---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mediocrity is not allowed to poets…"
description: "\"Mediocrity is not allowed to poets, either by the gods or man\" — Horace"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46d/horace-172_mediocrity_mediocrity-is-not-allowed-to-poets-eithe_536216.jpg"
---

#  Mediocrity is not allowed to poets, either by the gods or…

![“Mediocrity is not allowed to poets, either by the gods or man” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46d/horace-172_mediocrity_mediocrity-is-not-allowed-to-poets-eithe_536216.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46d/horace-172_mediocrity_mediocrity-is-not-allowed-to-poets-eithe_536216.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46d/horace-172_mediocrity_mediocrity-is-not-allowed-to-poets-eithe_536216.jpg)

> “Mediocrity is not allowed to poets, either by the gods or man”

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

## About This Quote

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

Poets must avoid mediocrity, as both divine and human expectations demand excellence.

**In simple terms:** Poets must be excellent, not mediocre.

Key Takeaway

Strive for excellence in creative work.

Themes

excellence artistic integrity expectations

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical creative

When to use this quote

- writing
- art criticism
- personal development

Key Concepts

classical literature creative standards

Questions to Reflect On

- Is perfection necessary for art?
- How to balance quality and authenticity?

A Different Perspective

High standards can stifle experimentation.

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> [I shall state my thesis plain. The first poets were gods. Poetry began with the bicameral mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-jaynes/i-shall-state-my-thesis-plain-the-first-poets-were-gods-poetry-began/)

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> [ Neither men, nor gods, nor booksellers' shelves permit ordinary poets to exist. \[Lat., Mediocribus esse poetis Non homines, non di, non concessere columnae.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/neither-men-nor-gods-nor-booksellers-shelves-permit-ordinary-poets-to/)

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> [Poerty is composition to which the soul bleeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adkruk/poerty-is-composition-to-which-the-soul-bleeds/)

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> [There were so many Pittsburgh poets in my hallway that if, at that instant, a meteorite had come smashing through my roof, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/there-were-so-many-pittsburgh-poets-in-my-hallway-that-if-at-that/)

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> [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. Those bastard existences where you sell suet all day and write poetry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-one-does-something-one-must-do-it-wholly-and-well-those-bastard/)

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> [Most of the more celebrated names among African-American authors, poets, and artists are known to the world because of their association with specific cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/most-of-the-more-celebrated-names-among-african-american-authors/)

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> [“Lyric poets are always corrupting the young, making them choke in self-pity and indulge in reverie. Dirty sex and direspect for authority is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/lyric-poets-are-always-corrupting-the-young-making-them-choke-in-self/)

[Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/)

> [ “\[poems are\] crystals deposited after the effervescent contact of the spirit with reality. (cristaux deposes apres l'effervescent contact de l'esprit avec la realite)” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-reverdy/poems-are-crystals-deposited-after-the-effervescent-contact-of-the/)

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> [One of my favorite poets, Neruda, writes close to the bone. Though I know only a little Spanish, I like to compare the Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/one-of-my-favorite-poets-neruda-writes-close-to-the-bone-though-i/)

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> [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/)

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## More by Horace

> [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/)

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> [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/)

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> [No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by drinkers of water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/no-verse-can-give-pleasure-for-long-nor-last-that-is-written-by/)

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> [Fate with impartial hand turns out the doom of high and low; her capacious urn is constantly shaking the names of all mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/fate-with-impartial-hand-turns-out-the-doom-of-high-and-low-her/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [A word, once sent abroad, flies irrevocably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/a-word-once-sent-abroad-flies-irrevocably/)

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> [ In a moment comes either death or joyful victory. \[Lat., Horae Momento cita mors venit aut victoria laeta.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/in-a-moment-comes-either-death-or-joyful-victory-lat-horae-momento/)

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## More Mediocrity quotes

> [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/)

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