--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've given offense by saying I'd as soon…" description: "\"I've given offense by saying I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down.\" — Robert Frost" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/robert-frost-371_free-verse_i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon_1862438.png" --- # I've given offense by saying I'd as soon write free verse… ![“I've given offense by saying I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down.” quote by Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/robert-frost-371_free-verse_i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon_1862438.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/robert-frost-371_free-verse_i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon_1862438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/robert-frost-371_free-verse_i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon_1862438.png) > “I've given offense by saying I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down.” [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative expression can be as spontaneous as sport, yet both require skill. **In simple terms:** Creativity and sport both need practice and freedom. Key Takeaway Embrace spontaneity in art and play. Themes creativity freedom playfulness Mood playful inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - sports training - improvisational theater - personal hobbies Key Concepts poetry athletics Questions to Reflect On - How does playfulness influence your creative work? - Can sport inspire poetic insight? A Different Perspective Risk of trivializing artistic discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Free verse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-verse/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis/) [Verses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verses/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The rules of the game really have given the offense an advantage, especially with pass interference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/the-rules-of-the-game-really-have-given-the-offense-an-advantage/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [I switch between fixed forms and free verse often, and enjoy being a poet who can "swing both ways," so to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-switch-between-fixed-forms-and-free-verse-often-and-enjoy-being-a/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) > [I like poetry because poetry - even in free verse - is formal, and it has to be very concise and packed and rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/i-like-poetry-because-poetry-even-in-free-verse-is-formal-and-it-has/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [The poet who writes "free" verse is like Robinson Crusoe on his desert island: he must do all his cooking, laundry and darning for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-poet-who-writes-free-verse-is-like-robinson-crusoe-on-his-desert/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [My own verse is usually free verse. The freer the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/my-own-verse-is-usually-free-verse-the-freer-the-better/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [I recently bought a book of free verse. For twelve dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-recently-bought-a-book-of-free-verse-for-twelve-dollars/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [The form of free verse is as binding and as liberating as the form of a rondeau.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/the-form-of-free-verse-is-as-binding-and-as-liberating-as-the-form-of/) [Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/) > [I started wanting desperately to say something, to make a point, to be heard - and I still feel that way. Free verse served…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-started-wanting-desperately-to-say-something-to-make-a-point-to-be/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [If a poem is not memorable, there's probably something wrong. One of the problems of free verse is that much of the free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/if-a-poem-is-not-memorable-there-s-probably-something-wrong-one-of/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [Free verse'? You may as well call sleeping in a ditch 'free architecture'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/free-verse-you-may-as-well-call-sleeping-in-a-ditch-free-architecture/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Modernism in other arts brought extreme difficulty. In poetry, the characteristic difficulty imported under the name of modernism was obscurity. But obscurity could just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/modernism-in-other-arts-brought-extreme-difficulty-in-poetry-the/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Free verse is chained in sentence-to-sentence links and breaks free in line breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/free-verse-is-chained-in-sentence-to-sentence-links-and-breaks-free/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Teenagers are free verse walking around on two legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/teenagers-are-free-verse-walking-around-on-two-legs/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/writing-free-verse-is-like-playing-tennis-with-the-net-down/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## More by Robert Frost > [The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working when you get up in the morning, and doesn't stop until you get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-brain-is-a-wonderful-organ-it-starts-working-when-you-get-up-in/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [When I see birches bend to left and right... I like to think some boy's been swinging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/when-i-see-birches-bend-to-left-and-right-i-like-to-think-some-boy-s/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Lord, I have loved Your sky, Be it said against or for me, Have loved it clear and high, Or low and stormy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/lord-i-have-loved-your-sky-be-it-said-against-or-for-me-have-loved-it/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Let him that is without stone among you cast the first thing he can lay his hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/let-him-that-is-without-stone-among-you-cast-the-first-thing-he-can/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It is only a moment here and a moment there that the greatest writer has. Some cognizance of the fact must be taken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-is-only-a-moment-here-and-a-moment-there-that-the-greatest-writer/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [And