--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, you might think that because there…" description: "\"“Now, you might think that because there are more poets than ever, there might be more opportunities for poets than ever. And you’d be correct. If your..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/jim-behrle-102642_art_now-you-might-think-that-because-there-a_2361467.jpg" --- # Now, you might think that because there are more poets… ![“Now, you might think that because there are more poets than ever, there might be more opportunities for poets than ever. And you’d be correct. If your fondest wish is to become the next totally obscure minor poet on the block, well, you’re probably already successful at that. This literary…” quote by Jim Behrle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/jim-behrle-102642_art_now-you-might-think-that-because-there-a_2361467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/jim-behrle-102642_art_now-you-might-think-that-because-there-a_2361467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/jim-behrle-102642_art_now-you-might-think-that-because-there-a_2361467.jpg) > ““Now, you might think that because there are more poets than ever, there might be more opportunities for poets than ever. And you’d be correct. If your fondest wish is to become the next totally obscure minor poet on the block, well, you’re probably already successful at that. This literary landscape has proven itself infinitely capable of absorbing countless interchangeable artists, all doing roughly the same thing in relative anonymity: just happily plucking away until death at the grindstone, making no great cultural headway, bouncing poems off their friends and an audience of about 40 people. A totally fine little life for an artist, to be sure. No grand expectations from the world to sit up and listen. One can live out one’s days quite satisfied to create something enjoyed by a genial cult. But that’s not why any of us are here tonight. We’re here to conquer American Poetry and suck it dry of all glory and juice.”” [Jim Behrle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-behrle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry may be abundant but often unnoticed; true ambition is to achieve lasting cultural impact. **In simple terms:** Poets aim beyond anonymity to cultural relevance. Key Takeaway Seek lasting artistic influence. Themes art poetry ambition Mood reflective inspirational Type manifesto advice When to use this quote - publishing - performance - community building Key Concepts cultural impact visibility Questions to Reflect On - What defines poetic success for you? - How can poets reach broader audiences? A Different Perspective May ignore personal fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Little Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-life/) [Minor Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minor-poet-3284383/) [Opportunities Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunities-poets-5783451/) [Po-biz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/po-biz-145687/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [Poets Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets-opportunities-5783450/) [Think Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-poets-359890/) ## Related quotes > [“Suicide is career gold for the poet. Sadly, the poet isn’t around to reap any benefits from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-behrle/suicide-is-career-gold-for-the-poet-sadly-the-poet-isn-t-around-to/) [Jim Behrle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-behrle/) > [Like the minor poet who knows the meanness of his gift, I am doomed to a lifetime of frustration: to be able to comprehend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bear/like-the-minor-poet-who-knows-the-meanness-of-his-gift-i-am-doomed-to/) [Elizabeth Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bear/) > [I alwaysthought of myself as a competent, minor poet. I know who I'm up against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-alwaysthought-of-myself-as-a-competent-minor-poet-i-know-who-i-m-up/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Each of us has a very rich nature and can look at things objectively, from a distance, and at the same time can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wislawa-szymborska/each-of-us-has-a-very-rich-nature-and-can-look-at-things-objectively/) [Wislawa Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wislawa-szymborska/) > [I feel the most natural thing is for music to come that way because it's sort of like poetry. Though I do think with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-feel-the-most-natural-thing-is-for-music-to-come-that-way-because/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I still have a feeling that I haven't written the best that I can write. 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Which is funny and also sort of invigorating,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-limon/i-think-as-poets-we-are-in-the-odd-position-of-constantly-defending/) [Ada Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-limon/) > [I think poets are supposed to be writing for television and film. I grew up in the day of early TV that was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-think-poets-are-supposed-to-be-writing-for-television-and-film-i/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [“I think poets are people who are like this; for whatever reason you feel psychological exile because you’re always an outsider...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/i-think-poets-are-people-who-are-like-this-for-whatever-reason-you/) [Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/) > [I used to think all poets were Byronic Mad, bad and dangerous to know. And then I met a few. See Lamb 486:25.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-used-to-think-all-poets-were-byronic-mad-bad-and-dangerous-to-know/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [“Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/considering-the-ways-in-which-so-many-of-us-waste-our-time-what-would/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) ## More by Jim Behrle > [“Suicide is career gold for the poet. Sadly, the poet isn’t around to reap any benefits from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-behrle/suicide-is-career-gold-for-the-poet-sadly-the-poet-isn-t-around-to/) [Jim Behrle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-behrle/) [Explore all 2 Jim Behrle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-behrle/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Now, you might think that because there are more poets than ever, there might be more opportunities for poets than ever. 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