--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the things called forth by the…" description: "\"One of the things called forth by the Imagist movement in poetry was neatness; and when we say keenness, we mean neatness. A knife that is keen is also..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/eli-siegel-21460_brutal_one-of-the-things-called-forth-by-the-im_819097.jpg" --- # One of the things called forth by the Imagist movement in… ![“One of the things called forth by the Imagist movement in poetry was neatness; and when we say keenness, we mean neatness. A knife that is keen is also a knife that cuts neatly; it isn't brutal. Sharpness is different from brutality. Brutality is clumsy: it is wide - it has a lot of fist and thumb…” quote by Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/eli-siegel-21460_brutal_one-of-the-things-called-forth-by-the-im_819097.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/eli-siegel-21460_brutal_one-of-the-things-called-forth-by-the-im_819097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/eli-siegel-21460_brutal_one-of-the-things-called-forth-by-the-im_819097.jpg) > “One of the things called forth by the Imagist movement in poetry was neatness; and when we say keenness, we mean neatness. A knife that is keen is also a knife that cuts neatly; it isn't brutal. Sharpness is different from brutality. Brutality is clumsy: it is wide - it has a lot of fist and thumb and no delicate finger.” [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sharpness in expression should be precise and clean, not brutal; elegance lies in controlled power. **In simple terms:** Precision beats brutality. Key Takeaway Aim for precise, elegant impact. Themes precision elegance clarity control non‑violence Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - public speaking - design - conflict resolution Key Concepts aesthetics communication theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance precision with warmth? - When is a blunt approach necessary? A Different Perspective Precision can be perceived as cold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brutal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutal/) [Brutality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutality/) [Keenness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keenness/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Neatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neatness/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [We should see the desire for neatness, the desire for sharp impressions, as a desire in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/we-should-see-the-desire-for-neatness-the-desire-for-sharp/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [“A man shall not boast of his keenness of mind, But keep it close in his breast; To the silent and wise does ill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-shall-not-boast-of-his-keenness-of-mind-but-keep-it-close-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Elrond raised his eyes and looked at him, and Frodo felt his heart pierced by the sudden keenness of the glance. 'If I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/elrond-raised-his-eyes-and-looked-at-him-and-frodo-felt-his-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keenness of hearing revives when one is alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/keenness-of-hearing-revives-when-one-is-alone/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [“St. John's eyes, though clear enough in a literal sense, in a figurative one were difficult to fathom. He seemed to use them rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/st-john-s-eyes-though-clear-enough-in-a-literal-sense-in-a-figurative/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [The exercise of voluntary attention in the schoolroom must therefore be counted one of the most important points of training that take place there;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-exercise-of-voluntary-attention-in-the-schoolroom-must-therefore/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Liberty and order will never be perfectly safe, until a trespass on the constitutional provisions for either, shall be felt with the same keenness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/liberty-and-order-will-never-be-perfectly-safe-until-a-trespass-on/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“May your sleep be your death, and your wakefulness be your heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/may-your-sleep-be-your-death-and-your-wakefulness-be-your-heaven/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [The infinite wonders of the universe are revealed to us in exact measure as we are capable of receiving them. The keenness of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-infinite-wonders-of-the-universe-are-revealed-to-us-in-exact/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [What moved us was not so much what would it do for South Africa, but there has been a great keenness on the Continent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/what-moved-us-was-not-so-much-what-would-it-do-for-south-africa-but/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [Alone-in moments of prayer or meditation, or simply in stillness-we breathe more deeply, see more fully, hear more keenly. We notice more, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/alone-in-moments-of-prayer-or-meditation-or-simply-in-stillness-we/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [Man's value before God is estimated by the dispositions of his heart, its uprightness, its good will, its charity, and not by keenness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-catherine-emmerich/man-s-value-before-god-is-estimated-by-the-dispositions-of-his-heart/) Anne Catherine Emmerich > [Lay not the plummet to the line; religion hath no landmarks; no human keenness can discern the subtle shades of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/lay-not-the-plummet-to-the-line-religion-hath-no-landmarks-no-human/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [Reading is a stout-hearted activity, disporting courage, keenness, stick-to-it-ness. It is also, in my experience, one of the most thrilling and enduring delights of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/reading-is-a-stout-hearted-activity-disporting-courage-keenness-stick/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Reading is a stouthearted activity, disporting courage, keenness, stick-to-it-ness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/reading-is-a-stouthearted-activity-disporting-courage-keenness-stick/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) ## More by Eli Siegel > [There is not one thing that music does which does not say something about how a person should organize himself, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/there-is-not-one-thing-that-music-does-which-does-not-say-something/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [“The most important thing in industry is the person who does the industry, which is the worker…. Labor is the only source of wealth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/the-most-important-thing-in-industry-is-the-person-who-does-the/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [There is a quality of murky grandeur we give ourselves in having our own feelings, recoiling, separate from other things... To feel that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/there-is-a-quality-of-murky-grandeur-we-give-ourselves-in-having-our/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [The purpose of photography is to create an emotion about the world through what has been carefully seen and selected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/the-purpose-of-photography-is-to-create-an-emotion-about-the-world/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [To see the outside world as the same stuff as our most secret or unknown thoughts is a fine necessity...