of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/and-of-course-there-must-be-something-wrong-in-wanting-to-silence-any/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-are-two-kinds-of-teachers-the-kind-that-fill-you-with-so-much/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But now the theory goes That the apple's a rose, And the pear is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-rose-is-a-rose-and-was-always-a-rose-but-now-the-theory-goes-that/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/forgive-o-lord-my-little-jokes-on-thee-and-i-ll-forgive-thy-great-big/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [What an exciting age it is we live in With all this talk about the hope of youth And nothing made of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/what-an-exciting-age-it-is-we-live-in-with-all-this-talk-about-the/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The footpath down to the well is healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-footpath-down-to-the-well-is-healed/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It's God - I recognised him from Blake's picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-s-god-i-recognised-him-from-blake-s-picture/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Create and stir other people to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/create-and-stir-other-people-to-create/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) [Explore all 624 Robert Frost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## More Free verse quotes > [“Leaches Ten Tall by Stewart Stafford Don't play this game with me, Predatory whelk of tide pools, Taint me as Rigoletto to a bawd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/leaches-ten-tall-by-stewart-stafford-don-t-play-this-game-with-me/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [“I am a poet writing frenetic free verse I am pretentious”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-h-hanson/i-am-a-poet-writing-frenetic-free-verse-i-am-pretentious/) Michael H. Hanson > [Teenagers are free verse walking around on two legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/teenagers-are-free-verse-walking-around-on-two-legs/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Free verse is chained in sentence-to-sentence links and breaks free in line breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/free-verse-is-chained-in-sentence-to-sentence-links-and-breaks-free/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [“A midst deceit I found the truth; there in the rough I found a diamond. And from the moment we met, I think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donato-dicristino/a-midst-deceit-i-found-the-truth-there-in-the-rough-i-found-a-diamond/) Donato DiCristino > [“If You Knew What if you knew you'd be the last to touch someone? If you were taking tickets, for example, at the theater,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/if-you-knew-what-if-you-knew-you-d-be-the-last-to-touch-someone-if/) [Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/) > [“vers libre," (free verse) or nine-tenths of it, is not a new metre any more than sleeping in a ditch is a new school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/vers-libre-free-verse-or-nine-tenths-of-it-is-not-a-new-metre-any/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Dead Butterfly By Ellen Bass For months my daughter carried a dead monarch in a quart mason jar. To and from school in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/dead-butterfly-by-ellen-bass-for-months-my-daughter-carried-a-dead/) [Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/) > [“If there has been one overriding change in poetic practice, it is that under the influence of free verse the poets have made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-langford/if-there-has-been-one-overriding-change-in-poetic-practice-it-is-that/) Martin Langford > [“Sanity is a sonnet with a strict meter and rhyme scheme-and my mind is free verse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-schindler/sanity-is-a-sonnet-with-a-strict-meter-and-rhyme-scheme-and-my-mind/) [Holly Schindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-schindler/) > [“In the poetry of arrival, the garage door is free verse; the front door can be anything from a rhyming couplet to a sonnet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akiko-busch/in-the-poetry-of-arrival-the-garage-door-is-free-verse-the-front-door/) Akiko Busch > [“in the end it is words poetry. sunsets someone’s deep blue silk voice. mountain scents. someone’s smile. eyes. that we have no defenses against.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanober-khan/in-the-end-it-is-words-poetry-sunsets-someone-s-deep-blue-silk-voice/) [Sanober Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanober-khan/) > [Modernism in other arts brought extreme difficulty. In poetry, the characteristic difficulty imported under the name of modernism was obscurity. But obscurity could just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/modernism-in-other-arts-brought-extreme-difficulty-in-poetry-the/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Free verse'? You may as well call sleeping in a ditch 'free architecture'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/free-verse-you-may-as-well-call-sleeping-in-a-ditch-free-architecture/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 57 Free verse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-verse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've given offense by saying I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Frost" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon-write-free-verse-as-play/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Free verse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon-write-free-verse-as-play/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/robert-frost-371_free-verse_i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon_1862438.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/robert-frost-371_free-verse_i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon_1862438.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/robert-frost-371_free-verse_i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon_1862438.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've given offense by saying I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down.” — Robert Frost", "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": "Robert Frost", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've given offense by saying I'd...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon-write-free-verse-as-play/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-ve-given-offense-by-saying-i-d-as-soon-write-free-verse-as-play/#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 } } ] } ```