--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poetry is not an art, it's a symptom." description: "\"“Poetry is not an art, it's a symptom.”\" — Michele Brenton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/michele-brenton-263052_art_poetry-is-not-an-art-it-s-a-symptom-1459_1459141.jpg" --- # Poetry is not an art, it's a symptom. ![“Poetry is not an art, it's a symptom.” quote by Michele Brenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/michele-brenton-263052_art_poetry-is-not-an-art-it-s-a-symptom-1459_1459141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/michele-brenton-263052_art_poetry-is-not-an-art-it-s-a-symptom-1459_1459141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/michele-brenton-263052_art_poetry-is-not-an-art-it-s-a-symptom-1459_1459141.jpg) > ““Poetry is not an art, it's a symptom.”” [Michele Brenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-brenton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry reflects societal symptoms rather than being an isolated art form. **In simple terms:** Poetry is a symptom. Key Takeaway Read poetry to understand cultural health. Themes art poetry culture symptom reflection Mood insightful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - literature classes - therapy sessions - media analysis - creative writing Key Concepts literary theory sociology psychology of art Questions to Reflect On - How does poetry reveal social issues? - Can art be both symptom and art? A Different Perspective May undervalue aesthetic value of poetry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Symptom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-symptom-5266746/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-art-343188/) [Symptom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symptom/) ## Related quotes > [Poetry is the art of saying what you mean but disguising it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/poetry-is-the-art-of-saying-what-you-mean-but-disguising-it/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [Poetry is often the art of overhearing yourself say things you didn't know you knew. It is a learned skill to force yourself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/poetry-is-often-the-art-of-overhearing-yourself-say-things-you-didn-t/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [Poetry and art are key influences in changing how we look at taboos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/poetry-and-art-are-key-influences-in-changing-how-we-look-at-taboos/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [Poetry is the art of understanding what it is to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/poetry-is-the-art-of-understanding-what-it-is-to-be-alive/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [Poetry is the art of overhearing ourselves say things from which it is impossible to retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/poetry-is-the-art-of-overhearing-ourselves-say-things-from-which-it/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [Poetry is the only art people haven't learned to consume like soup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/poetry-is-the-only-art-people-haven-t-learned-to-consume-like-soup/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [“Poetry is an art of economy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-shenoda/poetry-is-an-art-of-economy/) [Matthew Shenoda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-shenoda/) > [Poetry and art are the breath of life to her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/poetry-and-art-are-the-breath-of-life-to-her/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [For poetry, more than any other art, except music, has a compelling hold upon the spiritual side of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizette-woodworth-reese/for-poetry-more-than-any-other-art-except-music-has-a-compelling-hold/) [Lizette Woodworth Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizette-woodworth-reese/) > [Poetry is not an art or a branch of art: it's something more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/poetry-is-not-an-art-or-a-branch-of-art-it-s-something-more/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/what-other-people-may-find-in-poetry-or-art-museums-i-find-in-the/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [Poetry is that art which selects and arranges the symbols of thought in such a manner as to excite the imagination the most powerfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-bryant/poetry-is-that-art-which-selects-and-arranges-the-symbols-of-thought/) [William C. 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Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. 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