---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes…"
description: "\"“Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around in the hedge, almost too close to the fire. He reads my mind with one glance and is gone. All..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/jay-woodman-3412_alive_hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes_1200076.jpg"
---

#  Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around…

![“Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around in the hedge, almost too close to the fire. He reads my mind with one glance and is gone. All my poetry is now trotting around the bushes inside him, maybe some day to be partly eaten or left to rot. He understands being alive for as long as…” quote by Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/jay-woodman-3412_alive_hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes_1200076.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/jay-woodman-3412_alive_hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes_1200076.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/jay-woodman-3412_alive_hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes_1200076.jpg)

> ““Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around in the hedge, almost too close to the fire. He reads my mind with one glance and is gone. All my poetry is now trotting around the bushes inside him, maybe some day to be partly eaten or left to rot. He understands being alive for as long as he can be, and does not worry about why, or what might happen afterwards.””

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

## About This Quote

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

The poet likens inspiration to a fox that briefly inhabits his mind, leaving fragments of poetry that may be consumed or forgotten.

**In simple terms:** Inspiration is fleeting and leaves traces that may be lost.

Key Takeaway

Embrace fleeting inspiration and let it shape your work.

Themes

creativity impermanence inspiration

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing sessions
- creative brainstorming
- artistic reflection

Key Concepts

metaphor ephemerality artistic process

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the fox symbolize for you?
- How can fleeting ideas be nurtured into lasting work?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may romanticize fleeting inspiration, ignoring disciplined practice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Beautiful words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-words/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fox/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rot/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/)

## Related quotes

> [“Can we be grateful for music, silence, kind words, beautiful words, art, blank canvasses, space, night, sun, rain, amazing plants, animals..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/can-we-be-grateful-for-music-silence-kind-words-beautiful-words-art/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“Baltimore is warm but pleasant... I belong here, where everything is civilized and gay and rotted and polite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/baltimore-is-warm-but-pleasant-i-belong-here-where-everything-is/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“Victory, is like a boxer that hangs his gloves, after the consecutive losses; sometimes walking away is what builds character, than the actual fight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/victory-is-like-a-boxer-that-hangs-his-gloves-after-the-consecutive/)

[Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/)

> [We're all going to eventually, even in the developed world, going to have to lose everything that we love. When you're beginning to rot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-stock/we-re-all-going-to-eventually-even-in-the-developed-world-going-to/)

[Gregory Stock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-stock/)

> [“On my fifteenth birthday, I came to realize that the expression spoiled rotten meant exactly that. We kids were the apples of our parents'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/on-my-fifteenth-birthday-i-came-to-realize-that-the-expression/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Without electricity, the air would rot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/without-electricity-the-air-would-rot/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [It is possible for great nations to rot from within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/it-is-possible-for-great-nations-to-rot-from-within/)

[Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/)

> [“Does time really exist, time the destroyer? When will it break down the castle into mere fragments? When will this heart which has always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/does-time-really-exist-time-the-destroyer-when-will-it-break-down-the/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [You have to remember that not every creature that was evolving left behind its skull or its tools for our convenience tens of thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/you-have-to-remember-that-not-every-creature-that-was-evolving-left/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“i even tried to bury myself alive but the dirt recoiled you have already rotted it said there is nothing left for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/i-even-tried-to-bury-myself-alive-but-the-dirt-recoiled-you-have/)

[Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/)

> [A miserable politics awaits us when the irreligious rot flows downstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/a-miserable-politics-awaits-us-when-the-irreligious-rot-flows/)

[Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/)

> [“She give me honey to make my voice sweet, but there never were a sweetness in me. I prefer a taste of rot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susann-cokal/she-give-me-honey-to-make-my-voice-sweet-but-there-never-were-a/)

Susann Cokal

> [My thoughts, my beliefs, my feelings are all in my brain. My brain is going to rot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-thoughts-my-beliefs-my-feelings-are-all-in-my-brain-my-brain-is/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [I think that the firepower of the Civil War, the numbers of bodies that were left to rot, the numbers of amputations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-gilpin-faust/i-think-that-the-firepower-of-the-civil-war-the-numbers-of-bodies/)

