---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The years rolled their brutal course down…"
description: "\"The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of time. Still poor, my clothes still smelling of the horse barn, still writing those doubtful poems..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/paul-engle-16507_barns_the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-dow_658311.jpg"
---

#  The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of…

![“The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of time. Still poor, my clothes still smelling of the horse barn, still writing those doubtful poems where too much emotion clashed with too many words.” quote by Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/paul-engle-16507_barns_the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-dow_658311.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/paul-engle-16507_barns_the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-dow_658311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/paul-engle-16507_barns_the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-dow_658311.jpg)

> “The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of time. Still poor, my clothes still smelling of the horse barn, still writing those doubtful poems where too much emotion clashed with too many words.”

[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.

A vivid description of hardship and artistic struggle, emphasizing perseverance despite poverty.

**In simple terms:** Life’s hardships fuel creative doubt and determination.

Key Takeaway

Channel adversity into artistic growth.

Themes

hardship creativity perseverance

Mood

somber determined

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- writing poetry
- working manual jobs
- overcoming poverty
- expressing emotion

Key Concepts

social realism poetic struggle

Questions to Reflect On

- How does hardship shape artistic voice?
- Can creativity thrive without material stability?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize suffering, ignoring systemic barriers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Barn Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barn-writing-5250947/) [Barns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barns/) [Brutal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutal/) [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Doubtful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubtful/) [Doubtful Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubtful-poems-5250946/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotion Clashed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion-clashed-5250948/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Poems Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems-emotion-5250945/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Rolled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-rolled-2594736/)

## Related quotes

> [Years rolled on again, and Wendy had a daughter. This ought not to be written in ink but in a golden splash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/years-rolled-on-again-and-wendy-had-a-daughter-this-ought-not-to-be-2/)

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

> [“The days rolled by in the camp—they were over before you could say "knife." But the years, they never rolled by; they never moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solzhenitsyn/the-days-rolled-by-in-the-camp-they-were-over-before-you-could-say/)

[Alexander Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“The years rolled slowly by and I found myself alone, surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends, found myslef further and further from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-years-rolled-slowly-by-and-i-found-myself-alone-surrounded-by/)

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

> [“Years rolled on again, and Wendy had a daughter. This ought not to be written in ink but in a golden splash. —J. M.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/years-rolled-on-again-and-wendy-had-a-daughter-this-ought-not-to-be/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [A barn with cattle and horses is the place to begin Christmas; after all, that's where the original event happened, and that same smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/a-barn-with-cattle-and-horses-is-the-place-to-begin-christmas-after/)

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

> [Farm country -- you know, hay, horses, cattle. It's the ideal situation for me. I like the physical endeavors that go with the farm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/farm-country-you-know-hay-horses-cattle-it-s-the-ideal-situation-for/)

[Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/)

> [Far and away the most futile admonition Christ ever offered was when he said, 'Have no care for tomorrow. Don't worry about whether you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/far-and-away-the-most-futile-admonition-christ-ever-offered-was-when/)

[Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/)

> [The first slap-jack given me for dinner was a cake of flour, partially fried in a pan of fat bacon. I nibbled about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-smith/the-first-slap-jack-given-me-for-dinner-was-a-cake-of-flour-partially/)

[James Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-smith/)

> [Were you raised in a barn? You don't just walk into someone's house." Ash laughed. "I have an open invitation to enter whenever I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/were-you-raised-in-a-barn-you-don-t-just-walk-into-someone-s-house/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [Just because two of the people in this barn have decided to spend their lives together doesn't mean the rest of us are obligated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-ryan/just-because-two-of-the-people-in-this-barn-have-decided-to-spend/)

[Sara Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-ryan/)

> [Do I enjoy features? Yeah, I really do. Would I like to do some more features before I head to the barn? Yeah, probably.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-i-enjoy-features-yeah-i-really-do-would-i-like-to-do-some-more/)

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

> [A lot of people approach their barn or horse like they are going to war, because it's been going badly. So you pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-meehl/a-lot-of-people-approach-their-barn-or-horse-like-they-are-going-to/)

[Cindy Meehl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-meehl/)

> [You need to have a home to go back to, whether it's a hotel room or a barn. It's only home when he's there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-gorder/you-need-to-have-a-home-to-go-back-to-whether-it-s-a-hotel-room-or-a/)

