---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And when this power [Richard Dehmel's…"
description: "\"“And when this power [Richard Dehmel's poetic power], coursing through his being, reaches his sexuality, it doesn't find quite the pure human being it ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/rainer-maria-rilke-193_love_and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poe_1309410.jpg"
---

#  And when this power \[Richard Dehmel's poetic power\]…

![“And when this power &#91;Richard Dehmel's poetic power&#93;, coursing through his being, reaches his sexuality, it doesn't find quite the pure human being it needs. The world of sexuality it finds is not entirely mature and pure, it is not human enough, only virile, rut, intoxication, restlessness, and…” quote by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/rainer-maria-rilke-193_love_and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poe_1309410.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/rainer-maria-rilke-193_love_and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poe_1309410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/rainer-maria-rilke-193_love_and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poe_1309410.jpg)

> ““And when this power \[Richard Dehmel's poetic power\], coursing through his being, reaches his sexuality, it doesn't find quite the pure human being it needs. The world of sexuality it finds is not entirely mature and pure, it is not human enough, only virile, rut, intoxication, restlessness, and weighed down by the old prejudices and arrogance with which men have disfigured and overburdened love. Because he loves only as a man, not as a human being, there is in his sense of sexuality something narrow, seemingly savage, hateful, time-bound, uneternal that diminishes his art and makes it ambivalent and doubtful.””

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

## 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 argues that when artistic inspiration is filtered through a limited, masculine view of sexuality, it becomes corrupted, lacking the pure humanity needed for true art.

**In simple terms:** Male‑centric desire distorts artistic purity.

Key Takeaway

Seek broader, humane perspectives in creativity.

Themes

art sexuality humanity masculinity corruption

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

analytical critical

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- art criticism
- personal relationships
- gender studies

Key Concepts

Existentialism gender theory aesthetic philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does gender shape artistic expression?
- Can love be fully expressed without ego?

A Different Perspective

Art can be constrained by narrow personal biases.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Man enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-enough/) [Masculinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masculinity/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/)

## Related quotes

> [Much of the time your attention is directed towards the world of sexuality, it's done through the second attention of a woman - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/much-of-the-time-your-attention-is-directed-towards-the-world-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [My sexuality doesn't define me, my inner personality as a whole defines what I wish people on the outside would truly see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daric-jeman-richie/my-sexuality-doesn-t-define-me-my-inner-personality-as-a-whole/)

Daric Jeman Richie

> [A real man can be a gay man. Sexuality doesn't define manhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/a-real-man-can-be-a-gay-man-sexuality-doesn-t-define-manhood/)

Enhance Dreams

> [I think that we're starting to allow ourselves to imagine that gender doesn't have to be binary, sexuality doesn't have to be binary, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-rundle/i-think-that-we-re-starting-to-allow-ourselves-to-imagine-that-gender/)

[Sophie Rundle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-rundle/)

> [The sexuality doesn't end. It really doesn't. You're sexual your whole life, if you're a sexual person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-sexuality-doesn-t-end-it-really-doesn-t-you-re-sexual-your-whole/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [We shouldn't feel restricted by our sexuality, and our sexuality doesn't have to be a cultural choice. That's an amazing variety of music within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-tennant/we-shouldn-t-feel-restricted-by-our-sexuality-and-our-sexuality-doesn/)

[Neil Tennant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-tennant/)

> [If there ever has been any confusion about my sexuality, then you are someone that doesn't even know me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-knight/if-there-ever-has-been-any-confusion-about-my-sexuality-then-you-are/)

[Jonathan Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-knight/)

> [I'm very comfortable with myself and my sexuality, but it doesn't define me. I also read books believe it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/i-m-very-comfortable-with-myself-and-my-sexuality-but-it-doesn-t/)

[Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/)

> [I think that's a place where we are, as a society, finally starting to get to now: where your sexuality doesn't have to define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-boynton/i-think-that-s-a-place-where-we-are-as-a-society-finally-starting-to/)

[Lucy Boynton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-boynton/)

> [I've always felt like you should love who you love - sexuality doesn't matter. It would be so cool in the future if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/i-ve-always-felt-like-you-should-love-who-you-love-sexuality-doesn-t/)

[Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/)

> [Sexuality doesn't need to be defended or justified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ryan/sexuality-doesn-t-need-to-be-defended-or-justified/)

[Lee Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ryan/)

