--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That poem was not by me. It is among the…" description: "\"“That poem was not by me. It is among the things which quite overpower me; I have never been able to read it without tears coming to my eyes; it sounds..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the_155197.jpg" --- # That poem was not by me. It is among the things which… ![“That poem was not by me. It is among the things which quite overpower me; I have never been able to read it without tears coming to my eyes; it sounds like a voice for which I have been waiting and waiting since childhood. The poem is by my friend Lou... She is as shrewd as an eagle and brave as a…” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the_155197.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the_155197.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the_155197.jpg) > ““That poem was not by me. It is among the things which quite overpower me; I have never been able to read it without tears coming to my eyes; it sounds like a voice for which I have been waiting and waiting since childhood. The poem is by my friend Lou... She is as shrewd as an eagle and brave as a lion, and yet still a very girlish child, who perhaps will not live long.”” [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels overwhelmed by a powerful poem that evokes deep emotion, attributing it to a friend’s fierce yet tender spirit, hinting at mortality. **In simple terms:** The poem moves me to tears; it feels like a long‑awaited voice from a brave, youthful friend. Key Takeaway Allow profound art to reveal inner truths. Themes art emotion friendship mortality youth Mood poignant reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading poetry - grieving a friend - reflecting on youth - creative inspiration Key Concepts aesthetic experience psychic resonance existential reflection Questions to Reflect On - What emotions does this poem awaken in you? - How do you balance admiration with grief? A Different Perspective The poem’s intensity may be too painful for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muse/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Waiting And Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-and-waiting/) ## Related quotes > [My friend Lou Reed came to the end of his song. So very sad.But hey, Lou, you'll always take a walk on the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/my-friend-lou-reed-came-to-the-end-of-his-song-so-very-sad-but-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Poem Things will go on like this for Ever. No Thing shall shatter. No Tree. No Blade of grass shall be There. No Thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/poem-things-will-go-on-like-this-for-ever-no-thing-shall-shatter-no/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [Greed and desire Not peace, but fire Coveting creation Created damnation Pulled alongside A gate thrown too wide Now our home calls And darkness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/greed-and-desire-not-peace-but-fire-coveting-creation-created/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/sing-in-the-shower-dance-to-the-radio-tell-stories-write-a-poem-to-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“If we show our poem to our friend and our friend says, "It's wonderful, I love it," that's not real-world feedback, that's our friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/if-we-show-our-poem-to-our-friend-and-our-friend-says-it-s-wonderful/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sakes. Now, I mean, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/practicing-an-art-no-matter-how-well-or-badly-is-a-way-to-make-your/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [Instead of spending the time and the money and the manpower on the front end, when children first transgress - and when they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-humes/instead-of-spending-the-time-and-the-money-and-the-manpower-on-the/) [Edward Humes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-humes/) > [When you do a play, you have all this time to rehearse and grow into the character. In television, even though you're waiting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aja-naomi-king/when-you-do-a-play-you-have-all-this-time-to-rehearse-and-grow-into/) [Aja Naomi King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aja-naomi-king/) > [You can't save from a brilliant penalty taker and Eric Cantona was the best. His technique was so good it was a joke. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/you-can-t-save-from-a-brilliant-penalty-taker-and-eric-cantona-was/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [He raged for hours. And the skeleton, ever the frail and solelmn philosopher, hung quietly inside, saying not a word, suspended like a delicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/he-raged-for-hours-and-the-skeleton-ever-the-frail-and-solelmn/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD, WHO DWELLS ON HIGH, WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF TO BEHOLD THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE HEAVENS AND…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/js-boegl/who-is-like-the-lord-our-god-who-dwells-on-high-who-humbles-himself/) JS Boegl > [By closely supervising our infants, by allowing them to do what they are capable of, by restraining ourselves from rescuing them too often, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magda-gerber/by-closely-supervising-our-infants-by-allowing-them-to-do-what-they/) [Magda Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magda-gerber/) > [I'm a Brit and I just put myself on tape, back in London, for a very distant American project that I thought I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/i-m-a-brit-and-i-just-put-myself-on-tape-back-in-london-for-a-very/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [In Hollywood, there's not a ton of roles for Asian people. So a lot of it is waiting and waiting and waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hong-chau/in-hollywood-there-s-not-a-ton-of-roles-for-asian-people-so-a-lot-of/) [Hong Chau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hong-chau/) > [My first experience with film was through a still camera. I would sit, very much against my will, with my father in the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavid-hood/my-first-experience-with-film-was-through-a-still-camera-i-would-sit/) [Gavid Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavid-hood/) ## More by Friedrich Nietzsche > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) [Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More Children 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/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That poem was not by me. It is among the things which quite overpower me; I have never been able to read it without tears coming to my eyes; it sounds like a voice for which I have been waiting and waiting since childhood. The poem is by my friend Lou... She is as shrewd as an eagle and brave as a lion, and yet still a very girlish child, who perhaps will not live long.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the-things-which-quite-overpower/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the-things-which-quite-overpower/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the_155197.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the_155197.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the_155197.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That poem was not by me. It is among the things which quite overpower me; I have never been able to read it…” — Friedrich Nietzsche", "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That poem was not by me....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the-things-which-quite-overpower/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/that-poem-was-not-by-me-it-is-among-the-things-which-quite-overpower/#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 } } ] } ```