--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To me, writing is a matter of voice. I…" description: "\"To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that. The expression I sometimes use to myself is 'actual song.' That what I do is somewhere on the l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/robert-pinsky-11434_actual_to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-thi_1453679.png" --- # To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that… ![“To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that. The expression I sometimes use to myself is 'actual song.' That what I do is somewhere on the line between speaking to you as I am now and actual song. And the things I love when I say one of those poems to myself - it's a little bit like…” quote by Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/robert-pinsky-11434_actual_to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-thi_1453679.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/robert-pinsky-11434_actual_to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-thi_1453679.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/robert-pinsky-11434_actual_to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-thi_1453679.png) > “To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that. The expression I sometimes use to myself is 'actual song.' That what I do is somewhere on the line between speaking to you as I am now and actual song. And the things I love when I say one of those poems to myself - it's a little bit like singing, it's a little bit like speaking.” [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. Writing blends spoken language with musical rhythm, creating a personal voice that feels like both speech and song. **In simple terms:** Writing is speech with musical rhythm. Key Takeaway Embrace the musicality in your words. Themes creativity voice music expression Mood reflective inspired Type creative inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - public readings - songwriting - teaching literature Key Concepts prosody intonation poetic form Questions to Reflect On - How does musical rhythm affect your comprehension? - When does song‑like language enhance meaning? A Different Perspective May blur clarity for listeners expecting straightforward prose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [People used to say poems were different to songs but I don't think they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinie-tempah/people-used-to-say-poems-were-different-to-songs-but-i-don-t-think/) [Tinie Tempah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinie-tempah/) > [I've said what I'm prepared to say in my poems, and then journalists think that you're going to tell them a whole lot more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-ve-said-what-i-m-prepared-to-say-in-my-poems-and-then-journalists/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [I want to just go to places where writers don't usually go, where people like me don't usually show up, and say, 'Here are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-k-smith/i-want-to-just-go-to-places-where-writers-don-t-usually-go-where/) [Tracy K. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-k-smith/) > [“Writing always came naturally to me. It was like speaking, but easier. Actually, a lot easier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/writing-always-came-naturally-to-me-it-was-like-speaking-but-easier/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [“We're called to speak to people to whom we often don't feel like speaking; to refrain from surrounding ourselves with people "just like us,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-king/we-re-called-to-speak-to-people-to-whom-we-often-don-t-feel-like/) [Heather King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-king/) > [I like to speak the truth. I know people dont like listening to the truth but I like speaking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-tamboli/i-like-to-speak-the-truth-i-know-people-dont-like-listening-to-the/) [Nikki Tamboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-tamboli/) > [Nobody writes a book to get rich. It's like speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/nobody-writes-a-book-to-get-rich-it-s-like-speaking/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [I'm not such a talkative person, and I don't like speaking in front of a lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bae-suzy/i-m-not-such-a-talkative-person-and-i-don-t-like-speaking-in-front-of/) [Bae Suzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bae-suzy/) > [I work a lot with dynamics of how loud I'm talking, like speaking into balloons and then feeling the texture on my fingertips, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-harvey/i-work-a-lot-with-dynamics-of-how-loud-i-m-talking-like-speaking-into/) [Mandy Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-harvey/) > [“saying these words is like speaking avocodo. warm, ripe juicy mango.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-brown/saying-these-words-is-like-speaking-avocodo-warm-ripe-juicy-mango/) Rebecca Brown > [I don't like speaking on things that I don't care about and that I'm not personally invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/i-don-t-like-speaking-on-things-that-i-don-t-care-about-and-that-i-m/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [When you want to talk to someone, speak to them like you're speaking to yourself on a mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/when-you-want-to-talk-to-someone-speak-to-them-like-you-re-speaking/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [One of the rules of running for Congress is no matter where you go, you speak like you're speaking to the whole district.