--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be a poet did not occur to me. It was…" description: "\"To be a poet did not occur to me. It was indeed a threshold guarded by demons.\" — Harold Bloom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/harold-bloom-3350_demon_to-be-a-poet-did-not-occur-to-me-it-was_1800611.png" --- # To be a poet did not occur to me. It was indeed a… ![“To be a poet did not occur to me. It was indeed a threshold guarded by demons.” quote by Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/harold-bloom-3350_demon_to-be-a-poet-did-not-occur-to-me-it-was_1800611.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/harold-bloom-3350_demon_to-be-a-poet-did-not-occur-to-me-it-was_1800611.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/harold-bloom-3350_demon_to-be-a-poet-did-not-occur-to-me-it-was_1800611.png) > “To be a poet did not occur to me. It was indeed a threshold guarded by demons.” [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry feels inaccessible, guarded by self‑doubt and cultural barriers. **In simple terms:** Poetry seems daunting. Key Takeaway Approach poetry with openness. Themes poetry self-doubt accessibility Mood introspective encouraging Type literary motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - reading groups - personal reflection Key Concepts creative fear literary canon Questions to Reflect On - What barriers keep you from writing poetry? - How can you demystify poetic expression? A Different Perspective Some may find poetry irrelevant; fear can persist despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demon/) [Demons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demons/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [“It was guarded by a few demons, but most of Set's forces were running towards our boat, screaming and throwing rocks (which tended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/it-was-guarded-by-a-few-demons-but-most-of-set-s-forces-were-running/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Through the ingenuousness of her age beamed an ardent mind, a mind not of the women but of the poet; she did not please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/through-the-ingenuousness-of-her-age-beamed-an-ardent-mind-a-mind-not/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [I have never yet known a poet who did not think himself super-excellent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/i-have-never-yet-known-a-poet-who-did-not-think-himself-super/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“And the greatest of the poets, when he defined the poet, did not say that he gave us the universe or the absolute or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/and-the-greatest-of-the-poets-when-he-defined-the-poet-did-not-say/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“What is it you Frenchies say? Tou-che? You see, I'm a bit of a poet and you did not know it, what?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-scarlet-pimpernel/what-is-it-you-frenchies-say-tou-che-you-see-i-m-a-bit-of-a-poet-and/) The Scarlet Pimpernel > [Judge: And what is your occupation in general? Brodsky: Poet, poet-translator. Judge: And who recognized you to be a poet? Who put you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/judge-and-what-is-your-occupation-in-general-brodsky-poet-poet/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Sure.” Olivia smirked. “Good ol’ New York Public Library. I’m sure it’s up to date on the latest Demons that escape through well-guarded Demon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-mccray/sure-olivia-smirked-good-ol-new-york-public-library-i-m-sure-it-s-up/) [Cheyenne McCray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-mccray/) > [“When your worst demon is yourself, no one can use it against you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emory-r-frie/when-your-worst-demon-is-yourself-no-one-can-use-it-against-you/) [Emory R. Frie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emory-r-frie/) > [Sometimes I feel like I'm possessed with a multitude of demons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/sometimes-i-feel-like-i-m-possessed-with-a-multitude-of-demons/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [“just think you can’t let your demons ruin your day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryony-gordon/just-think-you-can-t-let-your-demons-ruin-your-day/) [Bryony Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryony-gordon/) > [The demons were scary, but girls - Well, girls are really terrifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/the-demons-were-scary-but-girls-well-girls-are-really-terrifying/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [You face your demons doing Bikram. You challenge them, beat them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie/you-face-your-demons-doing-bikram-you-challenge-them-beat-them/) [Goldie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie/) > [During rehearsals I am confronted by things very mysterious. I have terrific fights with inner demons, and it's more painful than it ever was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-moreau/during-rehearsals-i-am-confronted-by-things-very-mysterious-i-have/) [Jeanne Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-moreau/) > [“Certain things are expected of you when you’re a demon. Take the grotesque bodies, for example. Powerful, lethal, but definitely not beauty pageant material.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-blake/certain-things-are-expected-of-you-when-you-re-a-demon-take-the/) Samantha Blake > [“We all have our demons, I just happen to exorcise mine by writing them out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-marie-johnson/we-all-have-our-demons-i-just-happen-to-exorcise-mine-by-writing-them/) [Sai Marie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-marie-johnson/) ## More by Harold Bloom > [I realized early on that the academy and the literary world alike - and I don't think there really is a distinction between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/i-realized-early-on-that-the-academy-and-the-literary-world-alike-and/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [I would say that there is no future for literary studies as such in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/i-would-say-that-there-is-no-future-for-literary-studies-as-such-in/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“Brecht was a cynical bohemian bogey of the middle classes, but also much more than a mere provocateur. He developed and dramatized his