--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a guiding principle I believe that…" description: "\"As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be its own sole freshly created universe, and therefore have no belief n 'tradition' or a common ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/philip-larkin-1822_allusion_as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-ev_1020831.jpg" --- # As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be… ![“As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be its own sole freshly created universe, and therefore have no belief n 'tradition' or a common myth-kitty or casual allusions in poems to other poems or poets, which last I find unpleasantly like the talk of literary understrappers letting…” quote by Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/philip-larkin-1822_allusion_as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-ev_1020831.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/philip-larkin-1822_allusion_as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-ev_1020831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/philip-larkin-1822_allusion_as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-ev_1020831.jpg) > “As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be its own sole freshly created universe, and therefore have no belief n 'tradition' or a common myth-kitty or casual allusions in poems to other poems or poets, which last I find unpleasantly like the talk of literary understrappers letting you see they know the right people.” [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A poem should be self‑contained, free from reliance on existing myths, traditions, or allusions to other works. **In simple terms:** Poems must stand alone, without borrowed references. Key Takeaway Write poems that create their own world. Themes creativity originality literary independence Mood reflective critical introspective Type analytical philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary criticism - personal journals - academic courses - publishing decisions Key Concepts self‑reference universalism authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure a poem feels complete without external allusions? - What benefits might arise from referencing literary tradition? A Different Perspective Readers may miss deeper intertextual richness that shared references can provide. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allusion/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Guiding principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guiding-principles/) [Kitties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitties/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [As a matter of principle, we believe patients should be able to see the right doctor at the right time. As a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-frist/as-a-matter-of-principle-we-believe-patients-should-be-able-to-see/) [Bill Frist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-frist/) > [“Another principle that I believe can be justified by scientific evidence so far is that nobody is going to emigrate from this planet not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/another-principle-that-i-believe-can-be-justified-by-scientific/) [Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/) > [The principle I believe in is the principle of protecting our nation. I believe that the United States has the right to attack any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-principle-i-believe-in-is-the-principle-of-protecting-our-nation/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [You must believe a poem is a holy thing, a good poem, that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/you-must-believe-a-poem-is-a-holy-thing-a-good-poem-that-is/) [Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/) > [I'm old-fashioned enough to really still believe that the poem is an object to be memorized, venerated... I still believe in that kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-w-galassi/i-m-old-fashioned-enough-to-really-still-believe-that-the-poem-is-an/) [Jonathan W. Galassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-w-galassi/) > [You must believe: a poem is a holy thing - a good poem, that is. The poem, even a short time after being written,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/you-must-believe-a-poem-is-a-holy-thing-a-good-poem-that-is-the-poem/) [Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/) > [“A kiss is such an amazing thing -- So simple, so complex. The only human act that gives while it receives. Mouth to mouth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-goldman/a-kiss-is-such-an-amazing-thing-so-simple-so-complex-the-only-human/) [Ken Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-goldman/) > [I do believe that a poem needs to remind the reader of his or her own humanity, of what they are, of what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/i-do-believe-that-a-poem-needs-to-remind-the-reader-of-his-or-her-own/) [Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/) > [“If you put the words on a page and you believe in them, then it’s a poem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewuare-osayande/if-you-put-the-words-on-a-page-and-you-believe-in-them-then-it-s-a/) Ewuare Osayande > [Conversation! Supple sentences, with first and second meanings and overtones beyond, outrageous challenges with cleverly planned slip-points, rebuttals of elegant brevity; deceptions and guiles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/conversation-supple-sentences-with-first-and-second-meanings-and/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [He was extremely reticent in his religious sentiments, at least in all that he wrote. Allusions to his belief are rarely, if ever, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-coit-gilman/he-was-extremely-reticent-in-his-religious-sentiments-at-least-in-all/) Daniel Coit Gilman > [“So,' I said, partly to Magda, partly to myself, 'Rema left Argentina with this An-a-to-le person.' I adopted the four-syllable pronunciation with confidence, feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rivka-galchen/so-i-said-partly-to-magda-partly-to-myself-rema-left-argentina-with/) [Rivka Galchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rivka-galchen/) > [Hip-hop is rich in musical allusion. It takes something that already existed, respects it, and reuses it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/hip-hop-is-rich-in-musical-allusion-it-takes-something-that-already/) [K. Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-flay/) > [Political journalists love graduate student intelligence, the ability to make clever allusions in seminars, and in 1999-2000 they hassled George W. Bush for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/political-journalists-love-graduate-student-intelligence-the-ability/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) ## More by Philip Larkin > [Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/deprivation-is-for-me-what-daffodils-were-for-wordsworth/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [Only one ship is seeking us, a black-Sailed unfamiliar, towing at her backA huge and birdless silence. In her wakeNo waters breed or break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/only-one-ship-is-seeking-us-a-black-sailed-unfamiliar-towing-at-her/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [And immediately Rather than words comes the thought of high windows: The sun-comprehending glass, And beyond it, the deep blue air, that shows Nothing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/and-immediately-rather-than-words-comes-the-thought-of-high-windows/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“Living toys are something novel, But it soon wears off somehow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/living-toys-are-something-novel-but-it-soon-wears-off-somehow/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“Once I am sure there's nothing going on I step inside, letting the door thud shut. Another church: matting, seats, and stone, And little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/once-i-am-sure-there-s-nothing-going-on-i-step-inside-letting-the/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [Life is first boredom, then fear. Whether or not we use it, it goes, And leaves what something hidden from us chose, age, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/life-is-first-boredom-then-fear-whether-or-not-we-use-it-it-goes-and/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“It never worked for me. Something to do with violence A long way