--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always feel that whatever isn't…" description: "\"I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be in a poem.\" — Mary Oliver" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/mary-oliver-570_always_i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necess_2233171.jpg" --- # I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be… ![“I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be in a poem.” quote by Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/mary-oliver-570_always_i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necess_2233171.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/mary-oliver-570_always_i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necess_2233171.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/mary-oliver-570_always_i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necess_2233171.jpg) > “I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be in a poem.” [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry should be concise; unnecessary words dilute its power. **In simple terms:** Trim excess in poetry. Key Takeaway Edit ruthlessly for clarity. Themes poetry craft minimalism Mood reflective instructive Type literary didactic When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing sessions - creative writing Key Concepts aesthetic precision Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what is essential? - When does brevity hinder expression? A Different Perspective Risk losing emotional nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [I believe the poet shouldn't be in the poem at all except as a lens or as ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-oswald/i-believe-the-poet-shouldn-t-be-in-the-poem-at-all-except-as-a-lens/) [Alice Oswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-oswald/) > [You can't fool all of the people all of the time. But it isn't necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/you-can-t-fool-all-of-the-people-all-of-the-time-but-it-isn-t/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [If it isn't necessary I would rather not subject my skin to too much, so if I don't have anything special to do for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-schull/if-it-isn-t-necessary-i-would-rather-not-subject-my-skin-to-too-much/) [Amanda Schull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-schull/) > [And I've always said, 'If two people think the same thing about everything, one of them isn't necessary.' We need to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/and-i-ve-always-said-if-two-people-think-the-same-thing-about/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [“I feel more for you than ever have for anyone, and anything we do together isn’t me using you!” He squeezes his eyes shut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-ferrera/i-feel-more-for-you-than-ever-have-for-anyone-and-anything-we-do/) [Mila Ferrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-ferrera/) > [I feel that whoever isn't feeling settled in their career won't think about their marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-charan/i-feel-that-whoever-isn-t-feeling-settled-in-their-career-won-t-think/) [Ram Charan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-charan/) > [“Do you feel that? Do you feel what we do together? This isn’t normal, Aspen. We are a force of fucking nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-kage/do-you-feel-that-do-you-feel-what-we-do-together-this-isn-t-normal/) [Linda Kage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-kage/) > [“And I also know that the way I feel about you isn't going to change just because the seasons do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-carter/and-i-also-know-that-the-way-i-feel-about-you-isn-t-going-to-change/) [Aimee Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-carter/) > [There's nothing you can tell me that will change how I feel about you. Nothing. Because that isn't you. It's never been you. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/there-s-nothing-you-can-tell-me-that-will-change-how-i-feel-about-you/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [When I feel something isn't right, I'm going to speak my mind and stand even if it's by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/when-i-feel-something-isn-t-right-i-m-going-to-speak-my-mind-and/) [Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/) > [Use the words "I feel because I" to remind us that what we feel it isn't because of what the other person did, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/use-the-words-i-feel-because-i-to-remind-us-that-what-we-feel-it-isn/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [I say what I feel.. Isn't that what twitter is for? Be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brody-jenner/i-say-what-i-feel-isn-t-that-what-twitter-is-for-be-yourself/) [Brody Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brody-jenner/) > [What you feel for others isn't important, what matters the most is how others see you in the society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-you-feel-for-others-isn-t-important-what-matters-the-most-is-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't care whether you are me or Michael Jordan, it makes no difference we are all going to feel that way but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-assaraf/i-don-t-care-whether-you-are-me-or-michael-jordan-it-makes-no/) [John Assaraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-assaraf/) > [“I wasn't aware that was how I felt, either, until it was out. And now that I've said it like that, I'm not exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terra-elan-mcvoy/i-wasn-t-aware-that-was-how-i-felt-either-until-it-was-out-and-now/) [Terra Elan McVoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terra-elan-mcvoy/) ## More by Mary Oliver > [Belief isn't always easy. But this much I have learned--- if not enough else--- to live with my eyes open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/belief-isn-t-always-easy-but-this-much-i-have-learned-if-not-enough/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to question. Which are, at the same time, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/in-this-universe-we-are-given-two-gifts-the-ability-to-love-and-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Poetry is one of the original arts, and it began, as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-one-of-the-original-arts-and-it-began-as-did-all-the-fine/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [The dream of my life is to lie down by a slow river and stare at the light in the trees - to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/the-dream-of-my-life-is-to-lie-down-by-a-slow-river-and-stare-at-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/tell-me-what-is-it-you-plan-to-do-with-your-one-wild-and-precious-life/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“All important ideas must include the trees, the mountains, and the rivers. • To understand many things you must reach out of your own condition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/all-important-ideas-must-include-the-trees-the-mountains-and-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“Sometimes I think, were I just a little rougher made, I would go altogether to the woods—to my work entirely, and solitude, a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/sometimes-i-think-were-i-just-a-little-rougher-made-i-would-go/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“First Snow The snow began here this morning and all day continued, its white rhetoric everywhere calling us back to why, how, whence such beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/first-snow-the-snow-began-here-this-morning-and-all-day-continued-its/) [mary oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“What can I say that I have not said before? So I’ll say it again. The leaf has a song in it. Stone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/what-can-i-say-that-i-have-not-said-before-so-i-ll-say-it-again-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [The sea is the most beautiful face in our universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/the-sea-is-the-most-beautiful-face-in-our-universe/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [There is nothing better than work. Work is also play; children know that. Children play earnestly as if it were work. But people grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/there-is-nothing-better-than-work-work-is-also-play-children-know/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“What will you do with your one precious, wild life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/what-will-you-do-with-your-one-precious-wild-life/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-a-life-cherishing-force-for-poems-are-not-words-after-all/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“I stood like Adam in his lonely garden On that first morning, shaken out of sleep, Rubbing his eyes, listening, parting the leaves, Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-stood-like-adam-in-his-lonely-garden-on-that-first-morning-shaken/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [We all have a hungry heart, and one of the things we hunger for is happiness. So as much as I possibly could, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/we-all-have-a-hungry-heart-and-one-of-the-things-we-hunger-for-is/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) [Explore all 470 Mary Oliver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be in a poem.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Oliver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necessary-shouldn-t-be-in-a-poem/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necessary-shouldn-t-be-in-a-poem/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/mary-oliver-570_always_i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necess_2233171.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/mary-oliver-570_always_i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necess_2233171.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/mary-oliver-570_always_i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necess_2233171.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be in a poem.” — Mary Oliver", "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 Oliver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always feel that whatever isn't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necessary-shouldn-t-be-in-a-poem/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-always-feel-that-whatever-isn-t-necessary-shouldn-t-be-in-a-poem/#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 } } ] } ```