--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think all poems are commissioned. They…" description: "\"I think all poems are commissioned. They just come to me without somebody outside commissioning them. The idea comes and I will live with them 'til I g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/maya-angelou-104_commissioned_i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they_2822062.jpg" --- # I think all poems are commissioned. They just come to me… ![“I think all poems are commissioned. They just come to me without somebody outside commissioning them. The idea comes and I will live with them 'til I get it as close to what I mean. I've never been totally satisfied. I've come close a few times.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/maya-angelou-104_commissioned_i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they_2822062.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/maya-angelou-104_commissioned_i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they_2822062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/maya-angelou-104_commissioned_i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they_2822062.jpg) > “I think all poems are commissioned. They just come to me without somebody outside commissioning them. The idea comes and I will live with them 'til I get it as close to what I mean. I've never been totally satisfied. I've come close a few times.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry feels self‑initiated, yet the poet seeks closeness to intended meaning, never fully satisfied. **In simple terms:** Poems arise spontaneously, yet poet seeks perfect meaning. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection in creative work. Themes creativity process fulfillment Mood reflective inspirational Type literary creative When to use this quote - writing retreats - art classes - creative journals - peer reviews Key Concepts artistic expression self‑critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance satisfaction and improvement? - What does "close enough" look like? A Different Perspective Perfectionism may hinder productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commissioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commissioned/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I tell my students to think of poems as language plus, language with value added beyond its everyday use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-youn/i-tell-my-students-to-think-of-poems-as-language-plus-language-with/) [Monica Youn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-youn/) > [I think poems belong as much in the news pages as the literary pages. A lot of people throw aside the literary pages! Whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-harrison/i-think-poems-belong-as-much-in-the-news-pages-as-the-literary-pages/) [Tony Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-harrison/) > [“It's corny, but I think poems are echoes of the voices in your head and from your past. Your sisters, your father, your ancestors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/it-s-corny-but-i-think-poems-are-echoes-of-the-voices-in-your-head/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [Maybe because I can't even put together an IKEA desk, I've never been tempted to think of my own poems as built objects -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/maybe-because-i-can-t-even-put-together-an-ikea-desk-i-ve-never-been/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [As a university student, I tried hard to write poems in Korean. It was at that time that I foresaw my death and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/as-a-university-student-i-tried-hard-to-write-poems-in-korean-it-was/) [Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/) > [I think poems return us to that place of mud and dirt and earth, sun and rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/i-think-poems-return-us-to-that-place-of-mud-and-dirt-and-earth-sun/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [As a sick kid, I always looked out the window. The objects of my observation were the sun, the seasons, the wind, crazy people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/as-a-sick-kid-i-always-looked-out-the-window-the-objects-of-my/) [Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/) > [I write short phrases and used to think they were poems!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-r-dhanush/i-write-short-phrases-and-used-to-think-they-were-poems/) [Aishwarya R. Dhanush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-r-dhanush/) > [“I say I think my poems now are finer than anything I've ever done; I only hope that is the judgement of a ruined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/i-say-i-think-my-poems-now-are-finer-than-anything-i-ve-ever-done-i/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I think of my poems as personal and public at the same time. You could say they serve as psychological overlays. One fits on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/i-think-of-my-poems-as-personal-and-public-at-the-same-time-you-could/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [“I do think that all of us think in poems. I think of a poem as being deeper than headline news. You know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-shihab-nye/i-do-think-that-all-of-us-think-in-poems-i-think-of-a-poem-as-being/) [Naomi Shihab Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-shihab-nye/) > [“Robert Frost at Eighty" I think there are poems greater and stranger than any I have known. I would like to find them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boyle/robert-frost-at-eighty-i-think-there-are-poems-greater-and-stranger/) [Peter Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boyle/) > [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/) > [If the motive of writing is for some people a kind of exercise in dirty laundry, that's one thing. I've always thought of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/if-the-motive-of-writing-is-for-some-people-a-kind-of-exercise-in/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [I think my poems immediately come out of the sensuous and emotional experiences I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-think-my-poems-immediately-come-out-of-the-sensuous-and-emotional-2/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Commissioned quotes > [“The novelist is like a scout commissioned to go and see what is happening in the depth of the soul. He comes back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/the-novelist-is-like-a-scout-commissioned-to-go-and-see-what-is/) [Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/) > [In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I was commissioned in 2003 to create an original show, and began developing 'Upwake.' 