[Genevieve Gorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-gorder/)

> [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/my-father-kept-me-busy-from-dawn-to-dusk-when-i-was-a-kid-when-i-wasn/)

[Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/)

> [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

## 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/)

> [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/)

> [I have lectured at Town Hall N.Y., The Library of Congress, Harvard, Yale, Amherst, Wellesley, Columbia, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana State University, Colorado, Stanford,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/i-have-lectured-at-town-hall-n-y-the-library-of-congress-harvard-yale/)

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

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

## More Barns quotes

> [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/my-father-kept-me-busy-from-dawn-to-dusk-when-i-was-a-kid-when-i-wasn/)

[Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/)

> [You need to have a home to go back to, whether it's a hotel room or a barn. It's only home when he's there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-gorder/you-need-to-have-a-home-to-go-back-to-whether-it-s-a-hotel-room-or-a/)

[Genevieve Gorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-gorder/)

> [A lot of people approach their barn or horse like they are going to war, because it's been going badly. So you pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-meehl/a-lot-of-people-approach-their-barn-or-horse-like-they-are-going-to/)

[Cindy Meehl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-meehl/)

> [Do I enjoy features? Yeah, I really do. Would I like to do some more features before I head to the barn? Yeah, probably.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-i-enjoy-features-yeah-i-really-do-would-i-like-to-do-some-more/)

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

> [Just because two of the people in this barn have decided to spend their lives together doesn't mean the rest of us are obligated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-ryan/just-because-two-of-the-people-in-this-barn-have-decided-to-spend/)

[Sara Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-ryan/)

> [Were you raised in a barn? You don't just walk into someone's house." Ash laughed. "I have an open invitation to enter whenever I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/were-you-raised-in-a-barn-you-don-t-just-walk-into-someone-s-house/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [The first slap-jack given me for dinner was a cake of flour, partially fried in a pan of fat bacon. I nibbled about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-smith/the-first-slap-jack-given-me-for-dinner-was-a-cake-of-flour-partially/)

[James Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-smith/)

> [Far and away the most futile admonition Christ ever offered was when he said, 'Have no care for tomorrow. Don't worry about whether you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/far-and-away-the-most-futile-admonition-christ-ever-offered-was-when/)

[Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/)

> [Farm country -- you know, hay, horses, cattle. It's the ideal situation for me. I like the physical endeavors that go with the farm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/farm-country-you-know-hay-horses-cattle-it-s-the-ideal-situation-for/)

[Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/)

> [The principle factor in my success has been an absolute desire to draw constantly. I never decided to be an artist. Simply, I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winsor-mccay/the-principle-factor-in-my-success-has-been-an-absolute-desire-to/)

[Winsor McCay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winsor-mccay/)

> [We are to remember what an umpire Nature is; what a greatness, composure of depth and tolerance there is in her. You take wheat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/we-are-to-remember-what-an-umpire-nature-is-what-a-greatness/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Garages, barns and attics are always older than the buildings to which they are attached.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/garages-barns-and-attics-are-always-older-than-the-buildings-to-which/)

[Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/)

> [When the cold comes to New England it arrives in sheets of sleet and ice. In December, the wind wraps itself around bare trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/when-the-cold-comes-to-new-england-it-arrives-in-sheets-of-sleet-and/)

[Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/)

> [The harsh truth is, most red-haired men look like blondes who've spoiled from lack of refrigeration. They look like brown-haired men who've been composted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-harsh-truth-is-most-red-haired-men-look-like-blondes-who-ve/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

[Browse all 149 Barns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barns/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of time. Still poor, my clothes still smelling of the horse barn, still writing those doubtful poems where too much emotion clashed with too many words.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Engle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-down-the-hill-of-time-still-poor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Barns"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-down-the-hill-of-time-still-poor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/paul-engle-16507_barns_the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-dow_658311.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/paul-engle-16507_barns_the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-dow_658311.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/paul-engle-16507_barns_the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-dow_658311.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The years rolled their brutal course down the hill of time. Still poor, my clothes still smelling of the…” — 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": "The years rolled their brutal course...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-down-the-hill-of-time-still-poor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/the-years-rolled-their-brutal-course-down-the-hill-of-time-still-poor/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```