> [“Her stories were going to randomly come out. He had to be man enough to listen to them. It was part of carrying her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-levine/her-stories-were-going-to-randomly-come-out-he-had-to-be-man-enough/)

[Elaine Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-levine/)

> [I'm man enough to know when to scream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/obert-skye/i-m-man-enough-to-know-when-to-scream/)

[Obert Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/obert-skye/)

> [“Do I look human enough to pass in the day?" "Yes, Suze. You do if you're looking to be a bouncer at a strip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emi-gayle/do-i-look-human-enough-to-pass-in-the-day-yes-suze-you-do-if-you-re/)

Emi Gayle

> [“He’s changed?” “Yes. He’s started hanging out with a different crowd, a richer crowd. The men are all so arrogant. They don’t doubt themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-cooperman/he-s-changed-yes-he-s-started-hanging-out-with-a-different-crowd-a/)

[Kathy Cooperman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-cooperman/)

## More by Rainer Maria Rilke

> [The artist's experience lies so unbelievably close to the sexual, to its pain and its pleasure, that the two phenomena are really just different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-artist-s-experience-lies-so-unbelievably-close-to-the-sexual-to/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“Out of infinite longings rise finite deeds like weak fountains, falling back just in time and trembling. And yet, what otherwise remains silent, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/out-of-infinite-longings-rise-finite-deeds-like-weak-fountains/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“I love the dark hours of my being. My mind deepens into them. There I can find, as in old letters, the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/i-love-the-dark-hours-of-my-being-my-mind-deepens-into-them-there-i/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“A complete sharing between two people is an impossibility and whenever it seems, nevertheless, to exist, it is a narrowing, a mutual agreement which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/a-complete-sharing-between-two-people-is-an-impossibility-and/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“But this is what ... people are so often and disastrously wrong in doing: they (who by their very nature are impatient) fling themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/but-this-is-what-people-are-so-often-and-disastrously-wrong-in-doing/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“If there is nothing you can share with other people, try to be close to Things. Things will not abandon you. The nights are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/if-there-is-nothing-you-can-share-with-other-people-try-to-be-close/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [To be here is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/to-be-here-is-immense/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“Sin is the most wonderfully roundabout path to God”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/sin-is-the-most-wonderfully-roundabout-path-to-god/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [Swells, Marina? we ocean, depths, Marina? we sky!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/swells-marina-we-ocean-depths-marina-we-sky/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-point-of-marriage-is-not-to-create-a-quick-commonality-by-tearing/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [You life will find its own paths... and that they be good, rich, and wide is what I wish for you, more than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/you-life-will-find-its-own-paths-and-that-they-be-good-rich-and-wide/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [I do not want to be folded for where I am folded, there I am a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/i-do-not-want-to-be-folded-for-where-i-am-folded-there-i-am-a-lie/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“That is why the sadness passes: the new presence inside us, the presence that has been added, has entered our heart, has gone into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/that-is-why-the-sadness-passes-the-new-presence-inside-us-the/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms, like books written in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/have-patience-with-everything-that-remains-unsolved-in-your-heart-try/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

[Explore all 861 Rainer Maria Rilke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

## More Love quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [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/)

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/)

[Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [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/)

> [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/)

[Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/)

> [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/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/)

[Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/)

> [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/)

[Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

[Browse all 233,035 Love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“And when this power [Richard Dehmel's poetic power], coursing through his being, reaches his sexuality, it doesn't find quite the pure human being it needs. The world of sexuality it finds is not entirely mature and pure, it is not human enough, only virile, rut, intoxication, restlessness, and weighed down by the old prejudices and arrogance with which men have disfigured and overburdened love. Because he loves only as a man, not as a human being, there is in his sense of sexuality something narrow, seemingly savage, hateful, time-bound, uneternal that diminishes his art and makes it ambivalent and doubtful.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rainer Maria Rilke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poetic-power-coursing-through/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poetic-power-coursing-through/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/rainer-maria-rilke-193_love_and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poe_1309410.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/rainer-maria-rilke-193_love_and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poe_1309410.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/rainer-maria-rilke-193_love_and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poe_1309410.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“And when this power [Richard Dehmel's poetic power], coursing through his being, reaches his sexuality, it…” — Rainer Maria Rilke",
                "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": "Rainer Maria Rilke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“And when this power [Richard Dehmel's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poetic-power-coursing-through/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/and-when-this-power-richard-dehmel-s-poetic-power-coursing-through/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
