--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What actually makes poetry poetry is of…" description: "\"What actually makes poetry poetry is of course impossible to define. We recognize it when we hear it, when we see it, but we can't define it.\" — Robert..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/912/robert-morgan-9709_impossible_what-actually-makes-poetry-poetry-is-of_2993069.jpg" --- # What actually makes poetry poetry is of course impossible… ![“What actually makes poetry poetry is of course impossible to define. We recognize it when we hear it, when we see it, but we can't define it.” quote by Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/912/robert-morgan-9709_impossible_what-actually-makes-poetry-poetry-is-of_2993069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/912/robert-morgan-9709_impossible_what-actually-makes-poetry-poetry-is-of_2993069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/912/robert-morgan-9709_impossible_what-actually-makes-poetry-poetry-is-of_2993069.jpg) > “What actually makes poetry poetry is of course impossible to define. We recognize it when we hear it, when we see it, but we can't define it.” [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry’s essence eludes definition; we recognize it through emotional resonance. **In simple terms:** Poetry is felt, not defined. Key Takeaway Trust intuition when reading poetry. Themes art emotion subjectivity Mood contemplative poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading groups - creative writing workshops - personal reflection Key Concepts aesthetic theory phenomenology literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - What moments make a poem feel like poetry? - How does personal experience shape perception? A Different Perspective Definitions can limit appreciation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [I was pushing for a career in poetry and of course the received wisdom was that you would never make a living at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/i-was-pushing-for-a-career-in-poetry-and-of-course-the-received/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [“I fell in love with the young assistant professor who took me through my first poetry course. 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Truant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-b-truant/) > [What poetry does above all else is develop sensibility. And that's what makes poetry so dangerous. That's why poetry is so good at undermining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/what-poetry-does-above-all-else-is-develop-sensibility-and-that-s/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [What makes our poetry so contemptible nowadays is its paucity of ideas. If you want to be read, invent. Who the Devil wouldn't like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/what-makes-our-poetry-so-contemptible-nowadays-is-its-paucity-of/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. 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Merwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-merwin-2/) > [The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their school, is briefly this: their poetry is conceived and composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-difference-between-genuine-poetry-and-the-poetry-of-dryden-pope/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## More by Robert Morgan > [I think that it's more likely that in my 60s and 70s I will be writing poetry rather than fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/i-think-that-it-s-more-likely-that-in-my-60s-and-70s-i-will-be/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [With prose you can incorporate more details, develop scenes, sustain the tension in a special way. Prose has its own speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/with-prose-you-can-incorporate-more-details-develop-scenes-sustain/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [The great watershed of modern poetry is French, more than English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/the-great-watershed-of-modern-poetry-is-french-more-than-english/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [When you have an idea for a story, you want those characters to reach as many people as you can. I think you normally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/when-you-have-an-idea-for-a-story-you-want-those-characters-to-reach/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [What language shall I borrow To thank Thee, dearest Friend, For this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? 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It awakens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/the-young-people-have-mtv-and-rock-and-roll-why-would-they-go-to-read/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) [Explore all 70 Robert Morgan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) ## More Impossible quotes > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. 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