--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always been thinking about the…" description: "\"I have always been thinking about the sounds and shades and aromas of words - fitting them together or disrupting their customary march - more or less ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/robert-pinsky-11434_aroma_i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-so_12430.png" --- # I have always been thinking about the sounds and shades… ![“I have always been thinking about the sounds and shades and aromas of words - fitting them together or disrupting their customary march - more or less every second of my life, waking and sleeping.” quote by Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/robert-pinsky-11434_aroma_i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-so_12430.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/robert-pinsky-11434_aroma_i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-so_12430.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/robert-pinsky-11434_aroma_i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-so_12430.png) > “I have always been thinking about the sounds and shades and aromas of words - fitting them together or disrupting their customary march - more or less every second of my life, waking and sleeping.” [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author obsessively explores the sensory dimensions of language, treating words as textures to be arranged or broken, reflecting a constant, almost compulsive engagement with linguistic expression. **In simple terms:** Words as sensory material. Key Takeaway Language is a tactile, olfactory experience. Themes creativity linguistics sensory perception artistic process obsession Mood reflective intense inquisitive Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - writing poetry - editing prose - teaching language - creative brainstorming - literary criticism Key Concepts sound color smell structure Practical Applications - Developing vivid descriptive prose - Designing immersive narrative experiences Questions to Reflect On - How does treating words as sensory objects change your writing? - What does this reveal about the relationship between language and perception? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aroma/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Music is the art of thinking with sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-combarieu/music-is-the-art-of-thinking-with-sounds/) Jules Combarieu > [Most of the time, I write songs with the arrangements all at once, in my head. 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They're waking up because life is waking them up, not because of some conference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/people-are-waking-up-in-their-homes-without-conferences-they-re/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [“Since the last question, also the first one, the quesiton of death, offers us the interesting alternatives of disintegrating ourselves by our own wills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow-herzog/since-the-last-question-also-the-first-one-the-quesiton-of-death/) Saul Bellow Herzog > [Each day is a little life: every waking and rising a little birth, every fresh morning a little youth, every going to rest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/each-day-is-a-little-life-every-waking-and-rising-a-little-birth/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [and all I could think was that I would like to spend every morning for the rest of my life waking up beside her](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/and-all-i-could-think-was-that-i-would-like-to-spend-every-morning/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“You have broken my heart. 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Waking up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/a-mother-after-all-is-your-entry-into-the-world-she-is-the-shell-in/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [“I think that dying is the easy part of life; for in waking each day and living in every moment, therein lies the challenge”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-aldana/i-think-that-dying-is-the-easy-part-of-life-for-in-waking-each-day/) [Jeremy Aldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-aldana/) > [One of the hardest struggles in life. waking up when its still dark..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny/one-of-the-hardest-struggles-in-life-waking-up-when-its-still-dark/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiny/) > [One of the joys in life is waking up each day with thoughts that somewhere, someone cares enough to send a warm morning greeting!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-joys-in-life-is-waking-up-each-day-with-thoughts-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Robert Pinsky > [I am a frustrated saxophone player. If I could, I would abandon all of my books, and I would trade it all if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/i-am-a-frustrated-saxophone-player-if-i-could-i-would-abandon-all-of/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [When I was a teenager, just about the only thing I could do right was play music. In my graduating class, I was certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/when-i-was-a-teenager-just-about-the-only-thing-i-could-do-right-was/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [Poetry’s medium is the individual chest and throat and mouth of whoever undertakes to say the poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/poetry-s-medium-is-the-individual-chest-and-throat-and-mouth-of/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [An artist needs not so much an audience, as to feel a need to answer, a promise to respond…a good feeling about his art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/an-artist-needs-not-so-much-an-audience-as-to-feel-a-need-to-answer-a/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [“This is one of the great human mysteries: why do works of art about bad things such as loss and deprivation make us feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/this-is-one-of-the-great-human-mysteries-why-do-works-of-art-about/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [Autobiography is a genre notorious for falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/autobiography-is-a-genre-notorious-for-falsehood/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [Even in the scorched and frozen world of the dead after the holocaust The wheel as it turns goes on accreting ornaments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/even-in-the-scorched-and-frozen-world-of-the-dead-after-the-holocaust/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [In jazz, as in poetry, there is always that play between what’s regular and what’s wild. That has always appealed to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/in-jazz-as-in-poetry-there-is-always-that-play-between-what-s-regular/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [The last thing a young artist should do in poetry or any other field is think about whats in style, whats current, what are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/the-last-thing-a-young-artist-should-do-in-poetry-or-any-other-field/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [The wonderful 17th Century poet, Robert Herrick, wrote a poem entitled, 'To Live Merrily and to Trust to Good Verses.' Easy