'Upwake' tells the story of Zero, a modern-day business man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-tsakos/i-was-commissioned-in-2003-to-create-an-original-show-and-began/) [Natasha Tsakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-tsakos/) > [There's still a lot I need to do as a player, as a musician, as a sound creator. I have commissioned 170 pieces: that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-glennie/there-s-still-a-lot-i-need-to-do-as-a-player-as-a-musician-as-a-sound/) [Evelyn Glennie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-glennie/) > [On the first season of our show, I commissioned a Native American artist to make up, 'cause I'm known for the tomahawk, besides the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lando/on-the-first-season-of-our-show-i-commissioned-a-native-american/) [Joe Lando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lando/) > [I wish I'd been better able to resist the sense of obligation to write some of the poems I did. It's in the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-wish-i-d-been-better-able-to-resist-the-sense-of-obligation-to/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [We commissioned an independent statutory economic body - the Productivity Commission - to review the possibility of funding a disability scheme. The commission returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/we-commissioned-an-independent-statutory-economic-body-the/) [Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/) > [The concept of who your audience is becomes more important than your site. Sometimes you can be commissioned to do a piece in Strasburg,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-weiner/the-concept-of-who-your-audience-is-becomes-more-important-than-your/) [Lawrence Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-weiner/) > [Topshop is one of my favourite shops, and I love shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti. There's a graduate fashion designer called Kate Falcus who makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mvula/topshop-is-one-of-my-favourite-shops-and-i-love-shoes-by-giuseppe/) [Laura Mvula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mvula/) > [I served in all commissioned ranks from a second Lieutenant to a Major General. And during that time, I spent most of my time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smedley-butler/i-served-in-all-commissioned-ranks-from-a-second-lieutenant-to-a/) [Smedley Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smedley-butler/) > [I know that a ridiculous number of classic serials have been commissioned, and that reviews show a reaction against them. The critics seem fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-know-that-a-ridiculous-number-of-classic-serials-have-been/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [I believe Moses was 80 when God first commissioned him for public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-believe-moses-was-80-when-god-first-commissioned-him-for-public/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I commissioned this artist to make these silver tomahawks by hand. Larry Sellers, who plays Cloud Dancing on the show, blessed and cleansed them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lando/i-commissioned-this-artist-to-make-these-silver-tomahawks-by-hand/) [Joe Lando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lando/) > [I was so proud when I was commissioned into the Army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-was-so-proud-when-i-was-commissioned-into-the-army/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [“We are not sent to do everything good. We are commissioned and equipped for a certain noble task”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-michael/we-are-not-sent-to-do-everything-good-we-are-commissioned-and/) [Christian Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-michael/) [Browse all 39 Commissioned quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commissioned/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think all poems are commissioned. They just come to me without somebody outside commissioning them. The idea comes and I will live with them 'til I get it as close to what I mean. I've never been totally satisfied. I've come close a few times.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maya Angelou" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they-just-come-to-me-without/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Commissioned" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they-just-come-to-me-without/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/maya-angelou-104_commissioned_i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they_2822062.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/maya-angelou-104_commissioned_i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they_2822062.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/maya-angelou-104_commissioned_i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they_2822062.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think all poems are commissioned. They just come to me without somebody outside commissioning them. The…” — Maya Angelou", "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": "Maya Angelou", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think all poems are commissioned....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they-just-come-to-me-without/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-think-all-poems-are-commissioned-they-just-come-to-me-without/#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 } } ] } ```