-young-poets/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [Young poets worry that their experiences - whether urban or rural, immigrant or native, small town, suburb, or big city - aren't worthy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/young-poets-worry-that-their-experiences-whether-urban-or-rural/)

[Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/)

> [I think that what's happening today, with all the young poets rushing from one college to another, lecturing at the drop of a hat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/i-think-that-what-s-happening-today-with-all-the-young-poets-rushing/)

[Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/)

> [A lot of young poets today, from what I've heard and experienced, can't get their heads past George W. Bush, and I've heard so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-tamblyn/a-lot-of-young-poets-today-from-what-i-ve-heard-and-experienced-can-t/)

[Amber Tamblyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-tamblyn/)

> [Young poets bewail the passing of love; old poets, the passing of time. There is surprisingly little difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/young-poets-bewail-the-passing-of-love-old-poets-the-passing-of-time/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [In The World Everyone Haven Already Many Painful Things,, Why you do is to take on of any chance to increase in charge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/in-the-world-everyone-haven-already-many-painful-things-why-you-do-is/)

Mak\_786

> [The most painful thing in life is to wake up from a dream and find no way out. Dreamers are fortunate people. If no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lu-xun/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-to-wake-up-from-a-dream-and-find-no/)

[Lu Xun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lu-xun/)

> [11 of the most painful things, and they are even worse when they all combine at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/11-of-the-most-painful-things-and-they-are-even-worse-when-they-all/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Painful things are quickly forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/painful-things-are-quickly-forgotten/)

[Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/)

> [It is the most painful thing to see how young children become collateral damage of wars, but when peace treaties are signed landmines do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-glover/it-is-the-most-painful-thing-to-see-how-young-children-become/)

[Danny Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-glover/)

> [For me, the most painful thing is the thought of shelves without books. This is the problem with the digital thing. I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/for-me-the-most-painful-thing-is-the-thought-of-shelves-without-books/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I'll never get used to living without Mo, but the painful things that surround what happened to him aren't so painful any more-not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-gibb/i-ll-never-get-used-to-living-without-mo-but-the-painful-things-that/)

[Robin Gibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-gibb/)

> [11 painful things are...:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-one/11-painful-things-are/)

[No One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/no-one/)

## 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 Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [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/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A stress on the system and I think a painful thing for many young poets who are looking to find a life in poetry that they're not going to be able to find.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Hirsch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-painful-thing-for-many-young/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-painful-thing-for-many-young/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/edward-hirsch-1614_able_a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-pai_2588815.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/edward-hirsch-1614_able_a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-pai_2588815.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edc/edward-hirsch-1614_able_a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-pai_2588815.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A stress on the system and I think a painful thing for many young poets who are looking to find a life in…” — 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 stress on the system and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-painful-thing-for-many-young/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-stress-on-the-system-and-i-think-a-painful-thing-for-many-young/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
