---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never try to force poems into a…"
description: "\"I never try to force poems into a collection simply because they were written/published within a certain period of time. They will eventually find thei..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/rigoberto-gonzalez-29636_certain_i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collec_200684.jpg"
---

#  I never try to force poems into a collection simply…

![“I never try to force poems into a collection simply because they were written/published within a certain period of time. They will eventually find their perfect home.” quote by Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/rigoberto-gonzalez-29636_certain_i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collec_200684.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/rigoberto-gonzalez-29636_certain_i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collec_200684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/rigoberto-gonzalez-29636_certain_i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collec_200684.jpg)

> “I never try to force poems into a collection simply because they were written/published within a certain period of time. They will eventually find their perfect home.”

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He believes poems should be grouped by natural fit, not by publication date, trusting time to place them correctly.

**In simple terms:** Poems belong where they fit best, not by when they were written.

Key Takeaway

Let poems find their own context.

Themes

creativity patience artistic integrity

Mood

reflective contemplative

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- editing collections
- archiving poetry
- curating anthologies
- teaching literature

Key Concepts

organic curation timing literary criticism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you decide when a poem is ready for publication?
- What criteria guide your curation decisions?

A Different Perspective

Some poems may never find a suitable collection if themes are too niche.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-a-life-cherishing-force-for-poems-are-not-words-after-all/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-a-life-cherishing-force-for-poems-are-not-words-after-all-2/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [If you take it one day at a time, eventually your major goals will fall into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ingram-ii/if-you-take-it-one-day-at-a-time-eventually-your-major-goals-will/)

[Mark Ingram II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ingram-ii/)

> [“Our life is made up of time. Our days are measured in hours, our pay measured by those hours, our knowledge is measured by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/our-life-is-made-up-of-time-our-days-are-measured-in-hours-our-pay/)

[Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/)

> [Maybe you won't find a place where you fit in for a very long time, but you eventually will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/maybe-you-won-t-find-a-place-where-you-fit-in-for-a-very-long-time/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Time eventually positions most photographs, even the most amateurish, at the level of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/time-eventually-positions-most-photographs-even-the-most-amateurish/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [“It is quite interesting to discover who we really are. It might take some time, but eventually we do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-kinias/it-is-quite-interesting-to-discover-who-we-really-are-it-might-take/)

Alexandra Kinias

> [George W. Bush, judging by his repeated invocations, thinks that time will eventually prove that he was right. He is not alone in putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/george-w-bush-judging-by-his-repeated-invocations-thinks-that-time/)

[Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/)

> [“Time has always been the greatest ally to Truth, because Time eventually relieves and reveals all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/time-has-always-been-the-greatest-ally-to-truth-because-time/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [Time is so precious, so don't waste any of it, because there's one thing about time, and that is that it eventually runs out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-hope/time-is-so-precious-so-don-t-waste-any-of-it-because-there-s-one/)

Emily Hope

> [It's taken a long time but eventually when I had the songs in place and demos right and I found myself a manager, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blunt/it-s-taken-a-long-time-but-eventually-when-i-had-the-songs-in-place/)

[James Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blunt/)

> [Hope you all remembered to set your clocks forward although what does it matter since we will lose everything to time eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hope-you-all-remembered-to-set-your-clocks-forward-although-what-does/)

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

> [There comes a time, where eventually, someone has to let go. Even if it's hard...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/there-comes-a-time-where-eventually-someone-has-to-let-go-even-if-it/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [If you work really hard at something for a really, really long time, you do it well. Eventually, somebody will notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sami-zayn/if-you-work-really-hard-at-something-for-a-really-really-long-time/)

[Sami Zayn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sami-zayn/)

> [“For each of us, he understood, is born into our own time and eventually the things we held as the center of our world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lan-samantha-chang/for-each-of-us-he-understood-is-born-into-our-own-time-and-eventually/)

[Lan Samantha Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lan-samantha-chang/)

## More by Rigoberto Gonzalez

> [Publishers have in-house editors, but I hire my own before I submit the work to publishers. They appreciate it and I feel more confident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/publishers-have-in-house-editors-but-i-hire-my-own-before-i-submit/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [I tend to overuse the word "project" only because "book" is terrifying while I'm still in the middle of something. A project can fail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-tend-to-overuse-the-word-project-only-because-book-is-terrifying/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [“I look through the window at the huge valley lit up with different colors. The town is cradled by the dark mountains. From afar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-look-through-the-window-at-the-huge-valley-lit-up-with-different/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [“Funerals in México are also about drowning sorrow with liquor. The coffee is spiked with tequila”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/funerals-in-m-xico-are-also-about-drowning-sorrow-with-liquor-the/)

[Rigoberto González](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [I always revise when I publish in a book. So versions in magazines are sometimes slightly different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-always-revise-when-i-publish-in-a-book-so-versions-in-magazines-are/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [I enjoy working on a number of projects - books - at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-enjoy-working-on-a-number-of-projects-books-at-once/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [One of the things I'm constantly telling my students is that they're never going to write a poem everyone gets, or if they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/one-of-the-things-i-m-constantly-telling-my-students-is-that-they-re/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [“What's a kiss? The sound loneliness makes when it dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/what-s-a-kiss-the-sound-loneliness-makes-when-it-dies/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [I like to move around in the landscape between poetry and prose, between the lyrical and the narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-like-to-move-around-in-the-landscape-between-poetry-and-prose/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [I figure I write for people who are intelligent enough to do some labor. Lazy readers are not my ideal readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-figure-i-write-for-people-who-are-intelligent-enough-to-do-some/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [I pay editors. I never ask friends or colleagues to work for free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-pay-editors-i-never-ask-friends-or-colleagues-to-work-for-free/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [Human suffering is articulated in language; communication is how we seek help, consolation, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/human-suffering-is-articulated-in-language-communication-is-how-we/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [“Unlike my dead lover, I refuse to/ choose the day I shock the world. There's no/ mystery left in suicide. The challenge is, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/unlike-my-dead-lover-i-refuse-to-choose-the-day-i-shock-the-world/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [“My four years of high school were spent locked up inside “el campo.” I became a voracious reader and television-watcher, keeping to myself at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/my-four-years-of-high-school-were-spent-locked-up-inside-el-campo-i/)

[Rigoberto González](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

> [I turned to human suffering because - this may sound odd - animal suffering is more difficult for me to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-turned-to-human-suffering-because-this-may-sound-odd-animal/)

[Rigoberto Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

[Explore all 18 Rigoberto Gonzalez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/)

## More Certain quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

Riffat Hassan

> [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/)

[Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

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

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/)

T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/)

[Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [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/)

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I never try to force poems into a collection simply because they were written/published within a certain period of time. They will eventually find their perfect home.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rigoberto Gonzalez"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collection-simply-because-they-were/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Certain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collection-simply-because-they-were/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/rigoberto-gonzalez-29636_certain_i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collec_200684.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/rigoberto-gonzalez-29636_certain_i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collec_200684.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/rigoberto-gonzalez-29636_certain_i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collec_200684.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I never try to force poems into a collection simply because they were written/published within a certain…” — Rigoberto Gonzalez",
                "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": "Rigoberto Gonzalez",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberto-gonzalez/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I never try to force poems...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collection-simply-because-they-were/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberto-gonzalez/i-never-try-to-force-poems-into-a-collection-simply-because-they-were/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