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/to-see-the-outside-world-as-the-same-stuff-as-our-most-secret-or/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [The world, art, and self explain each other: each is the aesthetic oneness of opposites,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/the-world-art-and-self-explain-each-other-each-is-the-aesthetic/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [True individuality is the repose arising from the relation of a self to all it has to do with. Bad individuality has in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/true-individuality-is-the-repose-arising-from-the-relation-of-a-self/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [“The self can watch itself becoming lazy, or non-watchful; this is an asset that can make both for humor and profound well-being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/the-self-can-watch-itself-becoming-lazy-or-non-watchful-this-is-an/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [Is there in every work of art something which shows reality as one and also something which shows reality as many and diverse? -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/is-there-in-every-work-of-art-something-which-shows-reality-as-one/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [In reality opposites are one; art shows this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/in-reality-opposites-are-one-art-shows-this/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/all-beauty-is-a-making-one-of-opposites-and-the-making-one-of/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [In order to be deep, we sometimes have to cut through and cut apart. That is to be seen in the common phrase, 'Cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/in-order-to-be-deep-we-sometimes-have-to-cut-through-and-cut-apart/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [The most important thing for you to do is see that in hoping to be affected by other things as fully as possible, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/the-most-important-thing-for-you-to-do-is-see-that-in-hoping-to-be/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [Art is a way of showing greater fairness to things than is customary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/art-is-a-way-of-showing-greater-fairness-to-things-than-is-customary/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) > [We should see the desire for neatness, the desire for sharp impressions, as a desire in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/we-should-see-the-desire-for-neatness-the-desire-for-sharp/) [Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) [Explore all 29 Eli Siegel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/) ## More Brutal quotes > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Hitler recruited around him homosexuals to make up his Stormtroopers, they were his enforcers, they were his thugs. And Hitler discovered that he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fischer/hitler-recruited-around-him-homosexuals-to-make-up-his-stormtroopers/) [Bryan Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fischer/) > [The Lord expects us to enjoy our lives. He says there will be some brutal times, but we shouldn't get all bent out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-henderson/the-lord-expects-us-to-enjoy-our-lives-he-says-there-will-be-some/) [Paul Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-henderson/) > [We face a brutal enemy who will kill the innocent for one purpose and that is to gain control of the Middle East and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/we-face-a-brutal-enemy-who-will-kill-the-innocent-for-one-purpose-and/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) > [No matter how well-born, how intelligent, how highly educated, how virtuous, how rich, how refined, the women of to-day constitutea political class below that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-corinna-putnam-jacobi/no-matter-how-well-born-how-intelligent-how-highly-educated-how/) [Mary Corinna Putnam Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-corinna-putnam-jacobi/) > [I find that truly heartbreaking that, like, it's such a common, constant thing in people's lives - a brutal abuse of people by other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/i-find-that-truly-heartbreaking-that-like-it-s-such-a-common-constant/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [I think brutal honesty is extremely important. Don't be afraid of being up-front about your feelings and your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minka-kelly/i-think-brutal-honesty-is-extremely-important-don-t-be-afraid-of/) [Minka Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minka-kelly/) > [When my friends have been heartbroken, I give them a shoulder to cry on and some brutal advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maura-higgins/when-my-friends-have-been-heartbroken-i-give-them-a-shoulder-to-cry/) [Maura Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maura-higgins/) > [Something that comes to us, some gym shoe that comes to us as a result of child labor from a brutal dictatorship, where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/something-that-comes-to-us-some-gym-shoe-that-comes-to-us-as-a-result/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In my experience sometimes the darker the material that you're doing, the more necessary it is to have some sort of levity around. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-stahl/in-my-experience-sometimes-the-darker-the-material-that-you-re-doing/) [Nick Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-stahl/) > [I do have one very brutal writing ritual. If I'm working in the morning, I don't allow myself a cup of tea until I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/i-do-have-one-very-brutal-writing-ritual-if-i-m-working-in-the/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [The circle of an empty day is brutal and at night it tightens around your neck like a noose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-ferrante/the-circle-of-an-empty-day-is-brutal-and-at-night-it-tightens-around/) [Elena Ferrante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-ferrante/) > [“I had brutal beginnings. I will not let the darkness in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jennings/i-had-brutal-beginnings-i-will-not-let-the-darkness-in/) [Melissa Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jennings/) > [Usually I avoided college students, whom I considered brutal, wrapped up in themselves, particularly in their youth, in which they found material for drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/usually-i-avoided-college-students-whom-i-considered-brutal-wrapped/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 790 Brutal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the things called forth by the Imagist movement in poetry was neatness; and when we say keenness, we mean neatness. A knife that is keen is also a knife that cuts neatly; it isn't brutal. Sharpness is different from brutality. 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