--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are distinct duties of a poet…" description: "\"There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest is how I want to pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/rita-dove-4855_advise_there-are-distinct-duties-of-a-poet-laur_281183.jpg" --- # There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a… ![“There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest is how I want to promote poetry” quote by Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/rita-dove-4855_advise_there-are-distinct-duties-of-a-poet-laur_281183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/rita-dove-4855_advise_there-are-distinct-duties-of-a-poet-laur_281183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/rita-dove-4855_advise_there-are-distinct-duties-of-a-poet-laur_281183.jpg) > “There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest is how I want to promote poetry” [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A poet laureate balances official duties like organizing readings and advising institutions with personal goals of promoting poetry more broadly. **In simple terms:** A poet laureate has formal responsibilities and personal ambitions to spread poetry. Key Takeaway Blend official tasks with personal passion for impact. Themes art public service literature advocacy Mood inspired determined Type strategic motivational When to use this quote - library programs - school workshops - community events - media outreach Key Concepts cultural policy poetry promotion Questions to Reflect On - How can a poet laureate expand poetry's reach? - What challenges arise when balancing duty and personal vision? A Different Perspective Funding and public interest can limit outreach efforts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) ## Related quotes > [I want to promote poetry to the point where you got all the baldhead kids running around doing poetry, getting the music out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/i-want-to-promote-poetry-to-the-point-where-you-got-all-the-baldhead/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [It's the combination of the intimate and the public that I find so exciting about being poet laureate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/it-s-the-combination-of-the-intimate-and-the-public-that-i-find-so/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/people-write-me-from-all-over-the-country-asking-me-and-sometimes/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [I was appointed Poet Laureate. It came totally out of the blue because most Poet Laureates had been considerably older than I. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-was-appointed-poet-laureate-it-came-totally-out-of-the-blue-because/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Being Poet Laureate made me realize I was capable of a larger voice. There is a more public utterance I can make as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/being-poet-laureate-made-me-realize-i-was-capable-of-a-larger-voice/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [To this day, my mom's unsinkable spirit is an inspiration to me. For nearly thirty years, she's worked at the Library of Congress. Everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoda-kotb/to-this-day-my-mom-s-unsinkable-spirit-is-an-inspiration-to-me-for/) [Hoda Kotb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoda-kotb/) > [One time, the Library of Congress was giving books to local libraries around the country on Islam. The library of a guy named Walter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/one-time-the-library-of-congress-was-giving-books-to-local-libraries/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) > [I wanted to see my name on the cover of a book. If your name is in the Library of Congress, you're immortal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/i-wanted-to-see-my-name-on-the-cover-of-a-book-if-your-name-is-in-the/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [I obtained a job at the Library of Congress. I loved books, so I felt at home. 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What started me writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-could-not-do-what-i-do-without-the-kindness-consideration/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“universities and the Library of Congress, with support provided by grants from the federal government (Tedd 1994). Until roughly 1978, the only such systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-von-hippel/universities-and-the-library-of-congress-with-support-provided-by/) [Eric von Hippel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-von-hippel/) > [All over the world, there are libraries of a sort. They are among the most beautiful places on the earth, and they hold more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-adams/all-over-the-world-there-are-libraries-of-a-sort-they-are-among-the/) Brock Adams > [ \[The Library of Congress\] is a multimedia encyclopedia. These are the tentacles of a nation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-library-of-congress-is-a-multimedia-encyclopedia-these-are-the/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) ## More by Rita Dove > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/courage-has-nothing-to-do-with-our-determination-to-be-great-it-has/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Libraries are where it all begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/libraries-are-where-it-all-begins/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [My inspiration comes from everywhere, just walking down the street and I never know where it's going to come from, so I keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-inspiration-comes-from-everywhere-just-walking-down-the-street-and/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [To write for PC reasons, because you think you ought to be dealing with this subject, is never going to yield anything that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/to-write-for-pc-reasons-because-you-think-you-ought-to-be-dealing/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first time. And we go back to those moments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/all-of-us-have-moments-in-our-childhood-where-we-come-alive-for-the/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [The First Book: Go ahead, it won't bite. Well... maybe a little. More a nip, like. A tingle. It's pleasurable, really. You see, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/the-first-book-go-ahead-it-won-t-bite-well-maybe-a-little-more-a-nip/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Sometimes a word is found so right it trembles at the slightest explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/sometimes-a-word-is-found-so-right-it-trembles-at-the-slightest/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Listen how they say your name. If they can't say that right, there's no way they're going to know how to treat you proper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/listen-how-they-say-your-name-if-they-can-t-say-that-right-there-s-no/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/people-write-me-from-all-over-the-country-asking-me-and-sometimes/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Creative writing and literacy go hand and hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/creative-writing-and-literacy-go-hand-and-hand/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [My first advice would be to read, read, read, which sounds interesting coming in a digital age, but it's so much easier to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-first-advice-would-be-to-read-read-read-which-sounds-interesting/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [To me, a poem is almost like someone whispering to another person, or you hear the whispering in your head. I hope with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/to-me-a-poem-is-almost-like-someone-whispering-to-another-person-or/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [I was not interested in doing the plot of OEDIPUS in blackface. I did wonder, what would these people have been like if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-was-not-interested-in-doing-the-plot-of-oedipus-in-blackface-i-did/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [I prefer to explore the most intimate moments, the smaller, crystallized details we all hinge our lives on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-prefer-to-explore-the-most-intimate-moments-the-smaller/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) [Explore all 106 Rita Dove quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) ## More Advise quotes > [Choosing a job or business is the same thing. 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If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/) [G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/) > [Dont ever wrestle with a pig u'll both get dirty but the pig will enj0y it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udechukwu-d0navan/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-u-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) Udechukwu D0navan > [Some writing courses will advise you to write what you know. I've always thought this is very odd advice ... because it means, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/some-writing-courses-will-advise-you-to-write-what-you-know-i-ve/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I advise women to invest in real estate. It is the collateral to be preferred above all others, and the safest means of investing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetty-green/i-advise-women-to-invest-in-real-estate-it-is-the-collateral-to-be/) Hetty Green > [You bomb ISIL. You're not trying to bomb innocent people. And that requires intelligence and confidence in our military to be able to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-bomb-isil-you-re-not-trying-to-bomb-innocent-people-and-that/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [God is a spirit. Jesus was led up of the Spirit to be tempted of the Devil; and it is also true that spirits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradlaugh/god-is-a-spirit-jesus-was-led-up-of-the-spirit-to-be-tempted-of-the/) [Charles Bradlaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradlaugh/) > [I do not allow fan-fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan-fiction with my characters. I advise my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-do-not-allow-fan-fiction-the-characters-are-copyrighted-it-upsets/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Only a foolish man wil keep on doing one ting and expect another result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordons/only-a-foolish-man-wil-keep-on-doing-one-ting-and-expect-another/) Gordons > [I do believe that where there is a choice between cowardice and non-violence I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-believe-that-where-there-is-a-choice-between-cowardice-and-non/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [You are lucky in life if you have the right heroes. 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Ultimately people shape their own characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/parents-can-only-advise-their-children-or-point-them-in-the-right/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) Browse all 507 Advise quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. 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