--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prose is prose because of what it…" description: "\"Prose is prose because of what it includes; poetry is poetry because of what it leaves out.\" — Marvin Bell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/marvin-bell-33693_inspirational_prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includ_367482.png" --- # Prose is prose because of what it includes; poetry is… ![“Prose is prose because of what it includes; poetry is poetry because of what it leaves out.” quote by Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/marvin-bell-33693_inspirational_prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includ_367482.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/marvin-bell-33693_inspirational_prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includ_367482.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/marvin-bell-33693_inspirational_prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includ_367482.png) > “Prose is prose because of what it includes; poetry is poetry because of what it leaves out.” [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prose includes all details; poetry is defined by intentional omission, focusing on what is left unsaid. **In simple terms:** Poetry is about what’s left out. Key Takeaway Embrace selective expression. Themes writing poetry literature minimalism focus Mood contemplative analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - editing sessions - literary analysis - teaching poetry Key Concepts conciseness silence imagery Questions to Reflect On - What can omission reveal that inclusion cannot? - How do you decide what to leave out? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can strip meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Includes Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/includes-poetry-3360172/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Poetry Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-poetry/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Prose Includes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose-includes-3360171/) [Prose Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose-prose-244167/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [I'd rather call prose poems something else, for clarity - something like "poetic prose," prose that contains a quality of poetry, but not poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/i-d-rather-call-prose-poems-something-else-for-clarity-something-like/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their school, is briefly this: their poetry is conceived and composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-difference-between-genuine-poetry-and-the-poetry-of-dryden-pope/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [religion is poetry, - poetry is religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-corelli/religion-is-poetry-poetry-is-religion/) [Marie Corelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-corelli/) > [I think the best American poetry is the poetry that utilizes the resources of poetry rather than exploits the defects or triumphs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/i-think-the-best-american-poetry-is-the-poetry-that-utilizes-the/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [I have the idea that lyric poetry is a poetry that's driven by a sense of the presence of death. That there's something unbearable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-have-the-idea-that-lyric-poetry-is-a-poetry-that-s-driven-by-a/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I've already written 300 space poems. But I look upon my ultimate form as being a poetic prose. When you read it, it appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/story-musgrave/i-ve-already-written-300-space-poems-but-i-look-upon-my-ultimate-form/) [Story Musgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/story-musgrave/) > [In general, I would think that at present prose writers are much in advance of the poets. In the old days, I read more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/in-general-i-would-think-that-at-present-prose-writers-are-much-in/) [William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/) > [Why do you always write poetry? Why do you not write prose? Prose is so much more difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/why-do-you-always-write-poetry-why-do-you-not-write-prose-prose-is-so/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [Prose may carry a load of ill-defined matters like a ship. But poetry is the machine which drives it, pruned to a perfect economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/prose-may-carry-a-load-of-ill-defined-matters-like-a-ship-but-poetry/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [One of the most important differences I see between prose and poetry is the music of the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/one-of-the-most-important-differences-i-see-between-prose-and-poetry/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [For me, poetry is an evasion of the real job of writing prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/for-me-poetry-is-an-evasion-of-the-real-job-of-writing-prose/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Prose is when all the lines except the last go on to the end. Poetry is when some of them fall short of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/prose-is-when-all-the-lines-except-the-last-go-on-to-the-end-poetry/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Many people become bankrupt through having invested too heavily in the prose of life. To have ruined one's self over poetry is an honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/many-people-become-bankrupt-through-having-invested-too-heavily-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Poetry is prose, bent out of shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-patrick-lewis/poetry-is-prose-bent-out-of-shape/) [J. Patrick Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-patrick-lewis/) ## More by Marvin Bell > [Poetry is the least imposition on silence in a world of chatter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/poetry-is-the-least-imposition-on-silence-in-a-world-of-chatter/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [The writing of a poem is, for me, in the first place, an almost total act of abandon leading to discovery leading to recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/the-writing-of-a-poem-is-for-me-in-the-first-place-an-almost-total/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [I'm partial to coffee shops, brain work, and poems on the page. I write after midnight. Sometimes, twisty syntax happens, and I surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/i-m-partial-to-coffee-shops-brain-work-and-poems-on-the-page-i-write/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [“The "I" in the poem is not you but someone who knows a lot about you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/the-i-in-the-poem-is-not-you-but-someone-who-knows-a-lot-about-you/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [Sometimes the best revision of a poem is a new poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/sometimes-the-best-revision-of-a-poem-is-a-new-poem/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [I speak to you in one tongue/ but every moment that ever mattered to me/ occurred in another language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/i-speak-to-you-in-one-tongue-but-every-moment-that-ever-mattered-to/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [Much of our lives involves the word “no.” In school we are mostly told, “Don't do it this way. Do it that way.” But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/much-of-our-lives-involves-the-word-no-in-school-we-are-mostly-told/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [Learn the rules, break the rules, make up new rules, break the new rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/learn-the-rules-break-the-rules-make-up-new-rules-break-the-new-rules/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [“You are not beautiful, exactly. You are beautiful, inexactly. You let a weed grow by the mulberry and a mulberry grow by the house.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/you-are-not-beautiful-exactly-you-are-beautiful-inexactly-you-let-a/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [Try to write poems at least one person in the room will hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/try-to-write-poems-at-least-one-person-in-the-room-will-hate/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [A nation's art is the expression of its soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/a-nation-s-art-is-the-expression-of-its-soul/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [The war to preserve the privilege of mythmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/the-war-to-preserve-the-privilege-of-mythmaking/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [Our job is to become more and more of what we are. The growth of a poet seems to be related to his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/our-job-is-to-become-more-and-more-of-what-we-are-the-growth-of-a/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) [Explore all 14 Marvin Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Prose is prose because of what it includes; poetry is poetry because of what it leaves out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marvin Bell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includes-poetry-is-poetry-because/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includes-poetry-is-poetry-because/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/marvin-bell-33693_inspirational_prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includ_367482.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/marvin-bell-33693_inspirational_prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includ_367482.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/marvin-bell-33693_inspirational_prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includ_367482.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Prose is prose because of what it includes; poetry is poetry because of what it leaves out.” — Marvin Bell", "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": "Marvin Bell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Prose is prose because of what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includes-poetry-is-poetry-because/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/prose-is-prose-because-of-what-it-includes-poetry-is-poetry-because/#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 } } ] } ```