---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It may very well be that we have entered…"
description: "\"It may very well be that we have entered another time when most poets will feel compelled to use poetry to stop things from happening. Yet I believe th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/matthew-zapruder-12762_another-time_it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered_461535.png"
---

#  It may very well be that we have entered another time when…

![“It may very well be that we have entered another time when most poets will feel compelled to use poetry to stop things from happening. Yet I believe that even if poetry did not do this, it would be vital to our survival.” quote by Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/matthew-zapruder-12762_another-time_it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered_461535.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/matthew-zapruder-12762_another-time_it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered_461535.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/matthew-zapruder-12762_another-time_it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered_461535.png)

> “It may very well be that we have entered another time when most poets will feel compelled to use poetry to stop things from happening. Yet I believe that even if poetry did not do this, it would be vital to our survival.”

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Poetry must act as a force against harmful events, and even without that power it remains essential for humanity’s endurance.

**In simple terms:** Poetry can stop bad things and is vital for survival.

Key Takeaway

Use poetry to confront and reflect on crises.

Themes

art resilience humanity

Mood

reflective urgent

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- activism
- personal coping
- education
- community building

Key Concepts

creative expression social critique existential meaning

Questions to Reflect On

- How can poetry inspire concrete change?
- What role does art play in societal resilience?

A Different Perspective

Poetry alone may not prevent events; action is also needed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [The secret wish of poetry is to stop time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/the-secret-wish-of-poetry-is-to-stop-time/)

[Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/)

> [“Her love of words is a private passion - one she would rather not share. In the house of her childhood though everything had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/her-love-of-words-is-a-private-passion-one-she-would-rather-not-share/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [I was an English major in college, so I really liked spoken word and poetry; it was what I did before I wrote music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-was-an-english-major-in-college-so-i-really-liked-spoken-word-and/)

[Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/)

> [I had feelings that I didn't know what to do with, and I felt better when I started writing them. I thought of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-had-feelings-that-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-and-i-felt-better/)

[Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/)

> [Tessa had begun to tremble. This is what she had always wanted someone to say. What she had always, in the darkest corner of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/tessa-had-begun-to-tremble-this-is-what-she-had-always-wanted-someone/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“Poetry Poetry, How did you find your way to me? My mother does not know Albanian well, She writes letters like Aragon, without commas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/poetry-poetry-how-did-you-find-your-way-to-me-my-mother-does-not-know/)

[Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [I never thought I'd be doing poetry books. I never really studied poetry. But the first one I did was after my mother died,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-kennedy/i-never-thought-i-d-be-doing-poetry-books-i-never-really-studied/)

[Caroline Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-kennedy/)

> [It's not surprising to me that books ended up playing a central role in my life, but it is somewhat mysterious that poetry did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/it-s-not-surprising-to-me-that-books-ended-up-playing-a-central-role/)

[Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/)

> [“Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls’ pants - use it to get into their heads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scroobius-pip/thou-shalt-not-use-poetry-art-or-music-to-get-into-girls-pants-use-it/)

[Scroobius Pip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scroobius-pip/)

> [I use poetry to explain myself to myself. It is a way of investigating who you really are, what you feel, what survives the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-w-galassi/i-use-poetry-to-explain-myself-to-myself-it-is-a-way-of-investigating/)

[Jonathan W. Galassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-w-galassi/)

> [“I primarily use poetry as a purge, a self-medication device when I’m in the depths of loneliness, anxiety or in the throes of depression.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-trandahl/i-primarily-use-poetry-as-a-purge-a-self-medication-device-when-i-m/)

[Nicholas Trandahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-trandahl/)

> [I use poetry to help me work through what I don’t understand, but I show up to each new poem with a backpack full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-use-poetry-to-help-me-work-through-what-i-don-t-understand-but-i/)

[Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/)

> [“As human beings we’ve certainly suffered the loss of awe, the loss of sacredness, and the loss of the fact that we’re not here—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/as-human-beings-we-ve-certainly-suffered-the-loss-of-awe-the-loss-of/)

[Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/)

> [Don't use the phone. People are never ready to answer it. Use poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/don-t-use-the-phone-people-are-never-ready-to-answer-it-use-poetry/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Though science makes no use for poetry, poetry is enriched by science. Poetry “takes up” the scientific vision and re-expresses its truths, but always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-p-jacks-2/though-science-makes-no-use-for-poetry-poetry-is-enriched-by-science/)

