--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started a PhD in English at the…" description: "\"I started a PhD in English at the University of Chicago because I loved poetry-which I now realize is like saying I studied vivisection because I loved..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/michael-donaghy-62191_chicago_i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-univer_2868975.png" --- # I started a PhD in English at the University of Chicago… ![“I started a PhD in English at the University of Chicago because I loved poetry-which I now realize is like saying I studied vivisection because I loved dogs.” quote by Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/michael-donaghy-62191_chicago_i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-univer_2868975.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/michael-donaghy-62191_chicago_i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-univer_2868975.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/michael-donaghy-62191_chicago_i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-univer_2868975.png) > “I started a PhD in English at the University of Chicago because I loved poetry-which I now realize is like saying I studied vivisection because I loved dogs.” [Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author compares studying poetry to studying something contradictory, highlighting the paradox of loving something that harms its subject. **In simple terms:** Studying poetry feels like loving dogs while dissecting them. Key Takeaway Question the ethics of your passions. Themes paradox education ethics Mood reflective critical Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - academic pursuits - creative writing - moral reflection Key Concepts intellectual honesty self‑critique Questions to Reflect On - What contradictions exist in your field? - Can love justify harmful study? A Different Perspective Passion can blind ethical judgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [Vivisection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vivisection/) ## Related quotes > [Gradually I became aware that professing English because I loved poems was like practicing vivisection because I loved dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/gradually-i-became-aware-that-professing-english-because-i-loved/) [Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) > [I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/i-d-always-loved-poetry-and-i-d-always-loved-writing-music-and/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [The Color Purple really floored me. That book was just incredible because I loved the language. The biggest deal of that book was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/the-color-purple-really-floored-me-that-book-was-just-incredible/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [I always loved poetry and language was always my favourite subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latto/i-always-loved-poetry-and-language-was-always-my-favourite-subject/) [Latto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latto/) > [I don't think I ever had a morning where I woke up and said I'm going to be a professional poet. I know I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-don-t-think-i-ever-had-a-morning-where-i-woke-up-and-said-i-m-going/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“We always used to celebrate together at the end of a picture. Clark insisted on it. Maybe we’d include the director, maybe not. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrna-loy/we-always-used-to-celebrate-together-at-the-end-of-a-picture-clark/) [Myrna Loy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrna-loy/) > [I was twenty when I discovered war and photography. I can't say that I wanted to bear witness and change the world. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-delahaye/i-was-twenty-when-i-discovered-war-and-photography-i-can-t-say-that-i/) [Luc Delahaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-delahaye/) > [I've always written. There's a journal which I kept from about 9 years old. The man who gave it to me lived across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-ve-always-written-there-s-a-journal-which-i-kept-from-about-9-years/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I only said I loved you in my poetry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-boully/i-only-said-i-loved-you-in-my-poetry/) [Jenny Boully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-boully/) > [“No. It was neither heroes nor sacrifice nor yet virtues that she loved most; rather the poetry which spoke to her of dreams that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/no-it-was-neither-heroes-nor-sacrifice-nor-yet-virtues-that-she-loved/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [I'm not an academic, but I've always loved poetry since I've been small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-andrews/i-m-not-an-academic-but-i-ve-always-loved-poetry-since-i-ve-been-small/) [Naveen Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-andrews/) > [Kenneth Rexroth took me under his wing for a brief period. I was fifteen years old, and I was smoking a lot of heroin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/kenneth-rexroth-took-me-under-his-wing-for-a-brief-period-i-was/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [I had loved poetry and the theatre. Now I loved adventure more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-had-loved-poetry-and-the-theatre-now-i-loved-adventure-more/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [My father loved poetry and music. But deep in himself he thought teaching the finest thing a person could do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/my-father-loved-poetry-and-music-but-deep-in-himself-he-thought/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [I've loved poetry since a very young age and my parents, especially my dad, he really introduced us to art when we were quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-crenn/i-ve-loved-poetry-since-a-very-young-age-and-my-parents-especially-my/) [Dominique Crenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-crenn/) ## More by Michael Donaghy > [Gradually I became aware that professing English because I loved poems was like practicing vivisection because I loved dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/gradually-i-became-aware-that-professing-english-because-i-loved/) [Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) > [Here's me opening my wrists before breakfast, Christmas day, and here's you asking if it hurt. Here's where I choose between mea culpa and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/here-s-me-opening-my-wrists-before-breakfast-christmas-day-and-here-s/) [Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) > [“I always get a little bit irritated when people talk about 'bringing poetry to the people' especially those poet - performers who seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/i-always-get-a-little-bit-irritated-when-people-talk-about-bringing/) [Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) > [The first thing that strikes you about Timothy Murphys verse is the palpable texture of his line - that sound of sense practised by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/the-first-thing-that-strikes-you-about-timothy-murphys-verse-is-the/) [Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) [Explore all 5 Michael Donaghy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) ## More Chicago quotes > [I'm proud to say I had a bet with a guy from Chicago who said Chicago is windier and colder than Wyoming. Wyoming dominated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leach/i-m-proud-to-say-i-had-a-bet-with-a-guy-from-chicago-who-said-chicago/) [Mike Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leach/) > [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“Things are more like they are now...than they have EVER been before!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uncle-arnie-mamath/things-are-more-like-they-are-now-than-they-have-ever-been-before/) Uncle Arnie Mamath > [This week I realized my dad will make you cry in the store if you make him mad. Also when your crossing the street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-week-i-realized-my-dad-will-make-you-cry-in-the-store-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whenever I was flying commercial, I would land in Chicago, and they would announce, 'Get your passports out.' It happened so often, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-khan/whenever-i-was-flying-commercial-i-would-land-in-chicago-and-they/) [Shahid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-khan/) > [I loved 'Chicago Code;' I watched that a lot. It was great because it really captured the city - I'm from Chicago, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessy-schram/i-loved-chicago-code-i-watched-that-a-lot-it-was-great-because-it/) [Jessy Schram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessy-schram/) > [As much as I want to stay on the team -- I love Chicago, I love the Bulls -- at the same time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/as-much-as-i-want-to-stay-on-the-team-i-love-chicago-i-love-the-bulls/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) > [I'm from Chicago. And I was an actor in high school and college, and I wanted to see if I could make a run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/i-m-from-chicago-and-i-was-an-actor-in-high-school-and-college-and-i/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [“I will have both of you," he said. "My Sentinel and my city. And the GP will learn exactly how stubborn we both can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-will-have-both-of-you-he-said-my-sentinel-and-my-city-and-the-gp/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/you-d-never-think-of-taking-a-cab-if-you-had-to-walk-a-mile-down/) [Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/) > [Perhaps the most typically American place in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryce/perhaps-the-most-typically-american-place-in-america/) [James Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryce/) > [I feel there's a really raw quality in the Chicago theater community that's really special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-layne/i-feel-there-s-a-really-raw-quality-in-the-chicago-theater-community/) [KiKi Layne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-layne/) > [Chicago is unique. It is the only completely corrupt city in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edward-merriam/chicago-is-unique-it-is-the-only-completely-corrupt-city-in-america/) [Charles Edward Merriam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edward-merriam/) > [Chicago, to me, is the best wrestling crowd on the planet. They are the best. They are loud, they are ruthless, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldust/chicago-to-me-is-the-best-wrestling-crowd-on-the-planet-they-are-the/) [Goldust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldust/) [Browse all 1,655 Chicago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I started a PhD in English at the University of Chicago because I loved poetry-which I now realize is like saying I studied vivisection because I loved dogs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Donaghy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-university-of-chicago-because-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chicago" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-university-of-chicago-because-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/michael-donaghy-62191_chicago_i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-univer_2868975.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/michael-donaghy-62191_chicago_i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-univer_2868975.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/michael-donaghy-62191_chicago_i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-univer_2868975.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I started a PhD in English at the University of Chicago because I loved poetry-which I now realize is like…” — Michael Donaghy", "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": "Michael Donaghy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I started a PhD in English...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-university-of-chicago-because-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/i-started-a-phd-in-english-at-the-university-of-chicago-because-i/#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 } } ] } ```