--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Political poetry is the hardest thing to…" description: "\"Political poetry is the hardest thing to write because you cannot preach to the converted, and if you're only seeking to convert, then write an editori..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/mary-jo-salter-38984_hardest-thing_political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to_2406401.jpg" --- # Political poetry is the hardest thing to write because you… ![“Political poetry is the hardest thing to write because you cannot preach to the converted, and if you're only seeking to convert, then write an editorial. I hope I can write about Trump; he's too major a force not to be written about.” quote by Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/mary-jo-salter-38984_hardest-thing_political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to_2406401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/mary-jo-salter-38984_hardest-thing_political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to_2406401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/mary-jo-salter-38984_hardest-thing_political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to_2406401.jpg) > “Political poetry is the hardest thing to write because you cannot preach to the converted, and if you're only seeking to convert, then write an editorial. I hope I can write about Trump; he's too major a force not to be written about.” [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political poetry is difficult because it risks preaching to those already convinced; writing about powerful figures may become editorial. **In simple terms:** Political poems risk preaching. Key Takeaway Balance art and activism carefully. Themes politics poetry expression Mood critical creative Type political literary When to use this quote - campaign coverage - social justice activism Key Concepts media studies literature Questions to Reflect On - How can poetry critique without preaching? - What makes political poetry compelling? A Different Perspective May dilute artistic quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Poetry is the hardest thing that there is. It fascinates me, so I want to write more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-that-there-is-it-fascinates-me-so-i-want/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [I wanted to write about the Trump era, but I didn't want to write, 'Fascism sucks' or 'Trump sucks.' That doesn't get you anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-king/i-wanted-to-write-about-the-trump-era-but-i-didn-t-want-to-write/) [Tom King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-king/) > [It makes me boil when I think of the power we profess and the utter impotency of our action. Believers who know one-tenth as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-elliot/it-makes-me-boil-when-i-think-of-the-power-we-profess-and-the-utter/) [Jim Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-elliot/) > [Ministers never write or preach so well as when under the cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-whitefield/ministers-never-write-or-preach-so-well-as-when-under-the-cross/) [George Whitefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-whitefield/) > [I have a degree in journalism, which is something that I make very clear very frequently just so people are aware of it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leandra-medine/i-have-a-degree-in-journalism-which-is-something-that-i-make-very/) [Leandra Medine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leandra-medine/) > [You take a poll of any people. What is it they want? The right to write an editorial as you like? They want homes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/you-take-a-poll-of-any-people-what-is-it-they-want-the-right-to-write/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Deanell Tacha and I decided to write an editorial, because both of us have had experiences in countries where the rule of law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-minow/deanell-tacha-and-i-decided-to-write-an-editorial-because-both-of-us/) [Martha Minow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-minow/) > [As for political poetry, as it's usually defined, it seems there's very little good political poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/as-for-political-poetry-as-it-s-usually-defined-it-seems-there-s-very/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [My feeling is that most political poetry is preaching to the choir, and that the people who are going to make the political changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/my-feeling-is-that-most-political-poetry-is-preaching-to-the-choir/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [Political poetry is more profoundly emotional than any other-at least as much as love poetry-and cannot be forced because then it becomes vulgar and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/political-poetry-is-more-profoundly-emotional-than-any-other-at-least/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [I don't like political poetry, and I don't write it. If this question was pointing towards that, I think it is missing the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/i-don-t-like-political-poetry-and-i-don-t-write-it-if-this-question/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [Civic poetry is public poetry. It is political poetry. It is about the hard stuff of life: money, crime, gender, corporate excess, racial injustice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/civic-poetry-is-public-poetry-it-is-political-poetry-it-is-about-the/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Most of us have been subjected to terrible political poetry at least once or twice in our lifetimes, and so we tend to shy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-naffis-sahely/most-of-us-have-been-subjected-to-terrible-political-poetry-at-least/) [Andre Naffis-Sahely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-naffis-sahely/) > [There's been real hostility toward political poetry in the U.S., hostility or, at best, incomprehension. I'm speaking of those who have institutional power over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/there-s-been-real-hostility-toward-political-poetry-in-the-u-s/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Because so many poets have chosen a political idiom right now in the US and so many poets have assigned value and inherent knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-biespiel/because-so-many-poets-have-chosen-a-political-idiom-right-now-in-the/) [David Biespiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-biespiel/) ## More by Mary Jo Salter > [Like a page dipped in ink, your cuff's in my coffee. / You have something to tell with unbuttoned sleeves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/like-a-page-dipped-in-ink-your-cuff-s-in-my-coffee-you-have-something/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [Part of what the imagination does later in life is it's linking you not just to who you are now but to all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/part-of-what-the-imagination-does-later-in-life-is-it-s-linking-you/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [Writing is a bit like walking into a big bookstore. It's the bookstore of your brain, and you know you're never going to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/writing-is-a-bit-like-walking-into-a-big-bookstore-it-s-the-bookstore/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [The one concession I've made as I've gotten older is that my children are now adults and they're in their twenties and thirties and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/the-one-concession-i-ve-made-as-i-ve-gotten-older-is-that-my-children/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [And I said to myself, here's the problem with the world: The Italians are too Italian, and nobody else is Italian enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/and-i-said-to-myself-here-s-the-problem-with-the-world-the-italians/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [A number of people have written poems about Trump already, and I salute them. He is so beyond anything we could have imagined and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/a-number-of-people-have-written-poems-about-trump-already-and-i/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [As poets, we're writing into the void, and we're not writing to be bestsellers. Whatever individual responses we get, whether at a reading, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/as-poets-we-re-writing-into-the-void-and-we-re-not-writing-to-be/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [Money is that dear thing which, if you're not careful, you can squander your whole life thinking of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/money-is-that-dear-thing-which-if-you-re-not-careful-you-can-squander/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [All writers know in advance that they are not going be able to reproduce in its wonderful fullness the thing that's in their heads;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/all-writers-know-in-advance-that-they-are-not-going-be-able-to/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [I am a relatively rational being and I like to create order in poems. I like meter, I like rhyme, but ultimately I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/i-am-a-relatively-rational-being-and-i-like-to-create-order-in-poems/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) [Explore all 11 Mary Jo Salter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) ## More Hardest thing quotes > [I was in good shape from Divergent. Damien Chazelle, the director of Whiplash told me, ‘Stop Working Out! Don’t go outside!’ He wanted me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/i-was-in-good-shape-from-divergent-damien-chazelle-the-director-of/) [Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/) > [For a lot of women, one of the hardest things about leadership is the desire to be liked by everyone. That's often inconsistent with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weddington/for-a-lot-of-women-one-of-the-hardest-things-about-leadership-is-the/) [Sarah Weddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weddington/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Because YouTube is focused on a lot of different types of content at the same time, it has many opportunities, and the hardest thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kyncl/because-youtube-is-focused-on-a-lot-of-different-types-of-content-at/) [Robert Kyncl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kyncl/) > [The hardest thing about being a guy is that women don't accept that you really are just a simple, pathetic, labrador retriever-like creature. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-hardest-thing-about-being-a-guy-is-that-women-don-t-accept-that/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [If ur getting pushed away, dont hold on tighter. Letting go when ur getting pushed is the only way she will feel what its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/if-ur-getting-pushed-away-dont-hold-on-tighter-letting-go-when-ur/) Hemantsmarty > [Playing is much, much harder than composing in my opinion, becoming a player. If you want to be a player for all your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-powell/playing-is-much-much-harder-than-composing-in-my-opinion-becoming-a/) [John Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-powell/) > [“Perhaps one of the hardest things about having kids is realizing that you love them more than your wife. that it's possible to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-kaufman/perhaps-one-of-the-hardest-things-about-having-kids-is-realizing-that/) [Andrew Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-kaufman/) > [Moving on is one of the hardest thing in life,however once you do.it'll be your best decision and you'll fell peaceful again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brave-heart/moving-on-is-one-of-the-hardest-thing-in-life-however-once-you-do-it/) Brave Heart > [I love doing theater. Despite the fact that out of theater, film, and TV, theater is the hardest thing to do. It's the least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-love-doing-theater-despite-the-fact-that-out-of-theater-film-and-tv/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [I do know I felt as if my heart had been shredded when I found you in our storeroom, unconscious and bleeding. And leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/i-do-know-i-felt-as-if-my-heart-had-been-shredded-when-i-found-you-in/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [The hardest thing is deciding what I should tell you and what not to. Well, anyway, I've got a while yet before you're old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-connor/the-hardest-thing-is-deciding-what-i-should-tell-you-and-what-not-to/) [Sarah Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-connor/) > [Negative comments in terms of body image are the hardest thing the women probably struggle with. But I think the best thing that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/negative-comments-in-terms-of-body-image-are-the-hardest-thing-the/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [The two hardest things to contemplate in life ... are failure and age; those are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-two-hardest-things-to-contemplate-in-life-are-failure-and-age/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“set up an appointment with yourself in the morning, during a busy work schedule, or at night to find a quiet space and practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-owens/set-up-an-appointment-with-yourself-in-the-morning-during-a-busy-work/) Sarah Owens Browse all 1,489 Hardest thing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Political poetry is the hardest thing to write because you cannot preach to the converted, and if you're only seeking to convert, then write an editorial. I hope I can write about Trump; he's too major a force not to be written about.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Jo Salter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to-write-because-you-cannot/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hardest thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to-write-because-you-cannot/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/mary-jo-salter-38984_hardest-thing_political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to_2406401.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/mary-jo-salter-38984_hardest-thing_political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to_2406401.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/mary-jo-salter-38984_hardest-thing_political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to_2406401.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Political poetry is the hardest thing to write because you cannot preach to the converted, and if you're…” — Mary Jo Salter", "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": "Mary Jo Salter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Political poetry is the hardest thing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to-write-because-you-cannot/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/political-poetry-is-the-hardest-thing-to-write-because-you-cannot/#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 } } ] } ```