--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One, something emotional has to be at…" description: "\"One, something emotional has to be at stake. There has to be something important for me that I'm writing about. And then two, I have to have a formal i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/edward-hirsch-1614_emotional_one-something-emotional-has-to-be-at-sta_786569.png" --- # One, something emotional has to be at stake. There has to… ![“One, something emotional has to be at stake. There has to be something important for me that I'm writing about. And then two, I have to have a formal idea. Something has to be being worked out in poetry.” quote by Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/edward-hirsch-1614_emotional_one-something-emotional-has-to-be-at-sta_786569.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/edward-hirsch-1614_emotional_one-something-emotional-has-to-be-at-sta_786569.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/edward-hirsch-1614_emotional_one-something-emotional-has-to-be-at-sta_786569.png) > “One, something emotional has to be at stake. There has to be something important for me that I'm writing about. And then two, I have to have a formal idea. Something has to be being worked out in poetry.” [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 must involve personal stakes and a structured poetic concept to resonate. **In simple terms:** Personal stakes and formal idea needed. Key Takeaway Combine emotion with form. Themes creativity personal stakes structure Mood reflective inspired Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journals - creative projects Key Concepts Poetry self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify what matters to you? - What formal idea can shape your feeling? A Different Perspective Balancing emotion and structure can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional Stake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-stake-3066051/) [Formal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formal/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-writing-419115/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Stakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stakes/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Worked Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked-poetry-6050834/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Formal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-formal-3540194/) ## Related quotes > [The intricacy of plotting a thriller is akin to writing formal poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/the-intricacy-of-plotting-a-thriller-is-akin-to-writing-formal-poetry/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [I need some kind of emotional stake in it to write my lyrics, assuming that place. It might just be an emotion I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-need-some-kind-of-emotional-stake-in-it-to-write-my-lyrics-assuming/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [“People who have no emotional stake in a decision can see what needs to be done sooner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-grove/people-who-have-no-emotional-stake-in-a-decision-can-see-what-needs/) [Andrew Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-grove/) > [A good novel should be deeply unsettling - its satisfactions should come from its authenticity and its formal coherence. 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And I think a family is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/i-felt-like-you-can-write-forever-but-you-have-a-short-time-to-raise/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [From when I was a kid I wanted to write. It was so important to me that I was writing my own material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeli-sande/from-when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-write-it-was-so-important-to-me/) [Emeli Sande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeli-sande/) > [If anything in your life is more important than writing - anything at all - you should walk away now while you still can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/if-anything-in-your-life-is-more-important-than-writing-anything-at/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [It was very important to me when I was writing 'Teaches of Peaches' that I didn't mention I was going through a bad breakup,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peaches/it-was-very-important-to-me-when-i-was-writing-teaches-of-peaches/) [Peaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peaches/) > [It's very hard to articulate the things that are important about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/it-s-very-hard-to-articulate-the-things-that-are-important-about/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## 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. 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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 Emotional quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [“The fact is, we in this society are often quite removed from our own emotional reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-fact-is-we-in-this-society-are-often-quite-removed-from-our-own/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [This tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them is the primary basis of all human mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/this-tendency-to-avoid-problems-and-the-emotional-suffering-inherent/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [I am emotional, but that's not a negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franck-ribery/i-am-emotional-but-that-s-not-a-negative/) [Franck Ribery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franck-ribery/) > [I don't get emotional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-robertson/i-don-t-get-emotional/) [Andrew Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-robertson/) > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [I'm an emotional eater. If something's worth celebrating, we're going to grab pizza. If it's going bad, girl, pass me the chocolate. Gotta keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/i-m-an-emotional-eater-if-something-s-worth-celebrating-we-re-going/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What's needed is a sound intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/to-invest-successfully-over-a-lifetime-does-not-require-a/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Male relationships are deeply emotional and hard to talk about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lord/male-relationships-are-deeply-emotional-and-hard-to-talk-about/) [Phil Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lord/) > [I'm simply saying that our deepest thoughts, desires and preoccupations manifest themselves in art, whether we intend them to or not. That's what art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/i-m-simply-saying-that-our-deepest-thoughts-desires-and/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [First of all the criteria that I have that goes into any career decision is whether or not I have the life experience, emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/first-of-all-the-criteria-that-i-have-that-goes-into-any-career/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [“I like to see an angry Englishman," said Poirot. "They are very amusing. The more emotional they feel the less command they have of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-like-to-see-an-angry-englishman-said-poirot-they-are-very-amusing/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > ['Heirs' became an emotional experience for me. I had a hard time bringing out my emotions in the series. 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