--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hardly know what I'm going to write…" description: "\"I hardly know what I'm going to write - an article, a story, a poem in free verse - or in some regular form. I only know that when I have the first sen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/jorge-luis-borges-275_articles_i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an_2652830.jpg" --- # I hardly know what I'm going to write - an article, a… ![“I hardly know what I'm going to write - an article, a story, a poem in free verse - or in some regular form. I only know that when I have the first sentence. And when the first sentence makes a kind of pattern, then I find out the kind of rhythm I'm looking for.” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/jorge-luis-borges-275_articles_i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an_2652830.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/jorge-luis-borges-275_articles_i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an_2652830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/jorge-luis-borges-275_articles_i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an_2652830.jpg) > “I hardly know what I'm going to write - an article, a story, a poem in free verse - or in some regular form. I only know that when I have the first sentence. And when the first sentence makes a kind of pattern, then I find out the kind of rhythm I'm looking for.” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing often begins with a compelling opening line that sets a pattern, guiding the work’s rhythm and form. **In simple terms:** The first sentence determines the piece’s flow. Key Takeaway Start with a strong opening to discover your rhythm. Themes writing creativity process structure Mood thoughtful inspirational Type creative reflective When to use this quote - novel writing - poetry - screenwriting - journaling Key Concepts pattern recognition rhythm formulation Questions to Reflect On - What does your first sentence reveal? - How does pattern influence your writing? A Different Perspective A weak opening can stall the creative process. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Articles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articles/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Free verse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-verse/) [Going Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-write/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-poem-237730/) [Verses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verses/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Article](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-article-1061451/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [I switch between fixed forms and free verse often, and enjoy being a poet who can "swing both ways," so to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-switch-between-fixed-forms-and-free-verse-often-and-enjoy-being-a/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) > [I like poetry because poetry - even in free verse - is formal, and it has to be very concise and packed and rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/i-like-poetry-because-poetry-even-in-free-verse-is-formal-and-it-has/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [The poet who writes "free" verse is like Robinson Crusoe on his desert island: he must do all his cooking, laundry and darning for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-poet-who-writes-free-verse-is-like-robinson-crusoe-on-his-desert/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [My own verse is usually free verse. The freer the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/my-own-verse-is-usually-free-verse-the-freer-the-better/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [I recently bought a book of free verse. For twelve dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-recently-bought-a-book-of-free-verse-for-twelve-dollars/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [The form of free verse is as binding and as liberating as the form of a rondeau.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/the-form-of-free-verse-is-as-binding-and-as-liberating-as-the-form-of/) [Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/) > [I started wanting desperately to say something, to make a point, to be heard - and I still feel that way. Free verse served…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-started-wanting-desperately-to-say-something-to-make-a-point-to-be/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [If a poem is not memorable, there's probably something wrong. One of the problems of free verse is that much of the free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/if-a-poem-is-not-memorable-there-s-probably-something-wrong-one-of/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [Free verse'? You may as well call sleeping in a ditch 'free architecture'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/free-verse-you-may-as-well-call-sleeping-in-a-ditch-free-architecture/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Modernism in other arts brought extreme difficulty. In poetry, the characteristic difficulty imported under the name of modernism was obscurity. But obscurity could just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/modernism-in-other-arts-brought-extreme-difficulty-in-poetry-the/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Free verse is chained in sentence-to-sentence links and breaks free in line breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/free-verse-is-chained-in-sentence-to-sentence-links-and-breaks-free/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Teenagers are free verse walking around on two legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/teenagers-are-free-verse-walking-around-on-two-legs/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Take a step, breathe in the world, give it out again in story, poem, song, art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-yolen/take-a-step-breathe-in-the-world-give-it-out-again-in-story-poem-song/) [Jane Yolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-yolen/) > [“In a sense, every story or poem is a vacation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/in-a-sense-every-story-or-poem-is-a-vacation/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) ## More by Jorge Luis Borges > [“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/no-hables-a-menos-que-puedas-mejorar-el-silencio/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [How can we manage to illuminate the pathos of our lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/how-can-we-manage-to-illuminate-the-pathos-of-our-lives/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Loneliness does not worry me; life is difficult enough, putting up with yourself and with your own habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/loneliness-does-not-worry-me-life-is-difficult-enough-putting-up-with/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The