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ossoff/one-of-the-rules-of-running-for-congress-is-no-matter-where-you-go/) [Jon Ossoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ossoff/) > [You might be thinking that some people are just naturally good at speaking up, and others just aren't - game over. Not true. Speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/you-might-be-thinking-that-some-people-are-just-naturally-good-at/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [Growing around great musicians, you just can't help it. I identified with it immediately. It was something that was so natural to me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-houston/growing-around-great-musicians-you-just-can-t-help-it-i-identified/) [Whitney Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-houston/) ## More by Robert Pinsky > [I have always been thinking about the sounds and shades and aromas of words - fitting them together or disrupting their customary march -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/i-have-always-been-thinking-about-the-sounds-and-shades-and-aromas-of/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) [Explore all 60 Robert Pinsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) ## More Actual quotes > [Imagination is a pretty powerful thing, and when you're in the moment and you're riding a train and you're asked to look scared, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/imagination-is-a-pretty-powerful-thing-and-when-you-re-in-the-moment/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [To cover politics in Washington allows you to live in the very, very wide gap between what the actual truth is, and how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/to-cover-politics-in-washington-allows-you-to-live-in-the-very-very/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [If the first bite is with the eye and the second with the nose, some people will never take that third, actual bite if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/if-the-first-bite-is-with-the-eye-and-the-second-with-the-nose-some/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) > [All my notebooks would be filled with lyrics instead of actual notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koffee/all-my-notebooks-would-be-filled-with-lyrics-instead-of-actual-notes/) [Koffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koffee/) > [In the U.S., it's like, you start with a great script, and then on set - not everybody, but definitely in the Apatow group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/in-the-u-s-it-s-like-you-start-with-a-great-script-and-then-on-set/) [Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/) > [Seeing the actual, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe', I absolutely loved it. It became one of my favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/seeing-the-actual-the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the/) [Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/) > [All actual life is encounter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/all-actual-life-is-encounter/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [I heard I won 'best butt crack' on television recently. It's true. I did it, you guys. I made it. I wish I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-edelstein/i-heard-i-won-best-butt-crack-on-television-recently-it-s-true-i-did/) [Lisa Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-edelstein/) > [Technically and logically speaking, actual Victorian science fiction writers cannot be dubbed 'steampunks.' Although they utilized many of the same tropes and touchstones employed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/technically-and-logically-speaking-actual-victorian-science-fiction/) [Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/) > [Ten years ago, TV cookery shows were about a man or a woman following recipes. Now, it's all about journeys and campaigns and less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drummond-money-coutts/ten-years-ago-tv-cookery-shows-were-about-a-man-or-a-woman-following/) [Drummond Money-Coutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drummond-money-coutts/) > [I've had years of psychiatry, and I ask about every six months - it's sort of like getting your oil checked - I ask,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-ve-had-years-of-psychiatry-and-i-ask-about-every-six-months-it-s/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [Although skin color is undoubtedly the most salient signal of racial identity in America, other actual or imagined bodily features have also been seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-kennedy/although-skin-color-is-undoubtedly-the-most-salient-signal-of-racial/) [Randall Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-kennedy/) > [I cannot remember a time when the question of why people behave as they do was not intensely interesting to me. The desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/i-cannot-remember-a-time-when-the-question-of-why-people-behave-as/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Walmart and other big-boxers could become the center of gravity for the conservation of goods, employ people with actual know-how, and develop deeper, longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gansky/walmart-and-other-big-boxers-could-become-the-center-of-gravity-for/) [Lisa Gansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gansky/) Browse all 306 Actual quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that. The expression I sometimes use to myself is 'actual song.' That what I do is somewhere on the line between speaking to you as I am now and actual song. And the things I love when I say one of those poems to myself - it's a little bit like singing, it's a little bit like speaking.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Pinsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-think-like-that-the-expression-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actual" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-think-like-that-the-expression-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/robert-pinsky-11434_actual_to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-thi_1453679.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/robert-pinsky-11434_actual_to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-thi_1453679.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/robert-pinsky-11434_actual_to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-thi_1453679.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that. The expression I sometimes use to myself is 'actual…” — 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": "To me, writing is a matter...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-think-like-that-the-expression-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/to-me-writing-is-a-matter-of-voice-i-think-like-that-the-expression-i/#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 } } ] } ```