---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I began to write poetry in high school…"
description: "\"I began to write poetry in high school, and would ride miles over sandy roads in the fine hills around Cedar Rapids, repeating the lines over and over ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/paul-engle-16507_around_i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-a_1361359.jpg"
---

#  I began to write poetry in high school, and would ride…

![“I began to write poetry in high school, and would ride miles over sandy roads in the fine hills around Cedar Rapids, repeating the lines over and over until I had them right, making some of the rhythm of the horse help.” quote by Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/paul-engle-16507_around_i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-a_1361359.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/paul-engle-16507_around_i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-a_1361359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/paul-engle-16507_around_i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-a_1361359.jpg)

> “I began to write poetry in high school, and would ride miles over sandy roads in the fine hills around Cedar Rapids, repeating the lines over and over until I had them right, making some of the rhythm of the horse help.”

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

## About This Quote

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

The poet practices repeatedly, using horseback rhythm to perfect lines, showing dedication and the influence of environment on creative work.

**In simple terms:** Poetry requires practice and surroundings shape it.

Key Takeaway

Practice often and use your setting.

Themes

creativity discipline environment

Mood

reflective inspired nostalgic

Type

literary personal process

When to use this quote

- high school writing
- riding horses
- line refinement
- creative process
- learning by repetition

Key Concepts

Poetry ritual iteration

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your environment affect your creative process?
- What role does repetition play in mastering a skill?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize effort, overlooking innate talent or external constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around/) [Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began/) [Began Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-write/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-high-4660752/) [Rapids Repeating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapids-repeating-4660753/) [Repeating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repeating/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ride/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Roads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roads/) [Sandy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sandy/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Until](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/until/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-poetry/)

## Related quotes

> [My mother - my stepmother, really, she herself have been what they call an elocutionist. And she was the one who first encouraged me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-dee/my-mother-my-stepmother-really-she-herself-have-been-what-they-call/)

[Ruby Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-dee/)

> [I began to write poetry when I was about four years old. In other words, I've always been writing poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernesto-cardenal/i-began-to-write-poetry-when-i-was-about-four-years-old-in-other/)

[Ernesto Cardenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernesto-cardenal/)

> [But, that was the beginning, though I didn't start writing until I was in high school and when I was in high school I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/but-that-was-the-beginning-though-i-didn-t-start-writing-until-i-was/)

[Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/)

> [I by no means rank poetry high in the scale of intelligence -this may look like affectation but it is my real opinion. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/i-by-no-means-rank-poetry-high-in-the-scale-of-intelligence-this-may/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [Nas' Illmatic blew my mind when I first heard it. The poetry was done on such a high level that in a way, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-parker/nas-illmatic-blew-my-mind-when-i-first-heard-it-the-poetry-was-done/)

[Erik Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-parker/)

> [I wanted to write poetry almost a little more than I wanted to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-wanted-to-write-poetry-almost-a-little-more-than-i-wanted-to-eat/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [The main characters for 'The Seer and the Sword' made an appearance one night and then haunted me for over five years before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hanley/the-main-characters-for-the-seer-and-the-sword-made-an-appearance-one/)

[Victoria Hanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hanley/)

> [ “He began to write his thoughts and observations concerning the day's events \[...\] It helped him better understand everything he had seen and done… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/he-began-to-write-his-thoughts-and-observations-concerning-the-day-s/)

[Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/)

> [I began to write short pieces when I was living in a room too small to write a novel in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-cartwright/i-began-to-write-short-pieces-when-i-was-living-in-a-room-too-small/)

[Angela Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-cartwright/)

> [I began to write because I was too shy to talk, and too lonely not to send messages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mchugh/i-began-to-write-because-i-was-too-shy-to-talk-and-too-lonely-not-to/)

[Heather McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mchugh/)

> [“Taking out the journal she’d packed, and intending to make some preproduction notes on The Women, Sidda began to write instead about the Ya-Yas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-wells/taking-out-the-journal-she-d-packed-and-intending-to-make-some/)

[Rebecca Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-wells/)

> [When I was about twenty-one, I published a few poems. Maybe I wrote a couple of stories before, but I really began to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/when-i-was-about-twenty-one-i-published-a-few-poems-maybe-i-wrote-a/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [“I began to write again. I wrote just for the fuck of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-leebron/i-began-to-write-again-i-wrote-just-for-the-fuck-of-it/)

[Fred Leebron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-leebron/)

