---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The poem of the understanding is…"
description: "\"The poem of the understanding is philosophy.\" — Novalis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e25/novalis-1989_learning_the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philoso_751519.jpg"
---

#  The poem of the understanding is philosophy.

![“The poem of the understanding is philosophy.” quote by Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e25/novalis-1989_learning_the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philoso_751519.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e25/novalis-1989_learning_the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philoso_751519.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e25/novalis-1989_learning_the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philoso_751519.jpg)

> “The poem of the understanding is philosophy.”

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

## About This Quote

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

Understanding is expressed through poetic language; philosophy is the poem of comprehension.

**In simple terms:** Philosophy is poetic understanding.

Key Takeaway

Seek poetic insight in philosophical study.

Themes

philosophy poetry understanding

Mood

dreamy inspirational

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- literary analysis
- creative writing
- academic lectures

Key Concepts

Romanticism aesthetics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does metaphor shape your grasp of ideas?
- Can poetry replace logical analysis?

A Different Perspective

Poetry may obscure precise argument.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poem Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-understanding-5845827/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-philosophy-1804038/)

## Related quotes

> [“Philosophy, then, is not a doctrine, not some simplistic scheme for orienting oneself in the world, certainly not an instrument or achievement of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/philosophy-then-is-not-a-doctrine-not-some-simplistic-scheme-for/)

[Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/)

> [Some of my understanding of what philosophy and ethics is has changed very slowly. One thing that has changed is this for quite a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/some-of-my-understanding-of-what-philosophy-and-ethics-is-has-changed/)

[Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/)

> [“Marriage can be made to work if both the partners can see beyond themselves and understand the limitations,needs and abilities of the other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitralekha-paul/marriage-can-be-made-to-work-if-both-the-partners-can-see-beyond/)

[Chitralekha Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitralekha-paul/)

> [It is thus hardly surprising that so many of the great minds in recent history have concerned themselves with economic matters. Indeed, they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-zane-pilzer/it-is-thus-hardly-surprising-that-so-many-of-the-great-minds-in/)

[Paul Zane Pilzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-zane-pilzer/)

> [There is no art or science that is too difficult for industry to attain to; it is the gift of tongues, and makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/there-is-no-art-or-science-that-is-too-difficult-for-industry-to/)

[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/)

> [“O how incomprehensible everything was, and actually sad, although it was also beautiful. One knew nothing. One lived and ran about the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/o-how-incomprehensible-everything-was-and-actually-sad-although-it/)

[Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/)

> [I believed that regardless of political ideologies - the reality was I didn't even have any - which is no excuse, and it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-winston-wolkoff/i-believed-that-regardless-of-political-ideologies-the-reality-was-i/)

[Stephanie Winston Wolkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-winston-wolkoff/)

> [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/)

[John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/)

> [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/)

[Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/)

> [The language may be different, but the understanding is always the sam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwesi-darko/the-language-may-be-different-but-the-understanding-is-always-the-sam/)

[Kwesi Darko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwesi-darko/)

> [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/)

> [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

## More by Novalis

> [To get to know a truth properly, one must polemicize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/to-get-to-know-a-truth-properly-one-must-polemicize-it/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Character is a wish for a perfect education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/character-is-a-wish-for-a-perfect-education/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [“Whoever sees life other than as a self-destroying illusion is himself still preoccupied with life. Life must not be a novel that is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/whoever-sees-life-other-than-as-a-self-destroying-illusion-is-himself/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [“Inspiration without intellect is useless and dangerous; and the poet will be able to perform few wonders, when he is astonished by wonders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/inspiration-without-intellect-is-useless-and-dangerous-and-the-poet/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [It is not merely the multiplicity of tints, the gladness of tone, or the balminess of the air which delight in the spring; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/it-is-not-merely-the-multiplicity-of-tints-the-gladness-of-tone-or/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [“The world must be romanticized. Only in that way will one rediscover its original senses. Romanticization is nothing less than a qualitative raising of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-world-must-be-romanticized-only-in-that-way-will-one-rediscover/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Nature is an aeolian harp, a musical instrument whose tones are the re-echo of higher strings within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/nature-is-an-aeolian-harp-a-musical-instrument-whose-tones-are-the-re/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Our bodies are molded rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/our-bodies-are-molded-rivers/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Where are we really going? Always home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/where-are-we-really-going-always-home/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Darwin remarks that we are less dazzled by the light at waking, if we have been dreaming of visible objects. Happy are those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/darwin-remarks-that-we-are-less-dazzled-by-the-light-at-waking-if-we/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [We are near waking when we dream we are dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/we-are-near-waking-when-we-dream-we-are-dreaming/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Man has his being in truth--if he sacrifices truth he sacrifices himself. Whoever betrays truth betrays himself. It is not a question of lying--but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/man-has-his-being-in-truth-if-he-sacrifices-truth-he-sacrifices/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/every-beloved-object-is-the-center-point-of-a-paradise/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [In a work of art, chaos must shimmer through the veil of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/in-a-work-of-art-chaos-must-shimmer-through-the-veil-of-order/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Many things are too delicate to be thought; many more, to be spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/many-things-are-too-delicate-to-be-thought-many-more-to-be-spoken/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

[Explore all 167 Novalis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

## More Learning quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/)

[Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. 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/)

> [Learning from the best, you will eventually become the best if you have the talent already, if you have that potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/learning-from-the-best-you-will-eventually-become-the-best-if-you/)

[Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/)

> [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/)

[Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/)

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

[H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/)

> [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/)

[Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/)

> [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/)

[Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [Would she understand that time had stopped while she was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/would-she-understand-that-time-had-stopped-while-she-was-gone/)

[Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [“Damen's understanding of Laurent rearranged itself, in order that he might despise him more accurately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/damen-s-understanding-of-laurent-rearranged-itself-in-order-that-he/)

[S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/)

[Browse all 22,300 Learning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The poem of the understanding is philosophy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Novalis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philosophy/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Learning"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philosophy/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e25/novalis-1989_learning_the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philoso_751519.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e25/novalis-1989_learning_the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philoso_751519.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e25/novalis-1989_learning_the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philoso_751519.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The poem of the understanding is philosophy.” — Novalis",
                "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": "Novalis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The poem of the understanding is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philosophy/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-poem-of-the-understanding-is-philosophy/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
