--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We did meet forty years ago. At that time…" description: "\"We did meet forty years ago. At that time we were both influenced by Whitman and I said, jokingly in part, 'I don't think anything can be done in Spani..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/jorge-luis-borges-275_done_we-did-meet-forty-years-ago-at-that-time_148928.jpg" --- # We did meet forty years ago. At that time we were both… ![“We did meet forty years ago. At that time we were both influenced by Whitman and I said, jokingly in part, 'I don't think anything can be done in Spanish, do you?' Neruda agreed, but we decided it was too late for us to write our verse in English. We'd have to make the best of a second-rate…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/jorge-luis-borges-275_done_we-did-meet-forty-years-ago-at-that-time_148928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/jorge-luis-borges-275_done_we-did-meet-forty-years-ago-at-that-time_148928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/jorge-luis-borges-275_done_we-did-meet-forty-years-ago-at-that-time_148928.jpg) > “We did meet forty years ago. At that time we were both influenced by Whitman and I said, jokingly in part, 'I don't think anything can be done in Spanish, do you?' Neruda agreed, but we decided it was too late for us to write our verse in English. We'd have to make the best of a second-rate literature.” [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. Two writers, influenced by Whitman, felt constrained by language choice, fearing second‑rate literature if they switched to English. **In simple terms:** Language limits artistic expression for some writers. Key Takeaway Embrace language that best serves your voice. Themes literature language artistic integrity Mood reflective inspired Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary criticism - publishing Key Concepts translation cultural identity creative limitation Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape your creativity? - Can you blend influences across languages? A Different Perspective Language barriers can be overcome with adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) [Verses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verses/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“He read me Whitman, of whom he was very fond, and also Emerson. I didn't like Whitman, and said so. I always thought him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/he-read-me-whitman-of-whom-he-was-very-fond-and-also-emerson-i-didn-t/) [Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/) > [I cannot write in verse, for I am no poet. I cannot arrange the parts of speech with such art as to produce effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/i-cannot-write-in-verse-for-i-am-no-poet-i-cannot-arrange-the-parts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [Anyone may be an honorable man, and yet write verse badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/anyone-may-be-an-honorable-man-and-yet-write-verse-badly/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [I was born to travel and write verse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/i-was-born-to-travel-and-write-verse/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [ “Annie Savoy: \[narrating\] Walt Whitman once said, "I see great things in baseball. It's our game, the American game. It will repair our losses… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bull-durham/annie-savoy-narrating-walt-whitman-once-said-i-see-great-things-in/) Bull Durham > [You know for some strange reason I like to write the verse first. I mean I know the majority of people do the chorus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-daddy-kane/you-know-for-some-strange-reason-i-like-to-write-the-verse-first-i/) [Big Daddy Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-daddy-kane/) > [To write a verse or two is all the praise That I can raise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/to-write-a-verse-or-two-is-all-the-praise-that-i-can-raise/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [I don't believe in writer's block. I'll get stuck, but being stuck, I'll still write a verse. If you know where you're going, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-don-t-believe-in-writer-s-block-i-ll-get-stuck-but-being-stuck-i-ll/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Write verse, not poetry. The public wants verse. If you have a talent for poetry, then don't by any means mother it, but try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-service/write-verse-not-poetry-the-public-wants-verse-if-you-have-a-talent/) [Robert W. Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-service/) > [My freestyling ability is nonexistent. I can't even write a verse if I tried to sit anywhere and write one. Being a good rapper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/my-freestyling-ability-is-nonexistent-i-can-t-even-write-a-verse-if-i/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/what-i-do-say-is-that-i-can-write-verse-and-that-the-writing-of-verse/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Time broadens the scope of verses and I know of some which, like music, are everything for all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/time-broadens-the-scope-of-verses-and-i-know-of-some-which-like-music/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [It is worth remembering that every writer begins with a naively physical notion of what art is. 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