to say, Robert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/the-wonderful-17th-century-poet-robert-herrick-wrote-a-poem-entitled/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > ['Write' is almost the wrong verb for what I do. I think 'compose' is more accurate because you're trying to make the sounds in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/write-is-almost-the-wrong-verb-for-what-i-do-i-think-compose-is-more/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [My poems - like my family life, my life with friends, my teaching - these things express who I am. I don't feel any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/my-poems-like-my-family-life-my-life-with-friends-my-teaching-these/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [“Symmetry suggests one myth, or significance: the drinking of writers coming from too much concentration, in solitude, upon feelings expressed for or even about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/symmetry-suggests-one-myth-or-significance-the-drinking-of-writers/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [I love form, but I'm not interested in forms. I've never written a sonnet or villanelle or sestina or any of that. For me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/i-love-form-but-i-m-not-interested-in-forms-i-ve-never-written-a/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [There is something cathartic about having absolute loss articulated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/there-is-something-cathartic-about-having-absolute-loss-articulated/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) [Explore all 60 Robert Pinsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) ## More Aroma quotes > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“Tea was the order of the day, neat for the hardened drinker or containing a tot of whiskey for those who liked it watered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/tea-was-the-order-of-the-day-neat-for-the-hardened-drinker-or/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [Both the five-year-olds looked at me with bewilderment and a bit of fearful uncertainty. I had a sudden horrifying image of the woman I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/both-the-five-year-olds-looked-at-me-with-bewilderment-and-a-bit-of/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Aromatherapy is extremely useful. If you want to go to sleep at night, and you have an aroma that calms your mind, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/aromatherapy-is-extremely-useful-if-you-want-to-go-to-sleep-at-night/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I'm not asking you to describe the rain falling the night the archangel arrived; I'm demanding that you get me wet. Make up your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/i-m-not-asking-you-to-describe-the-rain-falling-the-night-the/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Our sages of blessed memory have said that we must not enjoy any pleasure in this world without reciting a blessing. If we eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmuel-yosef-agnon/our-sages-of-blessed-memory-have-said-that-we-must-not-enjoy-any/) [Shmuel Yosef Agnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmuel-yosef-agnon/) > [“The nuns were not the only ones to take an interest in French-Canadian cooking that fall. It was a November evening, a little before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-nuns-were-not-the-only-ones-to-take-an-interest-in-french/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tolerated people are never conciliated. They live on, but the aroma of their life is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/tolerated-people-are-never-conciliated-they-live-on-but-the-aroma-of/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [A French poet famously referred to the aroma of certain cheeses as the ‘pieds de Dieu’—the feet of god. Just to be clear: foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/a-french-poet-famously-referred-to-the-aroma-of-certain-cheeses-as/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [How would you describe the spiritual aroma of your home? The source of this aroma is the relationship between husband and wife. Many can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/how-would-you-describe-the-spiritual-aroma-of-your-home-the-source-of/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [The bassoon is one of my favorite instruments. It has a medieval aroma, like the days when everything used to sound like that. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/the-bassoon-is-one-of-my-favorite-instruments-it-has-a-medieval-aroma/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [There is nothing more beautiful than the light of a Candle and the Aroma of it's Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/there-is-nothing-more-beautiful-than-the-light-of-a-candle-and-the/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [When love congeals It soon reveals The faint aroma of performing seals, The double-crossing of a pair of heels. I wish I were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenz-hart/when-love-congeals-it-soon-reveals-the-faint-aroma-of-performing/) [Lorenz Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorenz-hart/) > [Your attitude is like the aroma of your heart. If your attitude stinks, it means your heart’s not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kendrick/your-attitude-is-like-the-aroma-of-your-heart-if-your-attitude-stinks/) [Alex Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kendrick/) > [It was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the past, bringing back sounds and even other smells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/it-was-very-pleasant-to-savor-its-aroma-for-smells-have-the-power-to/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) [Browse all 90 Aroma quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aroma/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always been thinking about the sounds and shades and aromas of words - fitting them together or disrupting their customary march - more or less every second of my life, waking and sleeping.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Pinsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-sounds-and-shades-and-aromas-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aroma" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-sounds-and-shades-and-aromas-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/robert-pinsky-11434_aroma_i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-so_12430.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/robert-pinsky-11434_aroma_i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-so_12430.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/robert-pinsky-11434_aroma_i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-so_12430.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always been thinking about the sounds and shades and aromas of words - fitting them together or…” — Robert Pinsky", "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 Pinsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always been thinking about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-sounds-and-shades-and-aromas-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-sounds-and-shades-and-aromas-of/#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 } } ] } ```