--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And what I've found over time is that for…" description: "\"And what I've found over time is that for me to write a poem that I think is worthy that I can live with, two things have to happen.\" — Edward Hirsch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/edward-hirsch-1614_found_and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-fo_2063946.png" --- # And what I've found over time is that for me to write a… ![“And what I've found over time is that for me to write a poem that I think is worthy that I can live with, two things have to happen.” quote by Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/edward-hirsch-1614_found_and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-fo_2063946.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/edward-hirsch-1614_found_and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-fo_2063946.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/edward-hirsch-1614_found_and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-fo_2063946.png) > “And what I've found over time is that for me to write a poem that I think is worthy that I can live with, two things have to happen.” [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. Writing a worthwhile poem requires both genuine inspiration and the willingness to accept the work as a living piece of oneself. **In simple terms:** Poetry needs inspiration and acceptance. Key Takeaway Cultivate inspiration and embrace your poem. Themes creativity self‑acceptance artistic integrity Mood reflective inspired Type artistic personal When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - creative retreats - daily writing practice Key Concepts Poetic process self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What conditions spark your deepest writing? - How do you reconcile perfectionism with living with your work? A Different Perspective Balancing inspiration with self‑critique can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poem Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-think-1148152/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-things/) [Worthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthy/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-poem/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [And the poem, I think, is only your voice speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/and-the-poem-i-think-is-only-your-voice-speaking/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [A person who's only suffering can't write a poem. There are choices to be made, and you need to be objective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/a-person-who-s-only-suffering-can-t-write-a-poem-there-are-choices-to/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“To write a poem...to paint an image on canvass from the contemplation of nature and life...is to be present again in this world more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeper-sense-of-presence-isabella-koldras/to-write-a-poem-to-paint-an-image-on-canvass-from-the-contemplation/) [Deeper sense of presence Isabella koldras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeper-sense-of-presence-isabella-koldras/) > [“Sit here, so I may write you into a poem and make you eternal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/sit-here-so-i-may-write-you-into-a-poem-and-make-you-eternal/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Its not easy to write a poem about a poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/its-not-easy-to-write-a-poem-about-a-poem/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Poetry was one of the things that interested me most as I was growing up. I used to write it in my head all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/poetry-was-one-of-the-things-that-interested-me-most-as-i-was-growing/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [My father, Eric Trethewey, is a poet, so I had one right inside the house. And on long trips, he'd tell me, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/my-father-eric-trethewey-is-a-poet-so-i-had-one-right-inside-the/) [Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/) > [A person sets out to write a poem for a variety of reasons: to win the heart of his beloved; to express his attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/a-person-sets-out-to-write-a-poem-for-a-variety-of-reasons-to-win-the/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Weirdly, it's much easier to write a poem than a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-key/weirdly-it-s-much-easier-to-write-a-poem-than-a-film/) [Tim Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-key/) > [“How to Write a Poem Catch the air around the butterfly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katerina-stoykova-klemer/how-to-write-a-poem-catch-the-air-around-the-butterfly/) [Katerina Stoykova Klemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katerina-stoykova-klemer/) > [I would feel dead if I didn't have the ability periodically to put my world in order with a poem. I think to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wilbur/i-would-feel-dead-if-i-didn-t-have-the-ability-periodically-to-put-my/) [Richard Wilbur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wilbur/) > [The subject of the poem usually dictates the rhythm or the rhyme and its form. Sometimes, when you finish the poem and you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-subject-of-the-poem-usually-dictates-the-rhythm-or-the-rhyme-and/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [ You can publish a poem you think is a very important poem, and you don't hear a word from anyone. \[...\] You can publish… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/you-can-publish-a-poem-you-think-is-a-very-important-poem-and-you-don/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [“A poem's what you think it is,' Arunava said and laughed. He held up his empty glass and said, 'Now that is very definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhaskar-ghose/a-poem-s-what-you-think-it-is-arunava-said-and-laughed-he-held-up-his/) [Bhaskar Ghose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhaskar-ghose/) > [“And the poem, I think, is only your voice speaking. ― Virginia Woolf, The Waves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/and-the-poem-i-think-is-only-your-voice-speaking-virginia-woolf-the/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## 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 Found quotes > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [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/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Real breakthroughs are not found because you want to develop some new technology, but because you are curious and want to find out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-zeilinger/real-breakthroughs-are-not-found-because-you-want-to-develop-some-new/) [Anton Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-zeilinger/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [He found in the world without as actual what was in his world within as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/he-found-in-the-world-without-as-actual-what-was-in-his-world-within/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) [Robbin Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbin-crosby/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 12,329 Found quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And what I've found over time is that for me to write a poem that I think is worthy that I can live with, two things have to happen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Hirsch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-for-me-to-write-a-poem-that-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Found" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-for-me-to-write-a-poem-that-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/edward-hirsch-1614_found_and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-fo_2063946.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/edward-hirsch-1614_found_and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-fo_2063946.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/edward-hirsch-1614_found_and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-fo_2063946.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And what I've found over time is that for me to write a poem that I think is worthy that I can live with…” — 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": "And what I've found over time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-for-me-to-write-a-poem-that-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-what-i-ve-found-over-time-is-that-for-me-to-write-a-poem-that-i/#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 } } ] } ```