> ['A Fair Maiden' existed in notes and sketches for perhaps a year. When I traveled, I would take along with me my folder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-fair-maiden-existed-in-notes-and-sketches-for-perhaps-a-year-when-i/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [The women's movement was coming, but I didn't know it in 1956-1957, when I began to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/the-women-s-movement-was-coming-but-i-didn-t-know-it-in-1956-1957/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

## More by Paul Engle

> [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-nth-power/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Corncobs are the greatest fire-making tinder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/corncobs-are-the-greatest-fire-making-tinder/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the "N th" power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-n-th-power/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [I had been warned about Jews by my gentile friends - they did terrible things with knives to boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-had-been-warned-about-jews-by-my-gentile-friends-they-did-terrible/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Every Christmas should begin with the sound of bells, and when I was a child mine always did. But they were sleigh bells, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/every-christmas-should-begin-with-the-sound-of-bells-and-when-i-was-a/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Writing is rewriting what you have rewritten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/writing-is-rewriting-what-you-have-rewritten/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [I wanted to write poetry almost a little more than I wanted to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-wanted-to-write-poetry-almost-a-little-more-than-i-wanted-to-eat/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [When I took over the Writers' Workshop, it was one little class and there were eight students. All of them, brilliantly untalented... I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/when-i-took-over-the-writers-workshop-it-was-one-little-class-and/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [I grew up in the prolonged survival of the great age of the horse, with harness and saddle and sleigh bells and horse pictures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-grew-up-in-the-prolonged-survival-of-the-great-age-of-the-horse/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Soldiers of the American Revolution fought that 18th century war with heavy muskets. In the early 20th century, we kids fought it every Fourth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/soldiers-of-the-american-revolution-fought-that-18th-century-war-with/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of time. Still poor, my clothes still smelling of the horse barn, still writing those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-down-the-hill-of-time-still-poor/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Without vision you don't see, and without practicality the bills don't get paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/without-vision-you-don-t-see-and-without-practicality-the-bills-don-t/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Contrary to slanderous Eastern opinion, much of Iowa is not flat, but rolling hills country with a lot of timber, a handsome and imaginative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/contrary-to-slanderous-eastern-opinion-much-of-iowa-is-not-flat-but/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [The sharpest memory of our old-fashioned Christmas eve is my mother's hand making sure I was settled in bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/the-sharpest-memory-of-our-old-fashioned-christmas-eve-is-my-mother-s/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

> [Human life is too difficult for people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/human-life-is-too-difficult-for-people/)

[Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

[Explore all 39 Paul Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/)

## More Around quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/)

[Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/)

> [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/)

[James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/)

> [I guess I'm attracted to things that are fun. I guess what is fun about this role in 'Suburgatory' is that there's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-guess-i-m-attracted-to-things-that-are-fun-i-guess-what-is-fun/)

[Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/)

> [When I was a teen, I would draw a really, really long line around my eyes with eyeliner, like Lola Flores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/when-i-was-a-teen-i-would-draw-a-really-really-long-line-around-my/)

[Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/)

> [I think the issues around diversity of all kinds are really a huge problem in the startup world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/i-think-the-issues-around-diversity-of-all-kinds-are-really-a-huge/)

[Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/)

> [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/)

[Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/)

> [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/)

[Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/)

> [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/)

[Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/)

> [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/)

[Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/)

> [I drink maple syrup. Then I'm hyper so I just run around like crazy and work it all off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-drink-maple-syrup-then-i-m-hyper-so-i-just-run-around-like-crazy/)

[Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/)

> [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/)

[Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/)

> [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-have-to-say-i-grew-up-with-fashion-because-my-mother-was-a/)

[Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/)

> [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I became an MP in 2017 and have been around to watch Liberal Democrat party membership soar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/i-became-an-mp-in-2017-and-have-been-around-to-watch-liberal-democrat/)

[Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/)

[Browse all 7,275 Around quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I began to write poetry in high school, and would ride miles over sandy roads in the fine hills around Cedar Rapids, repeating the lines over and over until I had them right, making some of the rhythm of the horse help.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Engle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-and-would-ride-miles-over/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Around"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-and-would-ride-miles-over/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/paul-engle-16507_around_i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-a_1361359.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/paul-engle-16507_around_i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-a_1361359.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/paul-engle-16507_around_i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-a_1361359.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I began to write poetry in high school, and would ride miles over sandy roads in the fine hills around Cedar…” — Paul Engle",
                "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": "Paul Engle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I began to write poetry in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-and-would-ride-miles-over/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-began-to-write-poetry-in-high-school-and-would-ride-miles-over/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