back, and wrong rewards, And arrogant eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/it-never-worked-for-me-something-to-do-with-violence-a-long-way-back/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [Seriously, I think it is a grave fault in life that so much time is wasted in social matters, because it not only takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/seriously-i-think-it-is-a-grave-fault-in-life-that-so-much-time-is/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [So many things I had thought forgotten Return to my mind with stranger pain: Like letters that arrive addressed to someone Who left the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/so-many-things-i-had-thought-forgotten-return-to-my-mind-with/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“One of the quainter quirks of life is that we shall never know who dies on the same day as we do ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/one-of-the-quainter-quirks-of-life-is-that-we-shall-never-know-who/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“I sit in my room like Miss Havisham, about whom I have been reading this week. Better the Dickens you know than the Dickens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-sit-in-my-room-like-miss-havisham-about-whom-i-have-been-reading/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“When I throw back my head and howl People (women mostly) say But you've always done what you want, You always get your way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/when-i-throw-back-my-head-and-howl-people-women-mostly-say-but-you-ve/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [I think a young poet, or an old poet, for that matter, should try to produce something that pleases himself personally, not only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-think-a-young-poet-or-an-old-poet-for-that-matter-should-try-to/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [But superstition, like belief, must die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/but-superstition-like-belief-must-die/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“Side by side, their faces blurred, The earl and countess lie in stone, Their proper habits vaguely shown As jointed armour, stiffened pleat, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/side-by-side-their-faces-blurred-the-earl-and-countess-lie-in-stone/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) [Explore all 206 Philip Larkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) ## More Allusion quotes > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [Political journalists love graduate student intelligence, the ability to make clever allusions in seminars, and in 1999-2000 they hassled George W. Bush for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/political-journalists-love-graduate-student-intelligence-the-ability/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [Hip-hop is rich in musical allusion. It takes something that already existed, respects it, and reuses it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/hip-hop-is-rich-in-musical-allusion-it-takes-something-that-already/) [K. Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-flay/) > [“So,' I said, partly to Magda, partly to myself, 'Rema left Argentina with this An-a-to-le person.' I adopted the four-syllable pronunciation with confidence, feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rivka-galchen/so-i-said-partly-to-magda-partly-to-myself-rema-left-argentina-with/) [Rivka Galchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rivka-galchen/) > [He was extremely reticent in his religious sentiments, at least in all that he wrote. Allusions to his belief are rarely, if ever, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-coit-gilman/he-was-extremely-reticent-in-his-religious-sentiments-at-least-in-all/) Daniel Coit Gilman > [Conversation! Supple sentences, with first and second meanings and overtones beyond, outrageous challenges with cleverly planned slip-points, rebuttals of elegant brevity; deceptions and guiles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/conversation-supple-sentences-with-first-and-second-meanings-and/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [“She crossed her legs and kicked out her feet, clad in thick wool socks and boots big enough to house a little old lady.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-magary/she-crossed-her-legs-and-kicked-out-her-feet-clad-in-thick-wool-socks/) [Drew Magary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-magary/) > [Fine declamation does not consist in flowery periods, delicate allusions of musical cadences, but in a plain, open, loose style, where the periods are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/fine-declamation-does-not-consist-in-flowery-periods-delicate/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Words make a world of difference. Over time, they become charged with inference and allusion and, deployed effectively, they have the power to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ephraim-mirvis/words-make-a-world-of-difference-over-time-they-become-charged-with/) [Ephraim Mirvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ephraim-mirvis/) > [The classical allusions and the Platonic disquisitions on beauty are no longer a form of cover, but integral to Aschenbach's complex sexuality. Moreover, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-classical-allusions-and-the-platonic-disquisitions-on-beauty-are/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [If I am allowed to give a metaphorical allusion to the future state of the blessed, I should imagine it by the orange-grove in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphry-davy/if-i-am-allowed-to-give-a-metaphorical-allusion-to-the-future-state/) [Humphry Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphry-davy/) > [I am seventy years old, a gray age weighted with uncompromising biblical allusions. It ought to have a gray outlook, but it hasn't, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/i-am-seventy-years-old-a-gray-age-weighted-with-uncompromising/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [When I die Bookchinism comes to an end, and all the allusions to it both among Marxists and anarchists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/when-i-die-bookchinism-comes-to-an-end-and-all-the-allusions-to-it/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [“Danny strolled to the town common, sat on one of the benches in Teenytown and took one of the bottles out of the bag,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/danny-strolled-to-the-town-common-sat-on-one-of-the-benches-in/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Children have no use for psychology. They detest sociology. They still believe in God, the family, angels, devils, witches, goblins, logic, clarity, punctuation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/children-have-no-use-for-psychology-they-detest-sociology-they-still/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) [Browse all 70 Allusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be its own sole freshly created universe, and therefore have no belief n 'tradition' or a common myth-kitty or casual allusions in poems to other poems or poets, which last I find unpleasantly like the talk of literary understrappers letting you see they know the right people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Larkin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-every-poem-must-be-its-own-sole/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Allusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-every-poem-must-be-its-own-sole/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/philip-larkin-1822_allusion_as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-ev_1020831.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/philip-larkin-1822_allusion_as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-ev_1020831.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/philip-larkin-1822_allusion_as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-ev_1020831.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be its own sole freshly created universe, and…” — Philip Larkin", "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": "Philip Larkin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a guiding principle I believe...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-every-poem-must-be-its-own-sole/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/as-a-guiding-principle-i-believe-that-every-poem-must-be-its-own-sole/#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 } } ] } ```