--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I read a poem every night, as others read…" description: "\"I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.\" — Tahar Ben Jelloun" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_every-night_i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read_148184.jpg" --- # I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer. ![“I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.” quote by Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_every-night_i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read_148184.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_every-night_i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read_148184.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_every-night_i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read_148184.jpg) > “I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.” [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading poetry nightly provides a ritualistic comfort similar to prayer, fostering introspection and emotional grounding. **In simple terms:** Poetry as nightly ritual. Key Takeaway Make poetry a daily habit. Themes ritual comfort reflection Mood calm contemplative Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - personal evenings - meditation - creative writing Key Concepts mindfulness spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How does nightly poetry affect your mood? - What themes emerge in your chosen poems? A Different Perspective May lack the communal aspect of shared prayer. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Every night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) ## Related quotes > [People are so used to reading novels now, they just read a poem straight through to get the meaning. And that's something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-oswald/people-are-so-used-to-reading-novels-now-they-just-read-a-poem/) [Alice Oswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-oswald/) > [One does not read a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks with hopes that it will grant him a career in engineering; he does so because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/one-does-not-read-a-poem-by-gwendolyn-brooks-with-hopes-that-it-will/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [“that backsliding generally first begins with neglect of private prayer. Bibles read without prayer; sermons heard without prayer; marriages contracted without prayer; journeys undertaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle-2/that-backsliding-generally-first-begins-with-neglect-of-private/) [J.C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle-2/) > [Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-billheimer/satan-does-not-care-how-many-people-read-about-prayer-if-only-he-can/) [Paul Billheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-billheimer/) > [“As it is the sister of reading, so it is the mother of prayer. Though a man's heart be much indisposed to prayer, yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bridge/as-it-is-the-sister-of-reading-so-it-is-the-mother-of-prayer-though-a/) William Bridge > [“…be awake to the Life that is loving you and sing your prayer, laugh your prayer, dance your prayer, run and weep and sweat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alla-renee-bozarth/be-awake-to-the-life-that-is-loving-you-and-sing-your-prayer-laugh/) Alla Renee Bozarth > [I can write about prayer, you can read about prayer, but sooner or later you have to fall to your knees and just plain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/i-can-write-about-prayer-you-can-read-about-prayer-but-sooner-or/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Bibles read without prayer; sermons heard without prayer; marriages contracted without prayer; journeys undertaken without prayer; residences chosen without prayer; friendships formed without prayer;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/bibles-read-without-prayer-sermons-heard-without-prayer-marriages/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [I will have an endless invisible night and read all those books and understand all until I am a liquid chromium cascade of understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-have-an-endless-invisible-night-and-read-all-those-books-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At night I read and write, and things I have never understood become clear; I reap the harvest of the rest of the year's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/at-night-i-read-and-write-and-things-i-have-never-understood-become/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Every night, I have to read a book, so that my mind will stop thinking about things that I stress about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney-spears/every-night-i-have-to-read-a-book-so-that-my-mind-will-stop-thinking/) [Britney Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britney-spears/) > [I only sleep about four or five hours a night. I read all night long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-only-sleep-about-four-or-five-hours-a-night-i-read-all-night-long/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [“That was what I did at night. I read all the stuff that you're supposed to read in college but never do, or if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/that-was-what-i-did-at-night-i-read-all-the-stuff-that-you-re/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [I'm always amazed at friends who say they try to read at night in bed but always end up falling asleep. I have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/i-m-always-amazed-at-friends-who-say-they-try-to-read-at-night-in-bed/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [“Last night I read two books back to back. Tonight I’ll probably read both of those books’ front covers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/last-night-i-read-two-books-back-to-back-tonight-i-ll-probably-read/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) ## More by Tahar Ben Jelloun > [What have we achieved since the end of the Second World War? We have allowed petty, bourgeois regimes in which everything is average, mediocre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/what-have-we-achieved-since-the-end-of-the-second-world-war-we-have/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“A novel related in a dungeon, in the presence of death, cannot have the same meaning, the same consequences, as it would when read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/a-novel-related-in-a-dungeon-in-the-presence-of-death-cannot-have-the/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [This universe can very well be expressed in words and syllables which are not those of one's mother tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/this-universe-can-very-well-be-expressed-in-words-and-syllables-which/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [The intellectual, the man of thought, doubt and analysis, should give the best of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/the-intellectual-the-man-of-thought-doubt-and-analysis-should-give/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [I'd thought sexuality was instinctive or natural, but it's profoundly linked to inner security and cultural context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-d-thought-sexuality-was-instinctive-or-natural-but-it-s-profoundly/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [I don't feel guilty about expressing myself in French; nor do I feel that I am continuing the work of the colonizers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-don-t-feel-guilty-about-expressing-myself-in-french-nor-do-i-feel/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/real-friendship-like-real-poetry-is-extremely-rare-and-precious-as-a/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Our steps invent the path as we proceed; behind us they leave no trace, only the void. So we shall always look ahead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/our-steps-invent-the-path-as-we-proceed-behind-us-they-leave-no-trace/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“Man is more noble dead than alive, because in returning to the earth he becomes earth, and nothing is nobler than the earth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/man-is-more-noble-dead-than-alive-because-in-returning-to-the-earth/) [Tahar ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“Our first love is always our last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/our-first-love-is-always-our-last/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [There are very few great poets in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/there-are-very-few-great-poets-in-the-world/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out from the herd. Creative artists can say all this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/people-must-insist-on-the-right-to-say-no-to-be-alone-to-stand-out/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Egypt has suffered more ordeals than the other countries to get where it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/egypt-has-suffered-more-ordeals-than-the-other-countries-to-get-where/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Beauty is first and foremost an emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/beauty-is-first-and-foremost-an-emotion/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“But you'll see, you can feel time on the wind it whips up as it passes. We don't worry about time or the wind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/but-you-ll-see-you-can-feel-time-on-the-wind-it-whips-up-as-it-passes/) [Tahar ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) [Explore all 61 Tahar Ben Jelloun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) ## More Every night quotes > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You can date every girl in town as far as I’m concerned. I hate you. 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I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“It suddenly seemed to Laurel that all the absences in her own life, every loss and sadness, every nightmare in the dark, every unexplained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/it-suddenly-seemed-to-laurel-that-all-the-absences-in-her-own-life/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Her silent singing wrapped around the story she was telling herself, which she extended further every night on the deck. (Averill often told herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/her-silent-singing-wrapped-around-the-story-she-was-telling-herself/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“I have heard several people justify working long hours and getting home from work late it night by saying things like, “I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/i-have-heard-several-people-justify-working-long-hours-and-getting/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [Every night I go to sleep smiling, even when I have a bad day. I'm just thankful that God allowed me to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-night-i-go-to-sleep-smiling-even-when-i-have-a-bad-day-i-m-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm going to lay it out straight for you here, Carson. And the reason that I'm going to do that is because I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-sheridan/i-m-going-to-lay-it-out-straight-for-you-here-carson-and-the-reason/) [Mia Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-sheridan/) > [I do remember what I said. The promise. To protect her. If I'd done that ... even if I didn't make it, you wouldn't've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-do-remember-what-i-said-the-promise-to-protect-her-if-i-d-done-that/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [“It’s a red sky every night with Cosmic Ordering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/it-s-a-red-sky-every-night-with-cosmic-ordering/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“What does it say?" asked my lord. "It says, 'Good-night, God keep you all the night!'--just what she used to say when we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/what-does-it-say-asked-my-lord-it-says-good-night-god-keep-you-all/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [“Oh, my god, I don't know. What do you want?" "You," he said, his voice lowering an octave. "I want you, Dutch, body and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/oh-my-god-i-don-t-know-what-do-you-want-you-he-said-his-voice/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) [Browse all 2,605 Every night quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tahar Ben Jelloun" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read-a-prayer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Every night" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read-a-prayer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_every-night_i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read_148184.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_every-night_i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read_148184.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_every-night_i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read_148184.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.” — Tahar Ben Jelloun", "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": "Tahar Ben Jelloun", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I read a poem every night,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read-a-prayer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read-a-prayer/#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 } } ] } ```