--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm obviously not orthodox, I don't know…" description: "\"I'm obviously not orthodox, I don't know how many real poets have ever been orthodox.\" — R. S. Thomas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/r-s-thomas-17783_inspirational_i-m-obviously-not-orthodox-i-don-t-know_648405.png" --- # I'm obviously not orthodox, I don't know how many real… ![“I'm obviously not orthodox, I don't know how many real poets have ever been orthodox.” quote by R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/r-s-thomas-17783_inspirational_i-m-obviously-not-orthodox-i-don-t-know_648405.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/r-s-thomas-17783_inspirational_i-m-obviously-not-orthodox-i-don-t-know_648405.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/r-s-thomas-17783_inspirational_i-m-obviously-not-orthodox-i-don-t-know_648405.png) > “I'm obviously not orthodox, I don't know how many real poets have ever been orthodox.” [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Thomas reflects on the rarity of poets adhering to traditional religious orthodoxy. **In simple terms:** Poets rarely follow strict religion. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity over conformity. Themes art religion identity conformity Mood contemplative inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - theological study - personal reflection Key Concepts poetry spirituality individualism Questions to Reflect On - Do you think faith limits artistic expression? - Can orthodoxy coexist with creativity? A Different Perspective May generalize all poets' experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Orthodox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodox/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) ## Related quotes > [Rarest of the real poets are born poets. They are the oddballs, not the professors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-broughton/rarest-of-the-real-poets-are-born-poets-they-are-the-oddballs-not-the/) [James Broughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-broughton/) > [“They're not. That's partly what's so awful. I mean they're not real poets. They're just people that write poems that get published and anthologized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/they-re-not-that-s-partly-what-s-so-awful-i-mean-they-re-not-real/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [In the world of poetry there are would-be poets, workshop poets, promising poets, lovesick poets, university poets, and a few real poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-broughton/in-the-world-of-poetry-there-are-would-be-poets-workshop-poets/) [James Broughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-broughton/) > [Don't call my lyrics poetry. It's an insult to real poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-taupin/don-t-call-my-lyrics-poetry-it-s-an-insult-to-real-poets/) [Bernie Taupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-taupin/) > [The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, “the Church which presides in charity”, is communion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-one-thing-that-the-catholic-church-desires-and-that-i-seek-as/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [You must teach yourself how to eat less, but with discernment, insofar as your work allows. The measure of temperance should be such that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/you-must-teach-yourself-how-to-eat-less-but-with-discernment-insofar/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [Had Elijah Muhammad tried to introduce an orthodox form of Arab-oriented Islam, I doubt if he would have attracted 500 people, but he introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/had-elijah-muhammad-tried-to-introduce-an-orthodox-form-of-arab/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [...God does not possess a private knowledge of Himself and a separate knowledge of all the creatures in common. The universal Cause, by knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-dionysius/god-does-not-possess-a-private-knowledge-of-himself-and-a-separate/) [Pope Dionysius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-dionysius/) > [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [Orthodox churches, autocracy and national traditions are supposed to form a new national ideology in Russia. This would mean that Russia would be overtaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-sorokin/orthodox-churches-autocracy-and-national-traditions-are-supposed-to/) [Vladimir Sorokin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-sorokin/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“The characteristics of this kind of reading are perhaps summed up in the word “orthodox,” which is almost always applicable. The word comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-characteristics-of-this-kind-of-reading-are-perhaps-summed-up-in/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) ## More by R. S. Thomas > [Is there a place here for the spirit ? Is there time on this brief platform for anything other than mind 's failure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/is-there-a-place-here-for-the-spirit-is-there-time-on-this-brief/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [Now the power of the imagination is a unifying power, hence the force of metaphor; and the poet is the supreme manipulator of metaphor...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/now-the-power-of-the-imagination-is-a-unifying-power-hence-the-force/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [The deep spaces between stars , Fathomless as the cold shadow His mind cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/the-deep-spaces-between-stars-fathomless-as-the-cold-shadow-his-mind/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [To live in Wales is to be conscious at dusk of the spilled blood that went into the making of the wild sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/to-live-in-wales-is-to-be-conscious-at-dusk-of-the-spilled-blood-that/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [Deliver me from the long drought of the mind. Let leaves from the deciduous Cross fall on us, washing us clean, turning our autumn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/deliver-me-from-the-long-drought-of-the-mind-let-leaves-from-the/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [Art is recuperation from time. I lie back convalescing upon the prospect of a harvest already at hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/art-is-recuperation-from-time-i-lie-back-convalescing-upon-the/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [I have been all men known to history, Wondering at the world and at time passing; I have seen evil, and the light blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/i-have-been-all-men-known-to-history-wondering-at-the-world-and-at/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [I have nowhere to go. The swift satellites show The clock of my whole being is slow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/i-have-nowhere-to-go-the-swift-satellites-show-the-clock-of-my-whole/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [I turn now not to the Bible but to Wallace Stevens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/i-turn-now-not-to-the-bible-but-to-wallace-stevens/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [Imaginative truth is the most immediate way of presenting ultimate reality to a human being... ultimate reality is what we call God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/imaginative-truth-is-the-most-immediate-way-of-presenting-ultimate/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [I am left alone on the surface of a turning planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/i-am-left-alone-on-the-surface-of-a-turning-planet/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [Poetry is that / which arrives at the intellect / by way of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/poetry-is-that-which-arrives-at-the-intellect-by-way-of-the-heart/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [The silence holds with its gloved hand the wild hawk of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/the-silence-holds-with-its-gloved-hand-the-wild-hawk-of-the-mind/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [Verse should be as natural As the small tuber that feeds on muck And grows slowly from obtuse soil To the white flower of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/verse-should-be-as-natural-as-the-small-tuber-that-feeds-on-muck-and/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [Sunlight 's a thing that needs a window Before it enter a dark room. Windows don't happen." So two old poets, Hunched at their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/sunlight-s-a-thing-that-needs-a-window-before-it-enter-a-dark-room/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) [Explore all 36 R. S. Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm obviously not orthodox, I don't know how many real poets have ever been orthodox.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R. 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