[Drew Gilpin Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-gilpin-faust/)

> [“You will rot in any place you feel you do not belong to!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-will-rot-in-any-place-you-feel-you-do-not-belong-to/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

## More by Jay Woodman

> [“I honour the clarity of the present moment, and the stillness at the centre of being (mine &amp; others), even in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/i-honour-the-clarity-of-the-present-moment-and-the-stillness-at-the/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“In every atom, there is a reflection of the whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/in-every-atom-there-is-a-reflection-of-the-whole/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“from CHAOS? Trust the imagination - lines and shapes revealed - space and light instead of blackness. Silence being tentative, tender life of universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/from-chaos-trust-the-imagination-lines-and-shapes-revealed-space-and/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“never put all the good people in one plane, ship, train …”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/never-put-all-the-good-people-in-one-plane-ship-train/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“be the calm eye of the storm where nothing phases you, focus on your centre to remain balanced, let your life flow like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/be-the-calm-eye-of-the-storm-where-nothing-phases-you-focus-on-your/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“We attract what we're meant to because we're aware &amp; self-empowered enough to choose most of the time. Other times we have lessons to learn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/we-attract-what-we-re-meant-to-because-we-re-aware-self-empowered/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“like sunlight under their skins, they want to be loved" from the poem STAY in RidingTheEscalator”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/like-sunlight-under-their-skins-they-want-to-be-loved-from-the-poem/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“Thou shalt wear trousers, but they shall fall half down to teach humility over arrogance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/thou-shalt-wear-trousers-but-they-shall-fall-half-down-to-teach/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“ART The world is full of confusion and contradiction. We cannot expect to do anything that is absolutely right. We can only measure rightness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/art-the-world-is-full-of-confusion-and-contradiction-we-cannot-expect/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“Love is stronger than both fear and hope - if you can love the natural beauty around you, the amazing gifts and skills we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/love-is-stronger-than-both-fear-and-hope-if-you-can-love-the-natural/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“The soul accepts the mystery within and all around, immersing itself in it, celebrating it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/the-soul-accepts-the-mystery-within-and-all-around-immersing-itself/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“ego promenades, flounces, pushes in unwanted places, trips, stands on others, whereas a sense of destiny grounds - you just do what you do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/ego-promenades-flounces-pushes-in-unwanted-places-trips-stands-on/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“Every moment - something beautiful happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/every-moment-something-beautiful-happens/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“All in tune with love and the slow world moving" from the poem - STAY from the book - RidingTheEscalator”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/all-in-tune-with-love-and-the-slow-world-moving-from-the-poem-stay/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“When you truly sing, you sing yourself free. When you truly dance, you dance yourself free. When you walk in the mountains or swim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/when-you-truly-sing-you-sing-yourself-free-when-you-truly-dance-you/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

[Explore all 131 Jay Woodman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

## More Alive quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

Adam Ant

> [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/)

[Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/)

[James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/)

> [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/)

[Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/)

> [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

[Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around in the hedge, almost too close to the fire. He reads my mind with one glance and is gone. All my poetry is now trotting around the bushes inside him, maybe some day to be partly eaten or left to rot. He understands being alive for as long as he can be, and does not worry about why, or what might happen afterwards.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jay Woodman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes-rooting-around-in-the-hedge/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes-rooting-around-in-the-hedge/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/jay-woodman-3412_alive_hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes_1200076.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/jay-woodman-3412_alive_hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes_1200076.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/jay-woodman-3412_alive_hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes_1200076.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around in the hedge, almost too close to the fire. He…” — Jay Woodman",
                "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": "Jay Woodman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Hungry for beautiful words, the fox...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes-rooting-around-in-the-hedge/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/hungry-for-beautiful-words-the-fox-comes-rooting-around-in-the-hedge/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
