--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can work on a verse for a very long…" description: "\"I can work on a verse for a very long time before realising it's not any good and then, and only then, can I discard it.\" — Leonard Cohen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/leonard-cohen-448_good_i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-ti_1182072.jpg" --- # I can work on a verse for a very long time before… ![“I can work on a verse for a very long time before realising it's not any good and then, and only then, can I discard it.” quote by Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/leonard-cohen-448_good_i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-ti_1182072.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/leonard-cohen-448_good_i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-ti_1182072.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/leonard-cohen-448_good_i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-ti_1182072.jpg) > “I can work on a verse for a very long time before realising it's not any good and then, and only then, can I discard it.” [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative process involves prolonged effort and self‑criticism before discarding unsatisfactory work. **In simple terms:** Write, evaluate, then discard bad verses. Key Takeaway Embrace patience and honest self‑assessment in art. Themes creativity self‑criticism artistic process patience Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic process When to use this quote - songwriting - poetry - draft revision - artistic workshops - self‑reflection Key Concepts Iterative creation quality control creative discipline Questions to Reflect On - When is it time to let go of a piece? - How does critique shape artistic growth? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can stall progress if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discard/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Discard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-discard-3471126/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Realising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realising/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Verse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verse/) [Verse Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verse-long-3471125/) [Verses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verses/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Verse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-verse-3471124/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [Cursed be the verse, how well so e'er it flow, That tends to make one worthy man my foe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/cursed-be-the-verse-how-well-so-e-er-it-flow-that-tends-to-make-one/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Being an art form, verse cannot be "free" in the sense of having no limitations or guiding principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/being-an-art-form-verse-cannot-be-free-in-the-sense-of-having-no/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [Verse by verse, the Bible becomes more than theory. It becomes my firsthand experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/verse-by-verse-the-bible-becomes-more-than-theory-it-becomes-my/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [As for literature It gives no man a sinecure. And no one knows, at sight, a masterpiece. And give up verse, my boy, There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/as-for-literature-it-gives-no-man-a-sinecure-and-no-one-knows-at/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Rhime being no necessary Adjunct or true Ornament of Poem or good Verse, in longer Works especially, but the Invention of a barbarous Age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/rhime-being-no-necessary-adjunct-or-true-ornament-of-poem-or-good/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [I think everything should be in verse. 'The New York Times' should be in verse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ives/i-think-everything-should-be-in-verse-the-new-york-times-should-be-in/) [David Ives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ives/) > [I then carefully searched through the pages until I was able to find the verse that was crystal clear... It read: "Rejoice always."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-c-neal/i-then-carefully-searched-through-the-pages-until-i-was-able-to-find/) [Mary C. Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-c-neal/) > [No more pronouncements on lousy verse. No more hidden competition. No more struggling not to be a square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/no-more-pronouncements-on-lousy-verse-no-more-hidden-competition-no/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [Writing fiction, for me, is a more indirect form of self-exploration than writing verse. When I'm working on a novel I'm moving characters around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/writing-fiction-for-me-is-a-more-indirect-form-of-self-exploration/) [Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/) > [Let's be off before he gets his great horsey teeth into my poor lines of verse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/let-s-be-off-before-he-gets-his-great-horsey-teeth-into-my-poor-lines/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I ought to warn you that my verse is of no interest to people who can think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/i-ought-to-warn-you-that-my-verse-is-of-no-interest-to-people-who-can/) [John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/) > [ELEGY, n. A composition in verse, in which, without employing any of the methods of humor, the writer aims to produce in the reader's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/elegy-n-a-composition-in-verse-in-which-without-employing-any-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [In verse one can take any damn constant one likes, one can alliterate, or assone, or rhyme, or quant, or smack, only one MUST…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/in-verse-one-can-take-any-damn-constant-one-likes-one-can-alliterate/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) ## More by Leonard Cohen > [The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and it's overturned the order of the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-blizzard-of-the-world-has-crossed-the-threshold-and-it-s/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Don't matter if you're rich and strong Don't matter if you're weak Don't matter if you write a song The nightingales repeat Don't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/don-t-matter-if-you-re-rich-and-strong-don-t-matter-if-you-re-weak/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“You don't know me from the wind you never will, you never did I'm the little jew who wrote the Bible. I've seen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/you-don-t-know-me-from-the-wind-you-never-will-you-never-did-i-m-the/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“This is it I’m not coming after you I’m going to lie down for half an hour This is it I’m not going down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-is-it-i-m-not-coming-after-you-i-m-going-to-lie-down-for-half-an/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can... reconcile and embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-world-is-full-of-conflicts-and-full-of-things-that-cannot-be/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [ I would say the hummingbird really deserves the royalties on \[some of my songs\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-would-say-the-hummingbird-really-deserves-the-royalties-on-some-of/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [One is given to self-dramatization from time to time. I intend to live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/one-is-given-to-self-dramatization-from-time-to-time-i-intend-to-live/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [The basic function of popular music is to create an environment for courting, lovemaking, and doing the dishes. It's useful because it addresses the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-basic-function-of-popular-music-is-to-create-an-environment-for/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Blessed are you, embrace of the falling, foundation of the light, master of the human accident.