L.P. Jacks

## More by Matthew Zapruder

> [It is funny, and also a bit sad, that poets are so often asked to justify our vocation. There seems to be something vaguely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/it-is-funny-and-also-a-bit-sad-that-poets-are-so-often-asked-to/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [The question does arise if how and why to write poetry in this time. It feels both completely essential and also quite difficult. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/the-question-does-arise-if-how-and-why-to-write-poetry-in-this-time/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [That name, SUN BEAR, just sounds like an ideogram to me. Super resonant. By the way, this all might be related to Tomaž Šalamun's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/that-name-sun-bear-just-sounds-like-an-ideogram-to-me-super-resonant/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [Music and songs have always been a constant part of my life, and still are. My brother Michael, who is a songwriter and composer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/music-and-songs-have-always-been-a-constant-part-of-my-life-and-still/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [My own experience as a reader and writer has been that the more I read, and the more I live, the more different "types"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/my-own-experience-as-a-reader-and-writer-has-been-that-the-more-i/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [Thinking in prose is different. I gained an immense amount of respect for people who write prose, and also felt even more sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/thinking-in-prose-is-different-i-gained-an-immense-amount-of-respect/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [Something can be symbolic without being a mere stand-in or vessel, which just brings us away from the true mystery and dread, into some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/something-can-be-symbolic-without-being-a-mere-stand-in-or-vessel/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [The speaker tentatively reaches out with that feeling and realizes that it's kind of absurd, or at least a dangerous consolation, which is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/the-speaker-tentatively-reaches-out-with-that-feeling-and-realizes/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [I've noticed that there can be a visceral reaction to strong statements about poetry, as if anyone who has an opinion and expresses it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/i-ve-noticed-that-there-can-be-a-visceral-reaction-to-strong/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [Somewhere back a whiskey or so ago I wrote that thinking was a real thing in the world, just like anything else. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/somewhere-back-a-whiskey-or-so-ago-i-wrote-that-thinking-was-a-real/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [If freedom in the imagination is a privilege, it's one I believe everyone should have, as a basic human right. I also believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/if-freedom-in-the-imagination-is-a-privilege-it-s-one-i-believe/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [So for whatever reason those short lines just felt right to me, in my physical self. They were right for the movement of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/so-for-whatever-reason-those-short-lines-just-felt-right-to-me-in-my/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [I wanted to write not exclusively for (or against) poets or scholars, though many of them are people, too! But that was not my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/i-wanted-to-write-not-exclusively-for-or-against-poets-or-scholars/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [Reading a poem is a real thing, a worthy thing. So to be there right with the reader at that moment is part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/reading-a-poem-is-a-real-thing-a-worthy-thing-so-to-be-there-right/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

> [Miroslav Holub seems to expect his readers to act like scientists, who are curious in every direction, take nothing for granted, and are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/miroslav-holub-seems-to-expect-his-readers-to-act-like-scientists-who/)

[Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

[Explore all 53 Matthew Zapruder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/)

## More Another time quotes

> [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [You know what really made me sick? I was in Washington, D.C. at another time reading in a paper where the U.S. gives Byron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/you-know-what-really-made-me-sick-i-was-in-washington-d-c-at-another/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [I would’ve liked to have been Poussin, if I’d had a choice, in another time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cy-twombly/i-would-ve-liked-to-have-been-poussin-if-i-d-had-a-choice-in-another/)

[Cy Twombly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cy-twombly/)

> [I saw Len Hutton in his prime, Another time, another time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/i-saw-len-hutton-in-his-prime-another-time-another-time/)

[Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/)

> [Nobody can ask me more when I try all my best all the time, no? So, you know, if I lose another time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/nobody-can-ask-me-more-when-i-try-all-my-best-all-the-time-no-so-you/)

[Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/)

> [I think labels for the most part want to sign new discoveries so that that label alone is seen to be responsible for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/i-think-labels-for-the-most-part-want-to-sign-new-discoveries-so-that/)

[Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/)

> [“Another time, twice, in fact, I tried hard to be in love. I suffered, too, gentlemen, I assure you. In the depth of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/another-time-twice-in-fact-i-tried-hard-to-be-in-love-i-suffered-too/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [Sometimes I think my past life was unrealized. I met a tragic end - it might have been a car over a cliff. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ebersole/sometimes-i-think-my-past-life-was-unrealized-i-met-a-tragic-end-it/)

[Christine Ebersole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ebersole/)

> [Music should be like making love. Sometimes you want it soft and tender, another time you want it hard and aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/music-should-be-like-making-love-sometimes-you-want-it-soft-and/)

[Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/)

> [“I have something very important to say to you, but I can't tell you what it is. It's a very important thing, but I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhona-cameron/i-have-something-very-important-to-say-to-you-but-i-can-t-tell-you/)

[Rhona Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhona-cameron/)

> [“These elusive memories, appear out of nowhere like a portal to our past, from deep within the passages of our minds. They rise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-stafford-wilson/these-elusive-memories-appear-out-of-nowhere-like-a-portal-to-our/)

[Arlene Stafford-Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-stafford-wilson/)

> [“what was the point in creating something that was so futile and so precious? everything beautiful was like that. a little bit of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/what-was-the-point-in-creating-something-that-was-so-futile-and-so/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [The pain of loneliness is one way in which he wants to get our attention. We may be earnestly desiring to be obedient and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/the-pain-of-loneliness-is-one-way-in-which-he-wants-to-get-our/)

[Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/)

> [It started in middle school. Once, a group of girls locked me in the janitor's closet. Another time, a girl spilled chocolate milk down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dove-cameron/it-started-in-middle-school-once-a-group-of-girls-locked-me-in-the/)

[Dove Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dove-cameron/)

> [The only things that are a little bit newer are the CD burners, but we hid them under the table, so basically we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-white/the-only-things-that-are-a-little-bit-newer-are-the-cd-burners-but-we/)

[Meg White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-white/)

Browse all 390 Another time quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It may very well be that we have entered another time when most poets will feel compelled to use poetry to stop things from happening. Yet I believe that even if poetry did not do this, it would be vital to our survival.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Matthew Zapruder"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered-another-time-when-most-poets/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Another time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered-another-time-when-most-poets/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/matthew-zapruder-12762_another-time_it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered_461535.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/matthew-zapruder-12762_another-time_it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered_461535.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/matthew-zapruder-12762_another-time_it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered_461535.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It may very well be that we have entered another time when most poets will feel compelled to use poetry to…” — Matthew Zapruder",
                "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": "Matthew Zapruder",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It may very well be that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered-another-time-when-most-poets/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/it-may-very-well-be-that-we-have-entered-another-time-when-most-poets/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
