--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The secret of poetry is cruelty." description: "\"The secret of poetry is cruelty.\" — Jon Anderson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/jon-anderson-14205_cruelty_the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty-710203_710203.png" --- # The secret of poetry is cruelty. ![“The secret of poetry is cruelty.” quote by Jon Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/jon-anderson-14205_cruelty_the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty-710203_710203.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/jon-anderson-14205_cruelty_the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty-710203_710203.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/jon-anderson-14205_cruelty_the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty-710203_710203.png) > “The secret of poetry is cruelty.” [Jon Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry often reveals harsh truths, using cruelty to expose reality. **In simple terms:** Poetry can be harsh to show truth. Key Takeaway Embrace honesty, even when painful. Themes art poetry truth cruelty Mood reflective provocative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing poetry - reading deeply - teaching literature - discussing ethics Key Concepts literary criticism emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - Why is cruelty effective in art? - Can poetry be both kind and truthful? A Different Perspective Cruelty can alienate audiences seeking comfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [The secret of poetry is never explained,— is always new. 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That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“in every pleasure, cruelty has its place...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/in-every-pleasure-cruelty-has-its-place/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Old people deserves a medal, a medal of existence which crowns their long-term victory against the cruelty of time and the dangers of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/old-people-deserves-a-medal-a-medal-of-existence-which-crowns-their/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Browse all 1,675 Cruelty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The secret of poetry is cruelty.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Anderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruelty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/jon-anderson-14205_cruelty_the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty-710203_710203.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/jon-anderson-14205_cruelty_the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty-710203_710203.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/jon-anderson-14205_cruelty_the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty-710203_710203.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The secret of poetry is cruelty.” — Jon Anderson", "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": "Jon Anderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-anderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The secret of poetry is cruelty.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/the-secret-of-poetry-is-cruelty/#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 } } ] } ```