--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do think most poets are in denial about…" description: "\"I do think most poets are in denial about what the real taboos in writing are--the real boundaries.\" — Katy Lederer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/katy-lederer-30743_boundaries_i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-abou_552270.jpg" --- # I do think most poets are in denial about what the real… ![“I do think most poets are in denial about what the real taboos in writing are--the real boundaries.” quote by Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/katy-lederer-30743_boundaries_i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-abou_552270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/katy-lederer-30743_boundaries_i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-abou_552270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/katy-lederer-30743_boundaries_i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-abou_552270.jpg) > “I do think most poets are in denial about what the real taboos in writing are--the real boundaries.” [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poets often ignore the true constraints of language, fearing taboo topics. **In simple terms:** Poets deny real writing limits. Key Takeaway Explore and challenge hidden taboos in writing. Themes artistic honesty taboos self‑deception Mood thoughtful provocative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - editorial meetings - creative retreats Key Concepts literary criticism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What taboos do you avoid? - How can confronting them improve your work? A Different Perspective Confronting taboos can provoke backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Denial Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial-real-4595490/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets-denial-4595488/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Taboos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-taboos-605725/) [Taboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboo/) [Taboos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboos/) [Taboos Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboos-writing-4595489/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“It's also about integration: owning up to the parts of yourself, however much you might not like them. In the Real there are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mccluskey/it-s-also-about-integration-owning-up-to-the-parts-of-yourself/) [Alan McCluskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mccluskey/) > [“Many of the old taboos were about sex; many of the new ones are about the mother-child relationship, unfortunately for children and their mothers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-gonzalez/many-of-the-old-taboos-were-about-sex-many-of-the-new-ones-are-about/) [Carlos González](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-gonzalez/) > [“Denial is our very real, personal response to our own trauma. But denial is the normative response to trauma—by everyone. Society may deny that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/denial-is-our-very-real-personal-response-to-our-own-trauma-but/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“To launch a taboo, a group has to be poised halfway between weakness and power. A confident group doesn’t need taboos to protect it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/to-launch-a-taboo-a-group-has-to-be-poised-halfway-between-weakness/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [There are no taboos. Every topic is open, however shocking. It is the way that the topics are handled that's important, and that applies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/there-are-no-taboos-every-topic-is-open-however-shocking-it-is-the/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [Our fears and taboos are largely social conditions imposed upon us by the ruling powers in order to keep us opressed. They manipulate us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-change/our-fears-and-taboos-are-largely-social-conditions-imposed-upon-us-by/) [Kathy Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-change/) > [Some of the old laws of Israel are clearly savage taboos of a familiar type thinly disguised as commands of the Deity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/some-of-the-old-laws-of-israel-are-clearly-savage-taboos-of-a/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [I think it's important to break taboos for the same reason it's important to break laws and rules - because either you're a slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-think-it-s-important-to-break-taboos-for-the-same-reason-it-s/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Fashion is as profound and critical a part of the social life of man as sex, and is made up of the same ambivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-konig/fashion-is-as-profound-and-critical-a-part-of-the-social-life-of-man/) [Rene Konig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-konig/) > [Every field has its taboos. In algebraic geometry the taboos are (1) writing a draft that can be followed by anyone but two or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-carlo-rota/every-field-has-its-taboos-in-algebraic-geometry-the-taboos-are-1/) [Gian-Carlo Rota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-carlo-rota/) > [There are no taboos in bed, and there shouldn't be any taboos in bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/there-are-no-taboos-in-bed-and-there-shouldn-t-be-any-taboos-in-bed/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [Whenever a taboo is broken, something good happens, something vitalizing. Taboos after all are only hangovers, the product of diseased minds, you might say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/whenever-a-taboo-is-broken-something-good-happens-something/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Taboos, though unadmitted, are potent. What is it that people fear? What they don't understand. The civilized man is not a whit different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/taboos-though-unadmitted-are-potent-what-is-it-that-people-fear-what/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [To prevent wars, people must criticize, in their own country, the abuses that occur in their own country. The role taboos play in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-wolf/to-prevent-wars-people-must-criticize-in-their-own-country-the-abuses/) [Christa Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-wolf/) > [Taboos on the human heart are more dangerous than any risk we run by using our emotions. Sensation is the life of man; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/taboos-on-the-human-heart-are-more-dangerous-than-any-risk-we-run-by/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) ## More by Katy Lederer > [Today, from the bridge, the East River is sparkling. The money is swirling around the tall buildings like tides or like tithes, And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/today-from-the-bridge-the-east-river-is-sparkling-the-money-is/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [I'm more interested in the writing than in the content per se (good writing can be about wallpaper and I'll devour it).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/i-m-more-interested-in-the-writing-than-in-the-content-per-se-good/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [I think it is extremely interesting to think that, in some cases, vice might be, finally, more redemptive than virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/i-think-it-is-extremely-interesting-to-think-that-in-some-cases-vice/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [What separates the professionally successful ... from all the rest is their ability to stay steady, to have stamina. 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As if we were plucking the leaves from the trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/there-is-in-the-heart-the-hard-rendering-profit-as-if-we-were/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [I remember when I was writing my memoir and I was worried about what other people would think when they read it, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/i-remember-when-i-was-writing-my-memoir-and-i-was-worried-about-what/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [When I moved to New York, the reputation just followed me, and I am regularly invited to play in home games, by writers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/when-i-moved-to-new-york-the-reputation-just-followed-me-and-i-am/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [It is bizarre that some people can't understand how a serious poet could work at a finance firm. Goethe was a bureaucrat. Eliot worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/it-is-bizarre-that-some-people-can-t-understand-how-a-serious-poet/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [Poetry is God's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/poetry-is-god-s-work/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [The ghosts of Rilke and Wordsworth--along with the 300+ MFA programs, which now seem to employ all Living Poets--have misled the American public egregiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/the-ghosts-of-rilke-and-wordsworth-along-with-the-300-mfa-programs/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [It is one thing to write a good sentence, another to write a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/it-is-one-thing-to-write-a-good-sentence-another-to-write-a-good-book/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) > [We live in a capitalist system; anyone who believes they are above this system or purer than this system, even while shopping at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/we-live-in-a-capitalist-system-anyone-who-believes-they-are-above/) [Katy Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) [Explore all 17 Katy Lederer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/) ## More Boundaries quotes > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. But let’s dig into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-subside-into-a-single-mandatory-way-of-thinking-or-feeling/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [Working against a restriction - for me - often produces greater things than getting rid of all boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lord/working-against-a-restriction-for-me-often-produces-greater-things/) [Jon Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lord/) > [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) [Browse all 2,012 Boundaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do think most poets are in denial about what the real taboos in writing are--the real boundaries.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katy Lederer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-about-what-the-real-taboos-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boundaries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-about-what-the-real-taboos-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/katy-lederer-30743_boundaries_i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-abou_552270.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/katy-lederer-30743_boundaries_i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-abou_552270.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/katy-lederer-30743_boundaries_i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-abou_552270.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do think most poets are in denial about what the real taboos in writing are--the real boundaries.” — Katy Lederer", "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": "Katy Lederer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-lederer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do think most poets are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-about-what-the-real-taboos-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-lederer/i-do-think-most-poets-are-in-denial-about-what-the-real-taboos-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 } } ] } ```