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/blessed-are-you-embrace-of-the-falling-foundation-of-the-light-master/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I continually blacken pages and scribble away, so I always have a number of songs that are half-finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-continually-blacken-pages-and-scribble-away-so-i-always-have-a/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I have nothing against the Queen of England. Even in my heart I never resented her for not being Jackie Kennedy. She is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-have-nothing-against-the-queen-of-england-even-in-my-heart-i-never/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I loved you when you opened like a lily to the heat; you see I’m just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-loved-you-when-you-opened-like-a-lily-to-the-heat-you-see-i-m-just/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [It's time that we began to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/it-s-time-that-we-began-to-laugh-and-cry-and-cry-and-laugh-about-it/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“I followed the course From chaos to art Desire the horse Depression the cart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-followed-the-course-from-chaos-to-art-desire-the-horse-depression/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) [Explore all 543 Leonard Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## More Discard quotes > [In science, each new result, sometimes quite surprising, heralds a step forward and allows one to discard some hypotheses, even though one or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-b-prusiner/in-science-each-new-result-sometimes-quite-surprising-heralds-a-step/) [Stanley B. Prusiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-b-prusiner/) > [“What people discard could make a nation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-people-discard-could-make-a-nation/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The notion that you could discard the old world and now make a new one. This is what was so bad about Modernism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/the-notion-that-you-could-discard-the-old-world-and-now-make-a-new/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [“Study whatever you were told very carefully. Make the best choices for the best brands and discard the rest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/study-whatever-you-were-told-very-carefully-make-the-best-choices-for/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The challenge to Asia is to discard the dry, meatless bone of mysticism and fatalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-marcos/the-challenge-to-asia-is-to-discard-the-dry-meatless-bone-of/) [Ferdinand Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-marcos/) > [Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/keep-only-those-things-that-speak-to-your-heart-then-take-the-plunge/) [Marie Kondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [Goethe said there would be little left of him if he were to discard what he owed to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-saunders-cushman/goethe-said-there-would-be-little-left-of-him-if-he-were-to-discard/) [Charlotte Saunders Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-saunders-cushman/) > [“Sorting papers Rule of thumb—discard everything Once”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/sorting-papers-rule-of-thumb-discard-everything-once/) [Marie Kondō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [“If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our (scheming for) gain, there would be no thieves nor robbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-we-could-renounce-our-artful-contrivances-and-discard-our-scheming/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [You can never discard too many bad ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/you-can-never-discard-too-many-bad-ideas/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [“Return Gifts: Those cheap things kids almost lynch you for, and then discard on their way out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachna-singh/return-gifts-those-cheap-things-kids-almost-lynch-you-for-and-then/) [Rachna Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachna-singh/) > [To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. And if you no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/to-truly-cherish-the-things-that-are-important-to-you-you-must-first/) [Marie Kondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/absorb-what-is-useful-discard-what-is-not-add-what-is-uniquely-your/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [We have to discard the past / and, as one builds / floor by floor, window by window, / and the building rises, /…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/we-have-to-discard-the-past-and-as-one-builds-floor-by-floor-window/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [We discard the personal specifics which don't conform to the ideal conventional beauty created by art directors and cinematographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-loeb/we-discard-the-personal-specifics-which-don-t-conform-to-the-ideal/) [Damian Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-loeb/) [Browse all 70 Discard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can work on a verse for a very long time before realising it's not any good and then, and only then, can I discard it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Cohen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-time-before-realising-it-s-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-time-before-realising-it-s-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/leonard-cohen-448_good_i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-ti_1182072.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/leonard-cohen-448_good_i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-ti_1182072.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/leonard-cohen-448_good_i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-ti_1182072.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can work on a verse for a very long time before realising it's not any good and then, and only then, can I…” — Leonard Cohen", "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": "Leonard Cohen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can work on a verse...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-time-before-realising-it-s-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-can-work-on-a-verse-for-a-very-long-time-before-realising-it-s-not/#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 } } ] } ```