--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not sure, once a poet has found out…" description: "\"I am not sure, once a poet has found out what has been written already, and how it was written - once, in short, he has learnt his trade - that he shou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/philip-larkin-1822_books_i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out_745438.jpg" --- # I am not sure, once a poet has found out what has been… ![“I am not sure, once a poet has found out what has been written already, and how it was written - once, in short, he has learnt his trade - that he should bother with literature at all. Poetry is not like surgery, a technique that can be copied. Every operation the poet performs is unique, and need…” quote by Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/philip-larkin-1822_books_i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out_745438.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/philip-larkin-1822_books_i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out_745438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/philip-larkin-1822_books_i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out_745438.jpg) > “I am not sure, once a poet has found out what has been written already, and how it was written - once, in short, he has learnt his trade - that he should bother with literature at all. Poetry is not like surgery, a technique that can be copied. Every operation the poet performs is unique, and need never be done again.” [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. Poetry cannot be replicated like a craft; each poem is a singular act, making literature unnecessary for the poet. **In simple terms:** Poetry is unique, not a repeatable skill. Key Takeaway Create original work, not copies. Themes creativity originality artistry Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - creative writing - literary criticism - teaching poetry Key Concepts uniqueness authenticity Questions to Reflect On - Can imitation ever lead to innovation? - What defines originality in art? A Different Perspective Even skilled poets may still learn from others’ techniques. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bother/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-poetry-494278/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operations/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poet Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet-written-1208898/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Poetry Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-like/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgery/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Technique Copied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique-copied-5810509/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [I don't think the nature of my poetry is satirical or even ironic, I think it's essentially lyrical but again I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/i-don-t-think-the-nature-of-my-poetry-is-satirical-or-even-ironic-i/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [Poetry is like a portrait of a moment or person, and the poem is almost like looking at a photograph; it slaps you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warsan-shire/poetry-is-like-a-portrait-of-a-moment-or-person-and-the-poem-is/) [Warsan Shire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warsan-shire/) > [Poetry is like standing on the edge of a lake on a moonlit night and the light of the moon is always pointing straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/poetry-is-like-standing-on-the-edge-of-a-lake-on-a-moonlit-night-and/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Poetry is like fish: if it's fresh, it's good; if it's stale, it's bad; and if you're not certain, try it on the cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osbert-sitwell/poetry-is-like-fish-if-it-s-fresh-it-s-good-if-it-s-stale-it-s-bad/) [Osbert Sitwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osbert-sitwell/) > [Poetry is like a puzzle-solving strategy for me. I like to poem my way through tricky questions and ideas. That's about the only consistent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/poetry-is-like-a-puzzle-solving-strategy-for-me-i-like-to-poem-my-way/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Poetry is like pooping. If there is a poem inside of you, it has to come out. Sometimes it can be really difficult and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/poetry-is-like-pooping-if-there-is-a-poem-inside-of-you-it-has-to/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [To write poetry, like sincere poetry, it is like performing heart surgery on yourself without anesthesia...in public...You are peeling back layers. You are dissecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amir-sulaiman/to-write-poetry-like-sincere-poetry-it-is-like-performing-heart/) [Amir Sulaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amir-sulaiman/) > [When I devoted myself to poetry - and poetry is a very serious medium - I don't think the people that knew me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/when-i-devoted-myself-to-poetry-and-poetry-is-a-very-serious-medium-i/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [Poetry is like walking along a little, tiny, narrow ridge up on a precipice. You never know the next step, whether there's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-jacobsen/poetry-is-like-walking-along-a-little-tiny-narrow-ridge-up-on-a/) [Josephine Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-jacobsen/) > [“How I hate this silk dress that conceals a poet. Written in the mid 9th century by a brave woman poet. Even then, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yu-hsuan-chi/how-i-hate-this-silk-dress-that-conceals-a-poet-written-in-the-mid/) [Yu Hsuan-Chi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yu-hsuan-chi/) > [I once saw a picture in the paper of John Hegley with 'poet' written on his knuckles, and I thought that was pretty cool,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-mcgregor/i-once-saw-a-picture-in-the-paper-of-john-hegley-with-poet-written-on/) [Jon McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-mcgregor/) > [No poet will ever take the written word as a substitute for the spoken word; he knows that it is on the spoken word,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/no-poet-will-ever-take-the-written-word-as-a-substitute-for-the/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a true poet, though he has never written a line in all his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/he-who-draws-noble-delights-from-sentiments-of-poetry-is-a-true-poet/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Drawing is the poet's written line, set down to see if there be a story worth telling, a truth worth revealing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/drawing-is-the-poet-s-written-line-set-down-to-see-if-there-be-a/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) ## 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 Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not sure, once a poet has found out what has been written already, and how it was written - once, in short, he has learnt his trade - that he should bother with literature at all. Poetry is not like surgery, a technique that can be copied. Every operation the poet performs is unique, and need never be done again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Larkin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out-what-has-been-written-already/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out-what-has-been-written-already/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/philip-larkin-1822_books_i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out_745438.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/philip-larkin-1822_books_i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out_745438.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/philip-larkin-1822_books_i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out_745438.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am not sure, once a poet has found out what has been written already, and how it was written - once, in…” — 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": "I am not sure, once a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out-what-has-been-written-already/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-am-not-sure-once-a-poet-has-found-out-what-has-been-written-already/#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 } } ] } ```