fact is that all writers create their precursors. Their work modifies our conception of the past, just as it is bound to modify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-fact-is-that-all-writers-create-their-precursors-their-work/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I don't think we're capable of knowledge, but I like to keep an open mind. So if you ask me whether I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-don-t-think-we-re-capable-of-knowledge-but-i-like-to-keep-an-open/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The web of time - the strands of which approach one another, bifurcate, intersect, or ignore each other through the centuries - embraces "every"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-web-of-time-the-strands-of-which-approach-one-another-bifurcate/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“My memory, sir, is like a garbage disposal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/my-memory-sir-is-like-a-garbage-disposal/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [When I write, I do it urged by an intimate necessity. I don't have in mind an exclusive public, or a public of multitudes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/when-i-write-i-do-it-urged-by-an-intimate-necessity-i-don-t-have-in/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-mind-was-dreaming-the-world-was-its-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I foresee that man will resign himself each day to new abominations, and soon that only bandits and soldiers will be left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-foresee-that-man-will-resign-himself-each-day-to-new-abominations/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“If I could live again - I will travel light, If I could live again - I'll try to work bare feet at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/if-i-could-live-again-i-will-travel-light-if-i-could-live-again-i-ll/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Every man should be capable of all ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/every-man-should-be-capable-of-all-ideas/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Writing is only a guided dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/writing-is-only-a-guided-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) [Explore all 558 Jorge Luis Borges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## More Articles quotes > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The strange thing with Wikipedia is that the first article that ever gets written about you will define your Wikipedia page forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/the-strange-thing-with-wikipedia-is-that-the-first-article-that-ever/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Authors of published papers and editors of scientific journals can, unfortunately, be slow to come to terms with criticism, and it's good that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-gelman/authors-of-published-papers-and-editors-of-scientific-journals-can/) [Andrew Gelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-gelman/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Over immense periods of time the intellect produced nothing but errors. A few of these proved to be useful and helped to preserve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/over-immense-periods-of-time-the-intellect-produced-nothing-but/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I used to be a columnist for 'Golf Monthly' and have contributed articles for national newspapers based on the humour that is in abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-carrott/i-used-to-be-a-columnist-for-golf-monthly-and-have-contributed/) [Jasper Carrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-carrott/) > [There was an interesting article in Los Angeles Magazine about women directors. A woman director makes one bad independent film and her career is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-wolf/there-was-an-interesting-article-in-los-angeles-magazine-about-women/) [Dick Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-wolf/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize,... The people are confirmed by the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tench-coxe/as-civil-rulers-not-having-their-duty-to-the-people-duly-before-them/) [Tench Coxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tench-coxe/) > [An article on playwrights in the Daily Mail , listed according to Hard Left, Soft Left, Hard Right, Soft Right and Centre. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/an-article-on-playwrights-in-the-daily-mail-listed-according-to-hard/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [I have always loved to read, and now that I have penned 10 novels and a few magazine articles, I have fallen seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-benton-frank/i-have-always-loved-to-read-and-now-that-i-have-penned-10-novels-and/) [Dorothea Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-benton-frank/) > [The definition of the right of suffrage is very justly regarded as a fundamental article of republican government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-definition-of-the-right-of-suffrage-is-very-justly-regarded-as-a/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) [Browse all 893 Articles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I hardly know what I'm going to write - an article, a story, a poem in free verse - or in some regular form. I only know that when I have the first sentence. And when the first sentence makes a kind of pattern, then I find out the kind of rhythm I'm looking for.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jorge Luis Borges" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an-article-a-story-a-poem-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Articles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an-article-a-story-a-poem-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/jorge-luis-borges-275_articles_i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an_2652830.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/jorge-luis-borges-275_articles_i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an_2652830.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/jorge-luis-borges-275_articles_i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an_2652830.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I hardly know what I'm going to write - an article, a story, a poem in free verse - or in some regular form…” — Jorge Luis Borges", "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": "Jorge Luis Borges", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I hardly know what I'm going...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an-article-a-story-a-poem-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-hardly-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-an-article-a-story-a-poem-in/#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 } } ] } ```