---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never find words right away. Poems for…"
description: "\"I never find words right away. Poems for me always begin with images and rhythms, shapes, feelings, forms, dances in the back of my mind.\" — Gary Snyder"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3c/gary-snyder-4502_feelings_i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for_1898707.jpg"
---

#  I never find words right away. Poems for me always begin…

![“I never find words right away. Poems for me always begin with images and rhythms, shapes, feelings, forms, dances in the back of my mind.” quote by Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3c/gary-snyder-4502_feelings_i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for_1898707.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3c/gary-snyder-4502_feelings_i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for_1898707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3c/gary-snyder-4502_feelings_i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for_1898707.jpg)

> “I never find words right away. Poems for me always begin with images and rhythms, shapes, feelings, forms, dances in the back of my mind.”

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Poetry emerges from sensory images and internal rhythms before words can be formed.

**In simple terms:** Poetry starts with images and feeling.

Key Takeaway

Observe and feel before writing.

Themes

creativity perception art

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

literary creative

When to use this quote

- writing
- visual arts
- music
- dance
- mindfulness

Key Concepts

imagism process poetry

Questions to Reflect On

- How do images translate into words?
- What role does rhythm play in poetry?

A Different Perspective

The quote may underplay the role of language structure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dances Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dances-mind-2787614/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Of my mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/of-my-mind/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Poems Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems-begin-1228371/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/)

## Related quotes

> [My next book - each one while I'm working on it - dances in my mind and thrills me at every turn. If it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/my-next-book-each-one-while-i-m-working-on-it-dances-in-my-mind-and/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“But it doesn't even matter how different they are, because all poems begin the same way: from something you feel inside. Like being mesmerized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-yeh/but-it-doesn-t-even-matter-how-different-they-are-because-all-poems/)

[Kat Yeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-yeh/)

> [It's good to have poems that begin with tea and end with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/it-s-good-to-have-poems-that-begin-with-tea-and-end-with-god/)

[Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/)

> [As a poet I hold the most archaic values on earth . . . the fertility of the soil, the magic of animals, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/as-a-poet-i-hold-the-most-archaic-values-on-earth-the-fertility-of/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [I try to hold both history and wilderness in mind, that my poems may the true measure of things and stand against the unbalance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-try-to-hold-both-history-and-wilderness-in-mind-that-my-poems-may/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [“Through all he said, even through his appalling sentimentality, i was reminded of something - an elusive rhythm, a fragment of lost words, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/through-all-he-said-even-through-his-appalling-sentimentality-i-was/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/to-make-a-deep-mental-path-we-must-think-over-and-over-the-kind-of/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I find that if I use my time well and take care of my mind/body when I'm outside of work, then I feel more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-riesgraf/i-find-that-if-i-use-my-time-well-and-take-care-of-my-mind-body-when/)

[Beth Riesgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-riesgraf/)

> [Not that I am ashamed of my mind or body, my birth or breeding, my actions or fortunes, for my bashfulness is in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cavendish/not-that-i-am-ashamed-of-my-mind-or-body-my-birth-or-breeding-my/)

[Margaret Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cavendish/)

> [ I remember having some problems with \[the Deus Ex theme\] when I first heard it and I was trying to figure out how to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-spector/i-remember-having-some-problems-with-the-deus-ex-theme-when-i-first/)

[Warren Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-spector/)

> [I am the source of my own suffering, because of the habits of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-the-source-of-my-own-suffering-because-of-the-habits-of-my-mind/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [I think of my body as a side effect of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-think-of-my-body-as-a-side-effect-of-my-mind/)

[Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/)

