--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... the reason why there are so few…" description: "\"... the reason why there are so few first-class poets is that many people have intense feelings or first-class minds but to get the two together so tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/may-sarton-897_class_the-reason-why-there-are-so-few-first-cl_1678207.jpg" --- # ... the reason why there are so few first-class poets is… ![“... the reason why there are so few first-class poets is that many people have intense feelings or first-class minds but to get the two together so that you will be willing to put a poem through sixty drafts, to be that self-critical, to keep breaking it down, that is what is rare. Right now most…” quote by May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/may-sarton-897_class_the-reason-why-there-are-so-few-first-cl_1678207.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/may-sarton-897_class_the-reason-why-there-are-so-few-first-cl_1678207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/may-sarton-897_class_the-reason-why-there-are-so-few-first-cl_1678207.jpg) > “... the reason why there are so few first-class poets is that many people have intense feelings or first-class minds but to get the two together so that you will be willing to put a poem through sixty drafts, to be that self-critical, to keep breaking it down, that is what is rare. Right now most poetry is just self-indulgence.” [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True artistry needs both deep feeling and disciplined refinement; without rigor, poetry becomes self‑indulgent. **In simple terms:** Great art needs feeling and hard work. Key Takeaway Cultivate discipline in creative work. Themes creativity self‑discipline artistic integrity Mood reflective determined Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing a poem - editing drafts - developing a manuscript - teaching creative writing Key Concepts Poetry craftsmanship self‑criticism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance inspiration with critical editing? - What habits keep you from over‑indulging? A Different Perspective Even with talent, lack of perseverance can stall artistic growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Class Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-poets-929955/) [Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [First class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-class/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Indulgence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indulgence/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Intense feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense-feelings/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poem Drafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-drafts-929957/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [Poets People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets-people-929956/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-why/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Right Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-poetry-929958/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self indulgence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-indulgence/) [Sixty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixty/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm from Chicago, so the Chicago working-class poets still mean a great deal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-m-from-chicago-so-the-chicago-working-class-poets-still-mean-a/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Poets are the only people to whom love is not only a crucial, but an indispensable experience, which entitles them to mistake it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/poets-are-the-only-people-to-whom-love-is-not-only-a-crucial-but-an/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Poets are people who can still see the world through the eyes of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonse-daudet/poets-are-people-who-can-still-see-the-world-through-the-eyes-of/) [Alphonse Daudet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonse-daudet/) > [Black actors on the road, flying around the country working as poets. 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But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. 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We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) [Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "... the reason why there are so few first-class poets is that many people have intense feelings or first-class minds but to get the two together so that you will be willing to put a poem through sixty drafts, to be that self-critical, to keep breaking it down, that is what is rare. 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