--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people decide to talk publicly about…" description: "\"When people decide to talk publicly about poetry as an art form and how it's received, they often get very abject about it: \"Nobody reads poetry,\" and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/eileen-myles-21151_abundance_when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-abou_2631038.jpg" --- # When people decide to talk publicly about poetry as an art… ![“When people decide to talk publicly about poetry as an art form and how it's received, they often get very abject about it: "Nobody reads poetry," and then a thousand people write back, "No, we read poetry." There's an abundance of this negative preaching to the choir, and it's very similar to the…” quote by Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/eileen-myles-21151_abundance_when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-abou_2631038.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/eileen-myles-21151_abundance_when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-abou_2631038.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/eileen-myles-21151_abundance_when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-abou_2631038.jpg) > “When people decide to talk publicly about poetry as an art form and how it's received, they often get very abject about it: "Nobody reads poetry," and then a thousand people write back, "No, we read poetry." There's an abundance of this negative preaching to the choir, and it's very similar to the experience I'm having.” [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry is dismissed as unread, yet many people actually engage with it, revealing a disconnect between critics and readers. **In simple terms:** People do read poetry despite claims otherwise. Key Takeaway Listen to diverse voices. Themes literature art community Mood thoughtful hopeful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - literary workshops - publishing decisions - educational curricula - social media discussions Key Concepts cultural criticism reader engagement artistic value Questions to Reflect On - Why do we dismiss poetry’s relevance? - How can we bridge the gap between critics and readers? A Different Perspective Critics may still influence public perception negatively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abundance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abundance/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Choir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choir/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Preaching to the choir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preaching-to-the-choir/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Nobody reads poetry, we are told at every inopportune moment. I read poetry. I am somebody. I am the people, too. It can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-wright/nobody-reads-poetry-we-are-told-at-every-inopportune-moment-i-read/) [C.D. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-wright/) > [“Nobody reads poetry anymore So who the hell are you I see bent over this book?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-ristovic/nobody-reads-poetry-anymore-so-who-the-hell-are-you-i-see-bent-over/) Aleksandar Ristovic > [“I said I wouldn’t be the kind of boyfriend who reads her poetry, and I’m not, but I guess I am the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-said-i-wouldn-t-be-the-kind-of-boyfriend-who-reads-her-poetry-and-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I go in and slip a note in Jane's locker, which I've gotten in the habit of doing. It's always just a line or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-go-in-and-slip-a-note-in-jane-s-locker-which-i-ve-gotten-in-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The more one reads poetry, the less tolerant one becomes of any sort of verbosity, be that in political or philosophical discourse, be that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/the-more-one-reads-poetry-the-less-tolerant-one-becomes-of-any-sort/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Who, except the poets, reads poetry?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babette-deutsch/who-except-the-poets-reads-poetry/) [Babette Deutsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babette-deutsch/) > [I do sometimes feel like I function within an echo chamber and I'm just kind of preaching to the choir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weyes-blood/i-do-sometimes-feel-like-i-function-within-an-echo-chamber-and-i-m/) [Weyes Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weyes-blood/) > [Unless that happens, unless you get, you know, kind of integration of activists' concerns and movements, it will be, each one will be 'preaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/unless-that-happens-unless-you-get-you-know-kind-of-integration-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [When Kendrick Lamar blasts Mr. Trump, he is preaching to the choir. When Eminem does it, there's a good chance Trump voters are actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/when-kendrick-lamar-blasts-mr-trump-he-is-preaching-to-the-choir-when/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [I may be preaching to the choir, but the choir needs a good song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-may-be-preaching-to-the-choir-but-the-choir-needs-a-good-song/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [For those in the conservative movement to think that you're going to change minds only by preaching to the choir, you don't understand how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-breitbart/for-those-in-the-conservative-movement-to-think-that-you-re-going-to/) [Andrew Breitbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-breitbart/) > [58% of the American public are with us. We're preaching to the choir, but the choir's not singing, if all of the 58% started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/58-of-the-american-public-are-with-us-we-re-preaching-to-the-choir/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [Believe me. When you're talking about trust in government, you're preaching to the choir, whether it's on the financial side, the central banking side:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santelli/believe-me-when-you-re-talking-about-trust-in-government-you-re/) [Rick Santelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santelli/) > [“It's no use preaching to the choir. The rulebook, evidence, and good, old-fashioned fact-checking – let alone human decency – have been thrown out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-forester/it-s-no-use-preaching-to-the-choir-the-rulebook-evidence-and-good-old/) [H.M. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-forester/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) ## More by Eileen Myles > [Poetry is my politics. It's an opportunity that gives me a way to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/poetry-is-my-politics-it-s-an-opportunity-that-gives-me-a-way-to-speak/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Women aren't physically afraid of men; women are genetically afraid of men. It's happened for such a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/women-aren-t-physically-afraid-of-men-women-are-genetically-afraid-of/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I hate the word mentor, the professionalization of friendships between generations. I just feel like the fact of friendship is the thing we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-hate-the-word-mentor-the-professionalization-of-friendships-between/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I think poets are supposed to be writing for television and film. I grew up in the day of early TV that was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-think-poets-are-supposed-to-be-writing-for-television-and-film-i/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Listen, I have been educated. I have learned about Western Civilization. Do you know What the message of Western Civilization is? I am alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/listen-i-have-been-educated-i-have-learned-about-western-civilization/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Part of the glamour of being a poet was always this long reach into the future. You knew you were managing time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/part-of-the-glamour-of-being-a-poet-was-always-this-long-reach-into/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Time passes. That's for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/time-passes-that-s-for-sure/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I really just love reading. It's my favorite thing, performing my poems live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-really-just-love-reading-it-s-my-favorite-thing-performing-my-poems/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [“All the details of my life were in exact order and yet I was tumbling in them-out of order like a tremendous wave had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/all-the-details-of-my-life-were-in-exact-order-and-yet-i-was-tumbling/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Urban nature is like living with mass conditions. It sometimes feels like a myth & you are its scribe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/urban-nature-is-like-living-with-mass-conditions-it-sometimes-feels/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [“If passion was a substance I would say it is dark brown, and then blood red. It's like wet grass, tons of it soaked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/if-passion-was-a-substance-i-would-say-it-is-dark-brown-and-then/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [“On The Death of Robert Lowell by Eileen Myles O, I don’t give a shit. He was an old white haired man Insensate beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/on-the-death-of-robert-lowell-by-eileen-myles-o-i-don-t-give-a-shit/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I hope you all find yourselves sleeping with someone you love, maybe not all of the time, but a lot of the time. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-hope-you-all-find-yourselves-sleeping-with-someone-you-love-maybe/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I'm a poet born in the era of Andy Warhol and a generation that wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-m-a-poet-born-in-the-era-of-andy-warhol-and-a-generation-that/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [People love discovering you. The thing about not being historically a mainstream writer is that everyone feels like you're theirs, you're their friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/people-love-discovering-you-the-thing-about-not-being-historically-a/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) [Explore all 29 Eileen Myles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) ## More Abundance quotes > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. 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Some folks will argue that one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sereda-aleta-dailey/life-is-open-to-us-all-no-one-will-ever-see-life-exactly-the-same-as/) [Sereda Aleta Dailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sereda-aleta-dailey/) > [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/) T.I > [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [There are times when born hollandaise heads, as well as nouveaux turbot freaks and recherche escargotphiles alike crave the saignet abundance of a New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-greene/there-are-times-when-born-hollandaise-heads-as-well-as-nouveaux/) [Gael Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-greene/) > [I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood, to study, study and study and show their best. I haven't stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-always-tell-asian-actors-especially-filipinos-wanting-to-break-into/) [Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/) > [“Without darkness, we may never know how bright the stars shine. Without battles, we could not know what victory feels like. 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Have a Blessed Christmas!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-measure-the-height-of-your-christmas-tree-measure-the-abundance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,251 Abundance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abundance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When people decide to talk publicly about poetry as an art form and how it's received, they often get very abject about it: \"Nobody reads poetry,\" and then a thousand people write back, \"No, we read poetry.\" There's an abundance of this negative preaching to the choir, and it's very similar to the experience I'm having.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eileen Myles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-about-poetry-as-an-art-form-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abundance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-about-poetry-as-an-art-form-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/eileen-myles-21151_abundance_when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-abou_2631038.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/eileen-myles-21151_abundance_when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-abou_2631038.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/eileen-myles-21151_abundance_when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-abou_2631038.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When people decide to talk publicly about poetry as an art form and how it's received, they often get very…” — Eileen Myles", "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": "Eileen Myles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When people decide to talk publicly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-about-poetry-as-an-art-form-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/when-people-decide-to-talk-publicly-about-poetry-as-an-art-form-and/#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 } } ] } ```