--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started reciting my own poems in…" description: "\"When I started reciting my own poems in public, I worried that it would seem too theatrical, but now I find recitation very natural, because it allows ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/james-arthur-3067_addresses_when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in_2400558.jpg" --- # When I started reciting my own poems in public, I worried… ![“When I started reciting my own poems in public, I worried that it would seem too theatrical, but now I find recitation very natural, because it allows me to address audiences directly.” quote by James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/james-arthur-3067_addresses_when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in_2400558.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/james-arthur-3067_addresses_when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in_2400558.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/james-arthur-3067_addresses_when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in_2400558.jpg) > “When I started reciting my own poems in public, I worried that it would seem too theatrical, but now I find recitation very natural, because it allows me to address audiences directly.” [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public recitation transforms poetry from performance to genuine communication, making it feel natural. **In simple terms:** Reciting poetry feels natural when it connects directly with listeners. Key Takeaway Embrace direct audience engagement. Themes art performance communication Mood inspired confident Type performative educational When to use this quote - poetry readings - public speaking - workshops - literary events Key Concepts Poetry recitation authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How does direct address change perception? - What makes recitation feel natural? A Different Perspective Risk of sounding rehearsed if not authentic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addresses/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audiences Directly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audiences-directly-6011030/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Recitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recitation/) [Recitation Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recitation-natural-6011029/) [Reciting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reciting/) [Reciting Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reciting-poems-3653096/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Started Reciting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-reciting-6011031/) [Theatrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatrical/) [Theatrical Recitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatrical-recitation-6011028/) [Worried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried/) ## Related quotes > [Writing wasn't just a form of expression. It was a form of pathology by embarking on spoken word over and over and over again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/writing-wasn-t-just-a-form-of-expression-it-was-a-form-of-pathology/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [There is a time for reciting poems and a time for fists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/there-is-a-time-for-reciting-poems-and-a-time-for-fists/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“There's a time for reciting poems and a time for fists. As far as I was concerned, this was the latter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bolano-natasha-wimmer/there-s-a-time-for-reciting-poems-and-a-time-for-fists-as-far-as-i/) [Roberto Bolano ( ) Natasha Wimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bolano-natasha-wimmer/) > [Comedy is grievances. It's a recitation of grievances - whether they're inconsequential, superficial - like "my wife shops too much", or "kids today", all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/comedy-is-grievances-it-s-a-recitation-of-grievances-whether-they-re/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“No matter how you are taught by your teacher about how to recite a poem, it is impossible to wear your teacher's smiling face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/no-matter-how-you-are-taught-by-your-teacher-about-how-to-recite-a/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The function of Theology? The recitation of the incomprehensible by the unspeakable to pick the pockets of the unthinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-function-of-theology-the-recitation-of-the-incomprehensible-by/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [There is no surer means of calling down God's blessing upon the family than the daily recitation of the Rosary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xii/there-is-no-surer-means-of-calling-down-god-s-blessing-upon-the/) [Pope Pius XII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xii/) > [Ageing destroys youth, sickness destroys health, degeneration of life destroys all excellent qualities and death destroys life. Even if you are a great runner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/ageing-destroys-youth-sickness-destroys-health-degeneration-of-life/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Have you not often met poor old women who are most faithful to the pious recitation of the Rosary? You also must do all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/columba-marmion/have-you-not-often-met-poor-old-women-who-are-most-faithful-to-the/) [Columba Marmion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/columba-marmion/) > [I've translated two of Bae's novels, A Greater Music and Recitation, which are coming from Open Letter and Deep Vellum in October and January…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-smith/i-ve-translated-two-of-bae-s-novels-a-greater-music-and-recitation/) [Deborah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-smith/) > [Palestinian society is filled with poetry, but not experimental poetry. The Palestinian poetry that people know is not the modernist experimentations, it's certain kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/palestinian-society-is-filled-with-poetry-but-not-experimental-poetry/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [With this recitation of paraphernalia and detritus, O'Brien manages to encapsulate the experience of an army and of a particular war, of a mined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/with-this-recitation-of-paraphernalia-and-detritus-o-brien-manages-to/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [But the gravest difficulty, and perhaps the most important, in poetry meant solely for recitation, is the difficulty of achieving verbal beauty, or rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/but-the-gravest-difficulty-and-perhaps-the-most-important-in-poetry/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [The status quo was rote memorization and recitation in classrooms thronged with passive children who were sternly disciplined when they expressed individual needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/the-status-quo-was-rote-memorization-and-recitation-in-classrooms/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [We are shut up in school and college recitation rooms for ten to fifteen years, and come out at last with a bellyful of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-are-shut-up-in-school-and-college-recitation-rooms-for-ten-to/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by James Arthur > [Me and my mum didn't see eye-to-eye for a lot of years, and I've never really felt connected with my dad, because he wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/me-and-my-mum-didn-t-see-eye-to-eye-for-a-lot-of-years-and-i-ve-never/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I'm a mix; I'm sure some of my Canadian friends find me very American, both in person and on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-m-a-mix-i-m-sure-some-of-my-canadian-friends-find-me-very-american/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I often write from memory by walking around and talking to myself. Even when I'm working at a computer I write out loud, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-often-write-from-memory-by-walking-around-and-talking-to-myself/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I'd like to think that maybe the average person is rational, and they realise that I'm not this crazy monster that, at times, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-d-like-to-think-that-maybe-the-average-person-is-rational-and-they/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I had nothing and lived in the most insignificant place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-had-nothing-and-lived-in-the-most-insignificant-place/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [It can feel like your whole world is caving in on you, and if you don't speak about it, it gets worse. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/it-can-feel-like-your-whole-world-is-caving-in-on-you-and-if-you-don/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [If art doesn't require an audience, can an intimate conversation be a work of art? Can a thought be a work of art? Maybe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/if-art-doesn-t-require-an-audience-can-an-intimate-conversation-be-a/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [And treating poetry as a performing art emphasizes its ephemerality. A printed poem can be endlessly reprinted, photocopied, scanned, uploaded, cut and pasted -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/and-treating-poetry-as-a-performing-art-emphasizes-its-ephemerality-a/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I want each poem to be ambiguous enough that its meaning can shift, depending on the reader's own frame of reference, and depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-want-each-poem-to-be-ambiguous-enough-that-its-meaning-can-shift/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [Memorizing the work of others definitely made me a better writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/memorizing-the-work-of-others-definitely-made-me-a-better-writer/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [People were telling me it was refreshing I was real because previous 'X Factor' winners were too afraid to say anything. I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/people-were-telling-me-it-was-refreshing-i-was-real-because-previous/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [Everyone wrote me off, including me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/everyone-wrote-me-off-including-me/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I believe strongly in what John Keats called negative capability: the trait or practice that allows a poet to remain in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-believe-strongly-in-what-john-keats-called-negative-capability-the/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [When I had my first panic attack, I believed that it was a heart attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/when-i-had-my-first-panic-attack-i-believed-that-it-was-a-heart-attack/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [As a species, we create tools to control our environment. What excites my imagination is wilderness: our materials' ability to escape our control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/as-a-species-we-create-tools-to-control-our-environment-what-excites/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) [Explore all 141 James Arthur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) ## More Addresses quotes > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-pleasures-and-the-cares-of-the-luckiest-ambition-even-of/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [You will find a spring by the dwelling of the dead, to the left. Next to it stands a white cypress. Do not approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/you-will-find-a-spring-by-the-dwelling-of-the-dead-to-the-left-next/) [Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/) > [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/) [L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/) > [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. We will NEVER sell, rent, loan, or abuse your email address in ANY way. Writing has been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/each-email-contains-an-unsubscribe-link-we-will-never-sell-rent-loan/) [Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/senator-obama-will-be-taking-office-at-a-critical-juncture-there-are/) [Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/) [Browse all 1,100 Addresses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addresses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I started reciting my own poems in public, I worried that it would seem too theatrical, but now I find recitation very natural, because it allows me to address audiences directly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Arthur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in-public-i-worried-that-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addresses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in-public-i-worried-that-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/james-arthur-3067_addresses_when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in_2400558.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/james-arthur-3067_addresses_when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in_2400558.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/james-arthur-3067_addresses_when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in_2400558.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started reciting my own poems in public, I worried that it would seem too theatrical, but now I find…” — James Arthur", "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": "James Arthur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I started reciting my own...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in-public-i-worried-that-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/when-i-started-reciting-my-own-poems-in-public-i-worried-that-it/#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 } } ] } ```