--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think all poetry is accessible in a…" description: "\"I think all poetry is accessible in a certain sense if you spend enough time with it.\" — Matthea Harvey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/matthea-harvey-10757_certain_i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-ce_1096348.jpg" --- # I think all poetry is accessible in a certain sense if you… ![“I think all poetry is accessible in a certain sense if you spend enough time with it.” quote by Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/matthea-harvey-10757_certain_i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-ce_1096348.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/matthea-harvey-10757_certain_i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-ce_1096348.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/matthea-harvey-10757_certain_i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-ce_1096348.jpg) > “I think all poetry is accessible in a certain sense if you spend enough time with it.” [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry becomes approachable when you invest time and patience, revealing its layers and meanings. **In simple terms:** Time makes poetry understandable. Key Takeaway Spend time with poems to uncover depth. Themes art poetry accessibility Mood curious inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - reading circles - creative writing - education - personal reflection Key Concepts literary analysis interpretation patience Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help decode complex poems? - How does repeated reading change perception? A Different Perspective Some poems remain opaque despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accessible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accessible/) [Accessible Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accessible-certain-2860571/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Enough time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough-time/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Accessible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-accessible-2860570/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Spend time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spend-time/) [Think Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-poetry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I want to be accessible to a certain type of person who wants to walk around with their eyes open, or at least is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/i-want-to-be-accessible-to-a-certain-type-of-person-who-wants-to-walk/) [Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/) > [Poetry is like walking along a little, tiny, narrow ridge up on a precipice. You never know the next step, whether there's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-jacobsen/poetry-is-like-walking-along-a-little-tiny-narrow-ridge-up-on-a/) [Josephine Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-jacobsen/) > [I suppose there's something to be said for the sheer reinforcement of our beliefs, but really I think poetry is more useful as disenchantment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-suppose-there-s-something-to-be-said-for-the-sheer-reinforcement-of/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [I think poetry is the best thing I do. It's certainly the purest. I seem to switch gears without too much trouble. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-think-poetry-is-the-best-thing-i-do-it-s-certainly-the-purest-i/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Poetry can save the world. I'm a real believer in its power of healing and transforming. I wish more people read it ... Poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-muske-dukes/poetry-can-save-the-world-i-m-a-real-believer-in-its-power-of-healing/) [Carol Muske-Dukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-muske-dukes/) > [I think that poetry is an act of celebration, that anytime you're writing a poem, it means that you're celebrating something, even if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-think-that-poetry-is-an-act-of-celebration-that-anytime-you-re/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [ I do not think \[poetry\] is more, or less, necessary than food, shelter, health, education, decent working conditions. It is as necessary. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-do-not-think-poetry-is-more-or-less-necessary-than-food-shelter/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I think poetry is best read to oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-lee-jones/i-think-poetry-is-best-read-to-oneself/) [Rickie Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-lee-jones/) > [Poetry is the most direct and simple means of expressing oneself in words: the most primitive nations have poetry, but only quitewell developed civilizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/poetry-is-the-most-direct-and-simple-means-of-expressing-oneself-in/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [I think of poetry as a very inclusive term. Still, it's interesting that people want to make the distinction. I love the magazine Double…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-of-poetry-as-a-very-inclusive-term-still-it-s-interesting/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I think poetry involves heightened noticing or imagining as well as creating a certain made shape. On the other hand, that shape can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-poetry-involves-heightened-noticing-or-imagining-as-well-as/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > ["Confessional poetry" is another one of those labels. It goes in and out of fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/confessional-poetry-is-another-one-of-those-labels-it-goes-in-and-out/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I think poetry always lives its life, and people come to it and people go away from it, 'people' in the sense of larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-williams/i-think-poetry-always-lives-its-life-and-people-come-to-it-and-people/) [C. K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-k-williams/) > [I rarely think of poetry as something I make happen; it is more accurate to say that it happens to me. Like a summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-rarely-think-of-poetry-as-something-i-make-happen-it-is-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I think poetry can be a kind of secular way in which people can be led to approach the difficult parts of their life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-think-poetry-can-be-a-kind-of-secular-way-in-which-people-can-be/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) ## More by Matthea Harvey > [I don't think that you can say by any stretch of the imagination that all Wisconsin or Brooklyn-based poets write in a particular way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-say-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-that/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Not everyone is going to like every carnival ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/not-everyone-is-going-to-like-every-carnival-ride/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I think poetry involves heightened noticing or imagining as well as creating a certain made shape. On the other hand, that shape can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-poetry-involves-heightened-noticing-or-imagining-as-well-as/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [When I get interested in a new topic I teach a class on it. There's a graduate seminar I teach in which the students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/when-i-get-interested-in-a-new-topic-i-teach-a-class-on-it-there-s-a/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > ["Confessional poetry" is another one of those labels. It goes in and out of fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/confessional-poetry-is-another-one-of-those-labels-it-goes-in-and-out/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I don't think all poems need to be written in conversational language - those are often great poems but there should also be poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-all-poems-need-to-be-written-in-conversational-language/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I let my narrative embroidering impulses take over in prose poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-let-my-narrative-embroidering-impulses-take-over-in-prose-poems/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [When I have my students do erasures, I'm always amazed by the way their voice comes through, whether they're doing an erasure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/when-i-have-my-students-do-erasures-i-m-always-amazed-by-the-way/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Whether you're talking about political borders or aesthetic divisions (and clearly, the political ones have much more tragic consequences), it seems like once they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/whether-you-re-talking-about-political-borders-or-aesthetic-divisions/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Usually form seems to find me in the process of writing a poem, though I have nothing against starting out with the form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/usually-form-seems-to-find-me-in-the-process-of-writing-a-poem-though/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I'm pretty lenient with myself about time - if I feel like taking photographs of small things inside ice cubes or making animal collages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-m-pretty-lenient-with-myself-about-time-if-i-feel-like-taking/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Recently, while I was in England, I saw a documentary on the BBC about the border between India and Pakistan at Wagah. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/recently-while-i-was-in-england-i-saw-a-documentary-on-the-bbc-about/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [A lot of people are writing poems and don't realize it. They have this limited idea of how the poem should sound or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/a-lot-of-people-are-writing-poems-and-don-t-realize-it-they-have-this/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I am pretty interested in hybrid forms. I love graphic novels and I think there should be more graphic poems in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-am-pretty-interested-in-hybrid-forms-i-love-graphic-novels-and-i/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I suppose it's useful in designating writing that tends to come from personal experience, work that delineates an "I," but it's a loose lasso,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-suppose-it-s-useful-in-designating-writing-that-tends-to-come-from/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) [Explore all 63 Matthea Harvey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## More Accessible quotes > [Whether it be a televised match or even a live event match, in this day and age, the Internet is so accessible and everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommaso-ciampa/whether-it-be-a-televised-match-or-even-a-live-event-match-in-this/) [Tommaso Ciampa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommaso-ciampa/) > [With the 'Watchmen' comic, we attempted to tell it in an accessible way. I deliberately made the artwork very clear, deceptively so. You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/with-the-watchmen-comic-we-attempted-to-tell-it-in-an-accessible-way/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [I think sometimes - not always - I write songs that are accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-think-sometimes-not-always-i-write-songs-that-are-accessible/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [There's also the tradition of voodoo, the Haitian magic arts, in New Orleans. And because New Orleans is below sea level, when they bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-trammell/there-s-also-the-tradition-of-voodoo-the-haitian-magic-arts-in-new/) [Sam Trammell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-trammell/) > [Podcasts feel about as accessible and ubiquitous as books or articles or anything like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bowen-yang/podcasts-feel-about-as-accessible-and-ubiquitous-as-books-or-articles/) [Bowen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bowen-yang/) > [Our constituents deserve outstanding services, and my office is working to ensure we are as accessible as possible to residents across the 18th Congressional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-lamb/our-constituents-deserve-outstanding-services-and-my-office-is/) [Conor Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-lamb/) > [Accessible design is good design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/accessible-design-is-good-design/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [Patrick Swayze reminded me a lot of Gene Kelly. Patrick had that Everyman quality. Gene made dancing sort of an accessible idea for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-ortega/patrick-swayze-reminded-me-a-lot-of-gene-kelly-patrick-had-that/) [Kenny Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-ortega/) > [And it's been one of my big sort of campaigns throughout my career, really, is to sort of make art accessible but without dumbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/and-it-s-been-one-of-my-big-sort-of-campaigns-throughout-my-career/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Self-expression should not be a challenge that demands extraordinary talent but should be a right accessible to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeyah-khan/self-expression-should-not-be-a-challenge-that-demands-extraordinary/) [Deeyah Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeyah-khan/) > [Empathy is the most mysterious transaction that the human soul can have, and it's accessible to all of us, but we have to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/empathy-is-the-most-mysterious-transaction-that-the-human-soul-can/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Media is so weird; everything is so accessible now. It used to be this thing where, if you did something on 'This American Life,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/media-is-so-weird-everything-is-so-accessible-now-it-used-to-be-this/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [We are able to use technology to make it clear that someone's car is available or a room in a home is accessible; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gansky/we-are-able-to-use-technology-to-make-it-clear-that-someone-s-car-is/) [Lisa Gansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gansky/) > [A president aiming for 'Great' or 'Near Great' status must do more. He must give lots of interviews, make records accessible, and heap the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/a-president-aiming-for-great-or-near-great-status-must-do-more-he/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Like almost every major infrastructure, the Internet can be abused and its users harmed. We must, however, take great care that the cure for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/like-almost-every-major-infrastructure-the-internet-can-be-abused-and/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) [Browse all 211 Accessible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accessible/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think all poetry is accessible in a certain sense if you spend enough time with it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthea Harvey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-certain-sense-if-you-spend/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accessible" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-certain-sense-if-you-spend/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/matthea-harvey-10757_certain_i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-ce_1096348.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/matthea-harvey-10757_certain_i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-ce_1096348.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/matthea-harvey-10757_certain_i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-ce_1096348.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think all poetry is accessible in a certain sense if you spend enough time with it.” — Matthea Harvey", "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": "Matthea Harvey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think all poetry is accessible...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-certain-sense-if-you-spend/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-all-poetry-is-accessible-in-a-certain-sense-if-you-spend/#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 } } ] } ```