--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps basketball and poetry have just a…" description: "\"Perhaps basketball and poetry have just a few things in common, but the most important is the possibility of transcendence. The opposite is labor. In w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/stephen-dunn-15620_achieve_perhaps-basketball-and-poetry-have-just_794639.png" --- # Perhaps basketball and poetry have just a few things in… ![“Perhaps basketball and poetry have just a few things in common, but the most important is the possibility of transcendence. The opposite is labor. In writing, every writer knows when he or she is laboring to achieve an effect. You want to get from here to there, but find yourself willing it…” quote by Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/stephen-dunn-15620_achieve_perhaps-basketball-and-poetry-have-just_794639.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/stephen-dunn-15620_achieve_perhaps-basketball-and-poetry-have-just_794639.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/stephen-dunn-15620_achieve_perhaps-basketball-and-poetry-have-just_794639.png) > “Perhaps basketball and poetry have just a few things in common, but the most important is the possibility of transcendence. The opposite is labor. In writing, every writer knows when he or she is laboring to achieve an effect. You want to get from here to there, but find yourself willing it, forcing it. The equivalent in basketball is aiming your shot, a kind of strained and usually ineffective purposefulness. What you want is to be in some kind of flow, each next moment a discovery.” [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote compares forced effort to natural flow, urging us to seek effortless creativity rather than strained labor. **In simple terms:** Effortless creativity beats forced work. Key Takeaway Embrace flow, avoid forced effort. Themes creativity flow effort transcendence Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing - basketball - artistic pursuits - daily tasks Key Concepts psychology performance mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize when you are laboring versus flowing? - What practices help you enter a state of effortless creativity? A Different Perspective Flow cannot be forced; it requires readiness and openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Finding yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-yourself/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Purposefulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purposefulness/) [Transcendence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendence/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Writing happened to me. I didn't decide to start writing or to be a writer. 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