> [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Gary Snyder

> [The best thing you can do for the planet is to stay home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/the-best-thing-you-can-do-for-the-planet-is-to-stay-home/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [We . . . must try to live without causing unnecessary harm, not just to fellow humans but to all beings. We must try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/we-must-try-to-live-without-causing-unnecessary-harm-not-just-to/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [Doom scenarios, even though they might be true, are not politically or psychologically effective. The first step . . . is to make us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/doom-scenarios-even-though-they-might-be-true-are-not-politically-or/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [Sometime in the last ten years the best brains of the Occident discovered to their amazement that we live in an Environment. This discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/sometime-in-the-last-ten-years-the-best-brains-of-the-occident/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [A great poet does not express his or her self; he expresses all of our selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/a-great-poet-does-not-express-his-or-her-self-he-expresses-all-of-our/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [You should really know what the complete natural world of your region is and know what all its interactions are and how you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/you-should-really-know-what-the-complete-natural-world-of-your-region/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [“I have lived at Cold Mountain These thirty long years. Yesterday I called on friends and family: More than half had gone to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-have-lived-at-cold-mountain-these-thirty-long-years-yesterday-i/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [But if you do know what is taught by plants and weather, you are in on the gossip and can feel truly at home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/but-if-you-do-know-what-is-taught-by-plants-and-weather-you-are-in-on/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [In Paul Friedrich's book Proto-Indo-European Trees he identifies the "semantic primitives" of the Indo-European tribe of languages through a group of words that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/in-paul-friedrich-s-book-proto-indo-european-trees-he-identifies-the/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [Gratitude to the Great Sky who holds billions of stars - and goes yet beyond that - beyond all powers, and thoughts and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/gratitude-to-the-great-sky-who-holds-billions-of-stars-and-goes-yet/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [“In the mountains it's cold. Always been cold, not just this year. Jagged scarps forever snowed in Woods in the dark ravines spitting mist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/in-the-mountains-it-s-cold-always-been-cold-not-just-this-year-jagged/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [When the mind is exhausted of images, it invents its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/when-the-mind-is-exhausted-of-images-it-invents-its-own/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [Forests in the tropics are cut to make pasture to raise beef for the American market. Our distance from the source of our food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/forests-in-the-tropics-are-cut-to-make-pasture-to-raise-beef-for-the/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [“The blue mountains are constantly walking." Dōgen is quoting the Chan master Furong. -- "If you doubt mountains walking you do not know your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/the-blue-mountains-are-constantly-walking-d-gen-is-quoting-the-chan/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [Thought is just an apprehension of touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/thought-is-just-an-apprehension-of-touch/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

[Explore all 110 Gary Snyder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

## More Feelings quotes

> [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [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/)

> [We never realize the importance of any our action until we be the hunt of same situation in reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fadi/we-never-realize-the-importance-of-any-our-action-until-we-be-the/)

[Fadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fadi/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/)

[Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [If someone really loves you, no matter how many other people they meet, their feelings for you wouldn't change. A real lover cant be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-really-loves-you-no-matter-how-many-other-people-they-meet/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [“I urge you: don't cut short these thought-trains of yours. Follow them through to their end. Your thoughts and your feelings. Follow them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-urge-you-don-t-cut-short-these-thought-trains-of-yours-follow-them/)

[J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/)

[Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/)

> [You will never fully understand how much you mean to me, because there are no amount of words that can begin to describe my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-fully-understand-how-much-you-mean-to-me-because-there/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/)

[Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/)

[Browse all 21,172 Feelings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I never find words right away. Poems for me always begin with images and rhythms, shapes, feelings, forms, dances in the back of my mind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gary Snyder"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for-me-always-begin-with-images/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feelings"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for-me-always-begin-with-images/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3c/gary-snyder-4502_feelings_i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for_1898707.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3c/gary-snyder-4502_feelings_i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for_1898707.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3c/gary-snyder-4502_feelings_i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for_1898707.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I never find words right away. Poems for me always begin with images and rhythms, shapes, feelings, forms…” — Gary Snyder",
                "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": "Gary Snyder",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I never find words right away....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for-me-always-begin-with-images/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-never-find-words-right-away-poems-for-me-always-begin-with-images/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