political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/brecht-was-a-cynical-bohemian-bogey-of-the-middle-classes-but-also/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [The morality of scholarship, as currently practiced, is to encourage everyone to replace difficult pleasures by pleasures universally accessible precisely because they are easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/the-morality-of-scholarship-as-currently-practiced-is-to-encourage/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Dark influences from the American past congregate among us still. If we are a democracy, what are we to make of the palpable elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/dark-influences-from-the-american-past-congregate-among-us-still-if/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“We read frequently if unknowingly, in quest of a mind more original than our own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/we-read-frequently-if-unknowingly-in-quest-of-a-mind-more-original/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“You can read merely to pass the time, or you can read with an overt urgency, but eventually you will read against the clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/you-can-read-merely-to-pass-the-time-or-you-can-read-with-an-overt/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [In the finest critics one hears the full cry of the human. They tell one why it matters to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/in-the-finest-critics-one-hears-the-full-cry-of-the-human-they-tell/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [The idea of Herman Melville in a writing class is always distressing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/the-idea-of-herman-melville-in-a-writing-class-is-always-distressing/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [If I were to sum up the negative reactions to my work, I think there are two primary causes: one is that if there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/if-i-were-to-sum-up-the-negative-reactions-to-my-work-i-think-there/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Aesthetic value emanates from the struggle between texts: in the reader, in language, in the classroom, in arguments within a society. Aesthetic value rises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/aesthetic-value-emanates-from-the-struggle-between-texts-in-the/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Shakespeare will not make us better, and he will not make us worse, but he may teach us how to overhear ourselves when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/shakespeare-will-not-make-us-better-and-he-will-not-make-us-worse-but/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Criticism starts - it has to start - with a real passion for reading. It can come in adolescence, even in your twenties, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/criticism-starts-it-has-to-start-with-a-real-passion-for-reading-it/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“No one has yet managed to be post-Shakespearean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/no-one-has-yet-managed-to-be-post-shakespearean/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [What is supposed to be the very essence of Judaism - which is the notion that it is by study that you make yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/what-is-supposed-to-be-the-very-essence-of-judaism-which-is-the/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) [Explore all 127 Harold Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) ## More Demon quotes > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [I believe that on any trip to heaven, there are always detours through hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-finney/i-believe-that-on-any-trip-to-heaven-there-are-always-detours-through/) [Richard Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-finney/) > [I wonder what disgusts you more, the fact that I’m a demon, or the fact that when I touch you, it doesn’t matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-ione/i-wonder-what-disgusts-you-more-the-fact-that-i-m-a-demon-or-the-fact/) [Larissa Ione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larissa-ione/) > [“The demon stopped its frantic attempts to escape. It stared at the glitter and began to pant, fingers twitching in anticipation. More twitching. Faster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-oliver/the-demon-stopped-its-frantic-attempts-to-escape-it-stared-at-the/) [Jana Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-oliver/) > [“He curled his claw into a fist. "I'd like to shove a stake up that bastard's ass." Adam's lip curled. "Remind me not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaye-wells/he-curled-his-claw-into-a-fist-i-d-like-to-shove-a-stake-up-that/) [Jaye Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaye-wells/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I’m getting all warm and fuzzy inside at the prospect of these demon things roaming the street, preying on us. (Tate)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-getting-all-warm-and-fuzzy-inside-at-the-prospect-of-these-demon/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [For many people it's Facebook, or sports on TV, whatever it is. I have my own demons that I battle. But whatever they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-many-people-it-s-facebook-or-sports-on-tv-whatever-it-is-i-have/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [In an attempt to hinder, if not altogether halt, the next move of God, Satan has sent forth an army of faultfinding demons against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-frangipane/in-an-attempt-to-hinder-if-not-altogether-halt-the-next-move-of-god/) [Francis Frangipane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-frangipane/) > [Having an eating disorder doesn't show ‘strength.’ Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/having-an-eating-disorder-doesn-t-show-strength-strength-is-when-are/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. 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Theresa Meyers is an entertaining and witty writer with a fresh, new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-galenorn/a-rollicking-good-read-the-hunter-is-steampunk-with-a-wild-west-feel/) [Yasmine Galenorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-galenorn/) [Browse all 1,462 Demon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be a poet did not occur to me. 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