--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing poetry, which for me was then…" description: "\"Writing poetry, which for me was then saying how I felt about this and that, didn't help me to understand the world I lived in.\" — Grace Paley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/grace-paley-3243_about_writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-say_2874707.png" --- # Writing poetry, which for me was then saying how I felt… ![“Writing poetry, which for me was then saying how I felt about this and that, didn't help me to understand the world I lived in.” quote by Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/grace-paley-3243_about_writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-say_2874707.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/grace-paley-3243_about_writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-say_2874707.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/grace-paley-3243_about_writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-say_2874707.png) > “Writing poetry, which for me was then saying how I felt about this and that, didn't help me to understand the world I lived in.” [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry was a personal outlet but did not deepen her understanding of the external world **In simple terms:** Personal expression doesn’t always translate to broader insight Key Takeaway Seek diverse perspectives beyond self‑reflection Themes writing poetry self‑exploration Mood contemplative curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - education - cultural awareness Key Concepts subjectivity worldview learning methods Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance inner feelings with outer realities? - What practices expand world understanding? A Different Perspective May overlook external knowledge sources ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poetry/) ## Related quotes > [“I me memorize a lot of poetry, too, so I'l have something to be saying to myself on long walks. A poem to repeat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rich-dickinson/i-me-memorize-a-lot-of-poetry-too-so-i-l-have-something-to-be-saying/) [Louise Rich Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rich-dickinson/) > [“He was never a man of many words but the look that he gave me spoke volumes saying what he felt in his heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-e-moore/he-was-never-a-man-of-many-words-but-the-look-that-he-gave-me-spoke/) Vivian E. Moore > [I spent so many years just saying what I felt without thinking about the ramifications, without understanding that I have this opinion but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-heigl/i-spent-so-many-years-just-saying-what-i-felt-without-thinking-about/) [Katherine Heigl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-heigl/) > [“I was speaking without thinking about it first, not hesitating, just saying what I felt first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson/i-was-speaking-without-thinking-about-it-first-not-hesitating-just/) [Morgan Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-matson/) > [“For she had come to feel that it was the only thing worth saying--what one felt. Cleverness was silly. One must simply say what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-she-had-come-to-feel-that-it-was-the-only-thing-worth-saying-what/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Peter would think her sentimental. So she was. For she had come to feel that it was the only thing worth saying – what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/peter-would-think-her-sentimental-so-she-was-for-she-had-come-to-feel/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [No shame in saying that I felt a loneliness drifting through me. Funny how it was, everyone perched in their own little world with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/no-shame-in-saying-that-i-felt-a-loneliness-drifting-through-me-funny/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [I was honest after the fight against Volkanovski, saying what I felt at the moment right after the fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-korean-zombie/i-was-honest-after-the-fight-against-volkanovski-saying-what-i-felt/) [The Korean Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-korean-zombie/) > [“Sidda looked like she could not have been born from my body. This was the first time I ever felt that she was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-wells/sidda-looked-like-she-could-not-have-been-born-from-my-body-this-was/) [Rebecca Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-wells/) > [I had horrible moment at the end of a very successful day, where I realized I just felt nothing about it and I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-povenmire/i-had-horrible-moment-at-the-end-of-a-very-successful-day-where-i/) [Dan Povenmire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-povenmire/) > ['Cause I felt I didn't have anything else to prove as a musician... and boy was I wrong about that one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-allen/cause-i-felt-i-didn-t-have-anything-else-to-prove-as-a-musician-and/) [Rick Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-allen/) > [I grew up an only child, and I always felt as if I didn't fit in. In middle school, in grammar school, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanice-williams/i-grew-up-an-only-child-and-i-always-felt-as-if-i-didn-t-fit-in-in/) [Shanice Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanice-williams/) > [Only once have I taken on a role where I felt that I didn't quite understand her, but I said yes anyway. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/only-once-have-i-taken-on-a-role-where-i-felt-that-i-didn-t-quite/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [“I loved them, and would always love them. But there was no place where they could fit anymore, so I had nowhere to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-loved-them-and-would-always-love-them-but-there-was-no-place-where/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [It was only literally hours after the wedding when he felt he didn't have to keep up the facade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-goddard/it-was-only-literally-hours-after-the-wedding-when-he-felt-he-didn-t/) [Trisha Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-goddard/) ## More by Grace Paley > [The only recognizable feature of hope is action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/the-only-recognizable-feature-of-hope-is-action/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [“Near home I ran through our park, where I had aired my children on weekends and late-summer afternoons. I stopped at the northeast playground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/near-home-i-ran-through-our-park-where-i-had-aired-my-children-on/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Old age is not a good thing. It can be really hard, and those of us who have it a little easier should keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/old-age-is-not-a-good-thing-it-can-be-really-hard-and-those-of-us-who/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Well, by now you must know yourself, honey, whatever you do, life don't stop. It only sits a minute and dreams a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/well-by-now-you-must-know-yourself-honey-whatever-you-do-life-don-t/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [“Who cares?' said Judy, who didn't care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/who-cares-said-judy-who-didn-t-care/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [The women's movement was coming, but I didn't know it in 1956-1957, when I began to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/the-women-s-movement-was-coming-but-i-didn-t-know-it-in-1956-1957/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [A joke is necessary at this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/a-joke-is-necessary-at-this-time/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Sometimes, walking with a friend, I forget the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/sometimes-walking-with-a-friend-i-forget-the-world/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [It wasn't until I lived in the countryside that I began to understand the life of the countryside and the people in it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/it-wasn-t-until-i-lived-in-the-countryside-that-i-began-to-understand/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [I've started many novels, and they all ended on page seven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-ve-started-many-novels-and-they-all-ended-on-page-seven/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > […I go through a story for lies. I might discover the lie of trying to show off. Sometimes they’re lies of character. Sometimes they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-go-through-a-story-for-lies-i-might-discover-the-lie-of-trying-to/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [I didn't intend. The word "intend" is the wrong word for what I do. It's just that it's something you do, and you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-didn-t-intend-the-word-intend-is-the-wrong-word-for-what-i-do-it-s/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [“... plot, the absolute line between two points which I've always despised. Not for literary reasons, but because it takes all hope away. Everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/plot-the-absolute-line-between-two-points-which-i-ve-always-despised/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [You come to doing what you do by not being able to do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/you-come-to-doing-what-you-do-by-not-being-able-to-do-something/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [When I was about twenty-one, I published a few poems. Maybe I wrote a couple of stories before, but I really began to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/when-i-was-about-twenty-one-i-published-a-few-poems-maybe-i-wrote-a/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) [Explore all 135 Grace Paley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing poetry, which for me was then saying how I felt about this and that, didn't help me to understand the world I lived in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Grace Paley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-saying-how-i-felt-about-this-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-saying-how-i-felt-about-this-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/grace-paley-3243_about_writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-say_2874707.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/grace-paley-3243_about_writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-say_2874707.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/grace-paley-3243_about_writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-say_2874707.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing poetry, which for me was then saying how I felt about this and that, didn't help me to understand…” — Grace Paley", "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": "Grace Paley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing poetry, which for me was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-saying-how-i-felt-about-this-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/writing-poetry-which-for-me-was-then-saying-how-i-felt-about-this-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 } } ] } ```