---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more stringent the rules and the more…"
description: "\"The more stringent the rules and the more limiting they are, the more the poet and writer is forced to resort to special techniques and intricacies to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/simin-behbahani-43082_attention_the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-mor_1215755.jpg"
---

#  The more stringent the rules and the more limiting they…

![“The more stringent the rules and the more limiting they are, the more the poet and writer is forced to resort to special techniques and intricacies to escape them. And these techniques and intricacies adorn the writing and make it more beautiful. But, in the modern world, linguistic intricacies…” quote by Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/simin-behbahani-43082_attention_the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-mor_1215755.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/simin-behbahani-43082_attention_the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-mor_1215755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/simin-behbahani-43082_attention_the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-mor_1215755.jpg)

> “The more stringent the rules and the more limiting they are, the more the poet and writer is forced to resort to special techniques and intricacies to escape them. And these techniques and intricacies adorn the writing and make it more beautiful. But, in the modern world, linguistic intricacies and embellishments do not attract much attention anymore, and the more sincere and intimate the relationship between a work and its reader, the better.”

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Strict rules push poets to innovate, creating intricate, beautiful language, yet modern readers prefer sincerity over ornament.

**In simple terms:** Rules spark creativity, but readers want honesty.

Key Takeaway

Use constraints to deepen expression.

Themes

poetry creativity constraints authenticity

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- literary criticism
- teaching
- publishing

Key Concepts

literary technique innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- When do constraints enhance a poem?
- How can poets stay authentic while being ornate?

A Different Perspective

Complexity can alienate contemporary audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Intimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate/) [Intricacies Adorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intricacies-adorn-3704383/) [Intricacies Embellishments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intricacies-embellishments-3704380/) [Limiting Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limiting-poet-3704382/) [Linguistic Intricacies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linguistic-intricacies-3704379/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-world/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Sincere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincere/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Techniques Intricacies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/techniques-intricacies-3704381/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [ “Different groups in the \[Middle East\] drew two lessons from \[return of the shah in Iran\] - one, that Americans were willing to use… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/different-groups-in-the-middle-east-drew-two-lessons-from-return-of/)

[Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/)

> [Revisiting the Revolutionary War is a bracing reminder that the fate of a continent, and the shape of the modern world, turned on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/revisiting-the-revolutionary-war-is-a-bracing-reminder-that-the-fate/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Every well-thought-out rebuttal to dogma, every scrap of intelligent logic, every absurdist reduction of some bullying stance is the antidote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sanders/every-well-thought-out-rebuttal-to-dogma-every-scrap-of-intelligent/)

[George Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sanders/)

> [ “And while \[we\] do have possibilities that are vast and magnificent and almost infinite in scope, it's important to remember that our choice-rich lives… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-we-do-have-possibilities-that-are-vast-and-magnificent-and/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [“Critical thinking is an unavoidable part of growing up. We do not become adults without it. But in the modern world, this stage often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/critical-thinking-is-an-unavoidable-part-of-growing-up-we-do-not/)

[Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/)

> [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“People aren't crazy, they’re just reacting normally to an abnormally crazy world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-s-b-morse/people-aren-t-crazy-they-re-just-reacting-normally-to-an-abnormally/)

[J.S.B. Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-s-b-morse/)

> [“She’d thought Troy stank: the corpse piles, the fires, the fish guts thoughtfully left out for the gods—gee fucking thanks, guys, just what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/she-d-thought-troy-stank-the-corpse-piles-the-fires-the-fish-guts/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [“Virtually all letter writers confessed how their encounter with Nietzsche's philosophy either emboldened or chastened them, liberated them from old falsehoods, or saddled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-ratner-rosenhagen/virtually-all-letter-writers-confessed-how-their-encounter-with/)

[Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-ratner-rosenhagen/)

> [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [The streets, at least in this part of town, seemed impossibly clean in comparison to London. The public telephones were unvandalised. For a London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-streets-at-least-in-this-part-of-town-seemed-impossibly-clean-in/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

## More by Simin Behbahani

> [The nightmare of censorship has always cast a shadow over my thoughts. Both under the previous state and under the Islamic state, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/the-nightmare-of-censorship-has-always-cast-a-shadow-over-my-thoughts/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

> [Politics becomes a part of a writer's working life. The writer's protagonists are born in the context of the feelings that this atmosphere evokes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/politics-becomes-a-part-of-a-writer-s-working-life-the-writer-s/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

> [Literature rests on language. It is a linguistic art. So it cannot sever its relationship with the past. But it can create new methods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/literature-rests-on-language-it-is-a-linguistic-art-so-it-cannot/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

> [The fact that I'm a woman is as important to my work as a poet as the fact that Ahmad Shāmlu was a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/the-fact-that-i-m-a-woman-is-as-important-to-my-work-as-a-poet-as-the/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

> [No one can create a noteworthy work without knowing the tenets of their own language and literature. Language is renewed but it never changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/no-one-can-create-a-noteworthy-work-without-knowing-the-tenets-of/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

> [Old I may be, but, given the chance, I will learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/old-i-may-be-but-given-the-chance-i-will-learn/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

> [Democracy is the product of human thought and reasoning. It's true that philosophers and thinkers have always imagined a utopia in which everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/democracy-is-the-product-of-human-thought-and-reasoning-it-s-true/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

> [I've stood in long lines, in the rain and under the sun, just to buy a pack of butter or a box of paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/i-ve-stood-in-long-lines-in-the-rain-and-under-the-sun-just-to-buy-a/)

[Simin Behbahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

[Explore all 9 Simin Behbahani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/)

## More Attention quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/)

[Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/)

> [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/)

[Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/)

[Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/)

> [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/)

[Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/)

> [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/)

[Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/)

> [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/)

[Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/)

[Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/)

> [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/)

[Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/)

[Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The more stringent the rules and the more limiting they are, the more the poet and writer is forced to resort to special techniques and intricacies to escape them. And these techniques and intricacies adorn the writing and make it more beautiful. But, in the modern world, linguistic intricacies and embellishments do not attract much attention anymore, and the more sincere and intimate the relationship between a work and its reader, the better.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Simin Behbahani"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-more-limiting-they-are-the-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attention"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-more-limiting-they-are-the-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/simin-behbahani-43082_attention_the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-mor_1215755.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/simin-behbahani-43082_attention_the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-mor_1215755.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/simin-behbahani-43082_attention_the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-mor_1215755.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The more stringent the rules and the more limiting they are, the more the poet and writer is forced to…” — Simin Behbahani",
                "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": "Simin Behbahani",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simin-behbahani/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The more stringent the rules and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-more-limiting-they-are-the-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simin-behbahani/the-more-stringent-the-rules-and-the-more-limiting-they-are-the-more/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
