--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you recite you're giving a…" description: "\"When you recite you're giving a performance, in the way that an actor or a singer performs, and some poets are not interested in doing that, maybe beca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/james-arthur-3067_actors_when-you-recite-you-re-giving-a-performa_2749200.png" --- # When you recite you're giving a performance, in the way… ![“When you recite you're giving a performance, in the way that an actor or a singer performs, and some poets are not interested in doing that, maybe because they're writing for a readership as opposed to an audience, or because they see poetry as a very private art.” quote by James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/james-arthur-3067_actors_when-you-recite-you-re-giving-a-performa_2749200.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/james-arthur-3067_actors_when-you-recite-you-re-giving-a-performa_2749200.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/james-arthur-3067_actors_when-you-recite-you-re-giving-a-performa_2749200.png) > “When you recite you're giving a performance, in the way that an actor or a singer performs, and some poets are not interested in doing that, maybe because they're writing for a readership as opposed to an audience, or because they see poetry as a very private art.” [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. Poetry can be private or performative; some poets avoid public performance. **In simple terms:** Poetry may be intimate, not for audiences. Key Takeaway Respect diverse artistic intentions. Themes art performance privacy Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - creative writing - stage readings - publishing Key Concepts aesthetics literary theory Questions to Reflect On - When is performance essential for poetry? - How does privacy shape poetic expression? A Different Perspective Audience expectations differ. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There's always been what I would call the William Carlos Williams strain, in which poems of simplicity and clarity are valued by a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/there-s-always-been-what-i-would-call-the-william-carlos-williams/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [Poets are interested mostly in death and commas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-kizer/poets-are-interested-mostly-in-death-and-commas/) [Carolyn Kizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-kizer/) > [Poets who are not interested in music are, or become, bad poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/poets-who-are-not-interested-in-music-are-or-become-bad-poets/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“Poets are interested primarily in death and commas. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-kizer/poets-are-interested-primarily-in-death-and-commas/) [Carolyn Kizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-kizer/) > [I know that in some ways I operate from a kind of antiquated interest in imagery, while many contemporary poets are not so interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/i-know-that-in-some-ways-i-operate-from-a-kind-of-antiquated-interest/) [Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/) > [“While the poets were above all interested in the fluid and fugitive aspects of Nature, others desired, by slogging away with a hatchet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/while-the-poets-were-above-all-interested-in-the-fluid-and-fugitive/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [When you're directing, you look around and you think, everything I see is my responsibility. 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