--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was in graduate school, my thesis…" description: "\"When I was in graduate school, my thesis included both poetry and essays. Influenced by the personal essays of James Baldwin and Norman Mailer, I loved..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/stephen-vincent-benet-9780_essays_when-i-was-in-graduate-school-my-thesis_912024.jpg" --- # When I was in graduate school, my thesis included both… ![“When I was in graduate school, my thesis included both poetry and essays. Influenced by the personal essays of James Baldwin and Norman Mailer, I loved the form, but pretty much stopped.” quote by Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/stephen-vincent-benet-9780_essays_when-i-was-in-graduate-school-my-thesis_912024.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/stephen-vincent-benet-9780_essays_when-i-was-in-graduate-school-my-thesis_912024.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/stephen-vincent-benet-9780_essays_when-i-was-in-graduate-school-my-thesis_912024.jpg) > “When I was in graduate school, my thesis included both poetry and essays. Influenced by the personal essays of James Baldwin and Norman Mailer, I loved the form, but pretty much stopped.” [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) ## 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 admired personal essays but stopped writing them, reflecting a shift in creative focus. **In simple terms:** He moved away from essay writing. Key Takeaway Explore why you change artistic mediums. Themes creative evolution influence literature personal growth Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - academic work - personal journals - publishing - teaching Key Concepts Literary criticism creative process Questions to Reflect On - What stopped your creative practice? - What new form excites you? A Different Perspective Stopping can limit skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Graduate school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-school/) [Graduates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduates/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [As far as I can tell, writing the essays didn't change the way I wrote poetry. 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The person who wrote these personal essays no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/all-experiences-change-us-and-personal-writing-is-one-of-the-most/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. 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That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/a-personal-essay-often-includes-some-or-a-lot-of-personal-confession/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [For years following the death of my mother, I wanted to write about her. I started writing what I thought of as personal essays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-k-smith/for-years-following-the-death-of-my-mother-i-wanted-to-write-about/) [Tracy K. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-k-smith/) ## More by Stephen Vincent Benet > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp, gaunt names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-gaunt-names-that/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [It's to a younger people's advantage to work with evolving computer technologies that provide so many ways to explore the use and distribution of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/it-s-to-a-younger-people-s-advantage-to-work-with-evolving-computer/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [“It's time to walk to the cider mill Through air like apple wine, And watch the moon rise over the hill, stinging and hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/it-s-time-to-walk-to-the-cider-mill-through-air-like-apple-wine-and/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [“There is a wilderness we walk alone However well-companioned”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/there-is-a-wilderness-we-walk-alone-however-well-companioned/) [Stephen Vincent Benét](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/life-is-not-lost-by-dying-life-is-lost-minute-by-minute-day-by/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I died in my boots like a pioneer With the whole wide sky above me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-died-in-my-boots-like-a-pioneer-with-the-whole-wide-sky-above-me/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I don't think I have ever really gotten Leopold Bloom's interior ramblings out of my head! 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