--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't believe there is a poet who…" description: "\"I can't believe there is a poet who hasn't eagerly put down a word one day, only to erase it the next day deciding it was sheer lunacy. It's part of th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/stephen-dobyns-13599_believe_i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn_1887714.jpg" --- # I can't believe there is a poet who hasn't eagerly put… ![“I can't believe there is a poet who hasn't eagerly put down a word one day, only to erase it the next day deciding it was sheer lunacy. It's part of the process of selection.” quote by Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/stephen-dobyns-13599_believe_i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn_1887714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/stephen-dobyns-13599_believe_i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn_1887714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/stephen-dobyns-13599_believe_i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn_1887714.jpg) > “I can't believe there is a poet who hasn't eagerly put down a word one day, only to erase it the next day deciding it was sheer lunacy. It's part of the process of selection.” [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work involves drafting and discarding ideas, which is essential for refining the final piece. **In simple terms:** Writing needs trial and error. Key Takeaway Embrace editing as part of creation. Themes creativity editing process Mood reflective determined Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing drafts - novel revisions - poetry workshops - academic research Key Concepts artistic refinement self‑critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which ideas to keep? - What value does failure bring to your work? A Different Perspective Too much self‑censorship can stifle originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Lunacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lunacy/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) ## Related quotes > [I believe the poet shouldn't be in the poem at all except as a lens or as ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-oswald/i-believe-the-poet-shouldn-t-be-in-the-poem-at-all-except-as-a-lens/) [Alice Oswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-oswald/) > [If you believe you're a poet, then you're saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-corso/if-you-believe-you-re-a-poet-then-you-re-saved/) [Gregory Corso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-corso/) > [“The last madness I’ll probably persist in is to believe myself a poet: it will be up to the critics to cure me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-rard-de-nerval/the-last-madness-i-ll-probably-persist-in-is-to-believe-myself-a-poet/) [Gérard de Nerval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-rard-de-nerval/) > [Robert Frost really started this whole thing rolling. He was, I believe, the first poet who started going to colleges. Before that, poets didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/robert-frost-really-started-this-whole-thing-rolling-he-was-i-believe/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“I believe in being a poet in all moments of life. Being a poet means being human. I know some poets whose daily behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forough-farrokhzad/i-believe-in-being-a-poet-in-all-moments-of-life-being-a-poet-means/) Forough Farrokhzad > [Oh, can I really believe the poet's tales, that when one first sees the object of one's love, one imagines one has seen her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/oh-can-i-really-believe-the-poet-s-tales-that-when-one-first-sees-the/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I do believe that a poet would possess a stronger intuitive sense of phrasing with a rock song. There is a way to tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carroll/i-do-believe-that-a-poet-would-possess-a-stronger-intuitive-sense-of/) [Jim Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carroll/) > [I don't believe a poet has a better hold on truth or morality than a fiction writer has. And I don't think a fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-don-t-believe-a-poet-has-a-better-hold-on-truth-or-morality-than-a/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“How do people know they are sane? Can a person be gripped by lunacy, only to be released a short time later, never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-remy/how-do-people-know-they-are-sane-can-a-person-be-gripped-by-lunacy/) [Dee Remy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-remy/) > [“It must be nice to be righteous; from where I stand it looks like fucking lunacy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/it-must-be-nice-to-be-righteous-from-where-i-stand-it-looks-like/) [Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/) > [The human race has today the means for annihilating itself--either in a fit of complete lunacy, i.e., in a big war...or by the careless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/the-human-race-has-today-the-means-for-annihilating-itself-either-in/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [“He is smitten on the brain, -he reads and writes verses! I caught him in the act! Fools might say he was inspired; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-john-trelawny/he-is-smitten-on-the-brain-he-reads-and-writes-verses-i-caught-him-in/) [Edward John Trelawny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-john-trelawny/) > [“When you are gunning to be like other people, you are foolishly repeating their mistakes, and the worst of it all is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/when-you-are-gunning-to-be-like-other-people-you-are-foolishly/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Oh, all kinds of lunacy happens in Ireland, all kinds of lunacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelica-huston/oh-all-kinds-of-lunacy-happens-in-ireland-all-kinds-of-lunacy/) [Anjelica Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelica-huston/) > [If you accept the institutional lunacy, then the policies are rational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-accept-the-institutional-lunacy-then-the-policies-are-rational/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Stephen Dobyns > [Love doesn't need a reason. Hate needs a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/love-doesn-t-need-a-reason-hate-needs-a-reason/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“Isn't that why you want to shoot yourself? To make a protest against change?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/isn-t-that-why-you-want-to-shoot-yourself-to-make-a-protest-against/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“If he could not find beauty, nothing else would be worth finding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/if-he-could-not-find-beauty-nothing-else-would-be-worth-finding/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [He thinks of that ocean house and wishes he were back in his former life or that one could take one moment and remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/he-thinks-of-that-ocean-house-and-wishes-he-were-back-in-his-former/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [My wife's dying upstairs and I can't do anything about it. I look in her face and I see the memories there. I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/my-wife-s-dying-upstairs-and-i-can-t-do-anything-about-it-i-look-in/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [Other than fiction and poetry I tend to read history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/other-than-fiction-and-poetry-i-tend-to-read-history/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [Each thing I do, I rush through so I can do something else. In such a way do the days pass---a blend of stock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/each-thing-i-do-i-rush-through-so-i-can-do-something-else-in-such-a/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“A work of art gives testimony to what it is to be a human being. It bears witness, it extracts meaning. A work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/a-work-of-art-gives-testimony-to-what-it-is-to-be-a-human-being-it/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“It was not that she felt any allegiance to the truth. God knows she had cheated on too many men for the truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/it-was-not-that-she-felt-any-allegiance-to-the-truth-god-knows-she/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [I'm reading "The Sunset of a Splendid Century" by W.H. Lewis. He was C.S. Lewis's brother. He wrote two books about the French court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-m-reading-the-sunset-of-a-splendid-century-by-w-h-lewis-he-was-c-s/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“Each thing I do I rush through so I can do something else.. in such a way do the days pass.. I see all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/each-thing-i-do-i-rush-through-so-i-can-do-something-else-in-such-a-2/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [It was as if pain were a room he had entered and the door had been locked behind him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/it-was-as-if-pain-were-a-room-he-had-entered-and-the-door-had-been/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [Many of my poems try to use a comic element to reach a place that isn't comic at all. The comic element works as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/many-of-my-poems-try-to-use-a-comic-element-to-reach-a-place-that-isn/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [I majored in English in college and that was my major in graduate school before switching to creative writing. I read a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-majored-in-english-in-college-and-that-was-my-major-in-graduate/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [Sometimes someone will tell me about an author I've never heard of before and that will send me to that person. That's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/sometimes-someone-will-tell-me-about-an-author-i-ve-never-heard-of/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) [Explore all 50 Stephen Dobyns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't believe there is a poet who hasn't eagerly put down a word one day, only to erase it the next day deciding it was sheer lunacy. It's part of the process of selection.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Dobyns" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn-t-eagerly-put-down-a-word/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn-t-eagerly-put-down-a-word/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/stephen-dobyns-13599_believe_i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn_1887714.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/stephen-dobyns-13599_believe_i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn_1887714.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/stephen-dobyns-13599_believe_i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn_1887714.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't believe there is a poet who hasn't eagerly put down a word one day, only to erase it the next day…” — Stephen Dobyns", "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": "Stephen Dobyns", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can't believe there is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn-t-eagerly-put-down-a-word/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-can-t-believe-there-is-a-poet-who-hasn-t-eagerly-put-down-a-word/#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 } } ] } ```