--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul." description: "\"Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul.\" — Henrik Ibsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/henrik-ibsen-1419_judgment_poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul_1479176.jpg" --- # Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul. ![“Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul.” quote by Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/henrik-ibsen-1419_judgment_poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul_1479176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/henrik-ibsen-1419_judgment_poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul_1479176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/henrik-ibsen-1419_judgment_poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul_1479176.jpg) > “Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul.” [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art reveals inner truth, allowing self‑assessment beyond external judgment. **In simple terms:** Poetry shows your inner self. Key Takeaway Use poetry to explore your feelings. Themes self‑reflection creativity inner truth Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - journal writing - creative workshops - therapy sessions Key Concepts aesthetics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does poetry change your view of yourself? - What emotions surface when you read your own verses? A Different Perspective Poetry may be misinterpreted, leading to self‑criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hold Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-judgment-4781836/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Judgment Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment-soul-5387746/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-hold-5387747/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Your soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-soul/) ## Related quotes > [Stay free of petty jealousies, live by no man's code, and hold your judgment for yourself, lest you wind up on this road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/stay-free-of-petty-jealousies-live-by-no-man-s-code-and-hold-your/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“ Please . Do me this one, great favor, Jones. If ever you hear anyone, when you are back home...if ever you hear anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/please-do-me-this-one-great-favor-jones-if-ever-you-hear-anyone-when/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [My feeling is, personally, I want to die first... because I believe that when you die, your soul goes immediately up for judgment -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/my-feeling-is-personally-i-want-to-die-first-because-i-believe-that/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their school, is briefly this: their poetry is conceived and composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-difference-between-genuine-poetry-and-the-poetry-of-dryden-pope/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [I think clarity is the real risk in poetry because you are exposed. You're out in the open field. You're actually saying things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-think-clarity-is-the-real-risk-in-poetry-because-you-are-exposed/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Poetry is one of the original arts, and it began, as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-one-of-the-original-arts-and-it-began-as-did-all-the-fine/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Prose is when all the lines except the last go on to the end. Poetry is when some of them fall short of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/prose-is-when-all-the-lines-except-the-last-go-on-to-the-end-poetry/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [The reason modern poetry is difficult is so that the poet's wife cannot understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/the-reason-modern-poetry-is-difficult-is-so-that-the-poet-s-wife/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [Many people become bankrupt through having invested too heavily in the prose of life. To have ruined one's self over poetry is an honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/many-people-become-bankrupt-through-having-invested-too-heavily-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Poetry is the memory of language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roubaud/poetry-is-the-memory-of-language/) [Jacques Roubaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roubaud/) > [Poetry is the dark side of the moon,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wright/poetry-is-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/) [Charles Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wright/) > [As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-with-the-thought-that-if-life/) [Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/) > [All poetry is misrepresentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/all-poetry-is-misrepresentation/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [What I search for continuously in my art is adequate language, language I hope can stand beyond any particular occasion. What I'm finding is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/what-i-search-for-continuously-in-my-art-is-adequate-language/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## More by Henrik Ibsen > [The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-majority-is-never-right-never-i-tell-you-that-s-one-of-these-lies/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [What's to become of the morally sound? Left out in the cold, I suppose. We must heal the sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/what-s-to-become-of-the-morally-sound-left-out-in-the-cold-i-suppose/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [When we dead awaken ... we see that we have never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/when-we-dead-awaken-we-see-that-we-have-never-lived/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“To be oneself on a basis of gold is no better than founding one’s house on the sand. For your watch, and your ring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/to-be-oneself-on-a-basis-of-gold-is-no-better-than-founding-one-s/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Look into any man's heart you please, and you will always find, in every one, at least one black spot which he has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/look-into-any-man-s-heart-you-please-and-you-will-always-find-in/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Different people have different duties assigned them by Nature; Nature has given one the power or the desire to do this, the other that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/different-people-have-different-duties-assigned-them-by-nature-nature/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [There is always a risk in being alive, and if you are more alive, there is more risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/there-is-always-a-risk-in-being-alive-and-if-you-are-more-alive-there/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [It is not for a care-free existence I am fighting, but for the possibility of devoting myself to the task which I believe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/it-is-not-for-a-care-free-existence-i-am-fighting-but-for-the/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“Nora: It's true Torvald. When I lived at home with Papa, he used to tell me his opinion about everything, and so I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/nora-it-s-true-torvald-when-i-lived-at-home-with-papa-he-used-to-tell/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Each bird must sing with his own throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/each-bird-must-sing-with-his-own-throat/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [I propose to raise a revolution against the lie that the majority has the monopoly of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/i-propose-to-raise-a-revolution-against-the-lie-that-the-majority-has/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [But I almost think we are all of us ghosts. It is not only what we have inherited from our father and mother that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/but-i-almost-think-we-are-all-of-us-ghosts-it-is-not-only-what-we/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“A thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does a single deed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/a-thousand-words-leave-not-the-same-deep-impression-as-does-a-single/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/home-life-ceases-to-be-free-and-beautiful-as-soon-as-it-is-founded-on/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“You see, the fact is that the strongest man upon earth is he who stands most alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/you-see-the-fact-is-that-the-strongest-man-upon-earth-is-he-who/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) [Explore all 229 Henrik Ibsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) ## More Judgment quotes > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) [Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/) > [Pain results from a judgment you have made about a thing. Remove the judgment and the pain disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/pain-results-from-a-judgment-you-have-made-about-a-thing-remove-the/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [“The absence of judgment becomes a catalyst and an enabler for greater injustice. Contrary to popular thought, judgment is a GOOD thing when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-chace-gordon/the-absence-of-judgment-becomes-a-catalyst-and-an-enabler-for-greater/) [J. Chace Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-chace-gordon/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Dont judge me by my hair, my skin colour, my body size, or my outer beauty. Because if you do, you might miss who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-judge-me-by-my-hair-my-skin-colour-my-body-size-or-my-outer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“Do not judge, so that you won't be judged. 2 For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-judge-so-that-you-won-t-be-judged-2-for-with-the-judgment-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It isn't bad judgment to make a man believe he is something. He is by nature inclined to it, and a little encouragement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-langley-bosher/it-isn-t-bad-judgment-to-make-a-man-believe-he-is-something-he-is-by/) [Kate Langley Bosher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-langley-bosher/) > [A hard heart makes for hard judgments; a compassionate heart understands the humanity of the one we presume to judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/a-hard-heart-makes-for-hard-judgments-a-compassionate-heart/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Love's mind of judgment rarely hath a taste: Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-mind-of-judgment-rarely-hath-a-taste-wings-and-no-eyes-figure/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) > [More exposure leads to more judgment and negativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camila-morrone/more-exposure-leads-to-more-judgment-and-negativity/) [Camila Morrone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camila-morrone/) > [Laugh at every mistakes and realize that no one is perfect. We are human. All of us are imperfect, so there's no point judging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laugh-at-every-mistakes-and-realize-that-no-one-is-perfect-we-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Nobody wants to see someone's life ruined over a small-time lapse in judgment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-baker/nobody-wants-to-see-someone-s-life-ruined-over-a-small-time-lapse-in/) [Charlie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-baker/) [Browse all 3,488 Judgment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henrik Ibsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Judgment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/henrik-ibsen-1419_judgment_poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul_1479176.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/henrik-ibsen-1419_judgment_poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul_1479176.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/henrik-ibsen-1419_judgment_poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul_1479176.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul.” — Henrik Ibsen", "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": "Henrik Ibsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Poetry is to hold judgment on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/poetry-is-to-hold-judgment-on-your-soul/#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 } } ] } ```