--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think there was a revolution in poetry…" description: "\"I think there was a revolution in poetry, associated chiefly with Eliot and Pound; but maybe it is of the nature of revolutions or of the nature of his..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/825/howard-nemerov-12728_history_i-think-there-was-a-revolution-in-poetry_2356051.jpg" --- # I think there was a revolution in poetry, associated… ![“I think there was a revolution in poetry, associated chiefly with Eliot and Pound; but maybe it is of the nature of revolutions or of the nature of history that their innovations should later come to look trivial or indistinguishable from technical tricks.” quote by Howard Nemerov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/825/howard-nemerov-12728_history_i-think-there-was-a-revolution-in-poetry_2356051.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/825/howard-nemerov-12728_history_i-think-there-was-a-revolution-in-poetry_2356051.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/825/howard-nemerov-12728_history_i-think-there-was-a-revolution-in-poetry_2356051.jpg) > “I think there was a revolution in poetry, associated chiefly with Eliot and Pound; but maybe it is of the nature of revolutions or of the nature of history that their innovations should later come to look trivial or indistinguishable from technical tricks.” [Howard Nemerov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-nemerov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetic breakthroughs once seemed radical but now appear as simple techniques, showing how revolutions become normalized. **In simple terms:** Revolutions become ordinary over time. Key Takeaway Value innovation before it becomes commonplace. Themes revolution poetry history innovation Mood analytical thought‑provoking Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - creative writing - education Key Concepts literary theory cultural change Questions to Reflect On - How do we preserve the significance of artistic breakthroughs? - What makes a change truly revolutionary? A Different Perspective Not all innovations become trivial; some retain distinct impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Revolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutions/) ## Related quotes > [ How many really great writers are there who are totally non-political? You can hear the French Revolution in the poetry of \[Percy Bysshe\] Shelly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/how-many-really-great-writers-are-there-who-are-totally-non-political/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [Let us not be so naive as to think that revolution is just a matter of social or economic discontent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-marcos/let-us-not-be-so-naive-as-to-think-that-revolution-is-just-a-matter/) [Ferdinand Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-marcos/) > [If I was so establishment, I don't think Our Revolution... would actually endorse me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-gomez/if-i-was-so-establishment-i-don-t-think-our-revolution-would-actually/) [Jimmy Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-gomez/) > [As the world transforms, moves closer together, jobs are displaced, and the world of work completely changes the way we live, the way we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/as-the-world-transforms-moves-closer-together-jobs-are-displaced-and/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [I think a revolution can survive without single centralized leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-think-a-revolution-can-survive-without-single-centralized-leadership/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The crisis is not in the outward technological advancement, but rather in the way we think, and the way we live, and the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/the-crisis-is-not-in-the-outward-technological-advancement-but-rather/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Think what a revolution it will be if we manage to get everyone to pay their taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romano-prodi/think-what-a-revolution-it-will-be-if-we-manage-to-get-everyone-to/) [Romano Prodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romano-prodi/) > [I think that revolution means change. 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I think revolution has to be seen more anthropologically, in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-people-look-at-revolution-too-much-in-terms-of-power-i-think/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [I think revolution happens when you distrust anything in its current state, including yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wang-jianwei/i-think-revolution-happens-when-you-distrust-anything-in-its-current/) [Wang Jianwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wang-jianwei/) ## More by Howard Nemerov > [A chronicle is very different from history proper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-nemerov/a-chronicle-is-very-different-from-history-proper/) [Howard Nemerov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-nemerov/) > [When Robert Frost was alive, I was known as the other new England poet, which is to be barely known at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-nemerov/when-robert-frost-was-alive-i-was-known-as-the-other-new-england-poet/) [Howard Nemerov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-nemerov/) > [I've never read a political poem that's accomplished anything. 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