--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Considering the ways in which so many of…" description: "\"“Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing poems? After all, there’s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/ted-kooser-16216_poetry_considering-the-ways-in-which-so-many-of_229880.jpg" --- # Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our… ![“Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing poems? After all, there’s a significant service to humanity in spending time doing no harm. While you’re writing your poem, there’s one less scoundrel in the world. And I’d…” quote by Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/ted-kooser-16216_poetry_considering-the-ways-in-which-so-many-of_229880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/ted-kooser-16216_poetry_considering-the-ways-in-which-so-many-of_229880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/ted-kooser-16216_poetry_considering-the-ways-in-which-so-many-of_229880.jpg) > ““Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing poems? After all, there’s a significant service to humanity in spending time doing no harm. While you’re writing your poem, there’s one less scoundrel in the world. And I’d like a world, wouldn’t you, in which people actually took time to think about what they were saying? It would be, I’m certain, a more peaceful, more reasonable place. I don’t think there could ever be too many poets. By writing poetry, even those poems that fail and fail miserably, we honor and affirm life. We say ‘We loved the earth but could not stay.”” [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry encourages thoughtful reflection and reduces harmful behavior by occupying time with creative expression. **In simple terms:** Poetry makes people think and act kindly. Key Takeaway Write regularly to foster peace. Themes creativity reflection peace humanity Mood contemplative hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal writing - education - community events - mental health practices Key Concepts artistic expression social impact mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can poetry be integrated into daily life? - What benefits arise from creative pauses? A Different Perspective Not everyone enjoys poetry; some may see it as frivolous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets-writing-447792/) [Service to humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service-to-humanity/) [Spending time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spending-time/) [Think Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-poets-359890/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poem-506114/) [Writing poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poems/) [Writing poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poetry/) ## Related quotes > [I approach writing a poem in a much different state than when I am writing prose. It's almost as if I were working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/i-approach-writing-a-poem-in-a-much-different-state-than-when-i-am/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [The writing of a poem is like a child throwing stones into a mineshaft. You compose first, then you listen for the reverberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/the-writing-of-a-poem-is-like-a-child-throwing-stones-into-a/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [I started out in life as a poet; I was only writing poetry all through my 20s. It wasn't until I was about 30…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-started-out-in-life-as-a-poet-i-was-only-writing-poetry-all-through/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Writing is not always a priority. . . .I only write those things that are necessary for me to write. I love to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-leuzzi/writing-is-not-always-a-priority-i-only-write-those-things-that-are/) [Tony Leuzzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-leuzzi/) > [My colleagues knew I was writing poems. I never hid it from them. I don't think they ever thought I was cheating on them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/my-colleagues-knew-i-was-writing-poems-i-never-hid-it-from-them-i-don/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [He was certainly in a confused state. I used to go and visit him in Callan Park. They were really - to me they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adamson/he-was-certainly-in-a-confused-state-i-used-to-go-and-visit-him-in/) [Robert Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adamson/) > [As poets, we're writing into the void, and we're not writing to be bestsellers. Whatever individual responses we get, whether at a reading, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-salter/as-poets-we-re-writing-into-the-void-and-we-re-not-writing-to-be/) [Mary Jo Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-salter/) > [I'm not going to tell people how to write, but we do have a skill set, and the more we put ourselves out into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-biespiel/i-m-not-going-to-tell-people-how-to-write-but-we-do-have-a-skill-set/) [David Biespiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-biespiel/) > [The Language Poets are writing only about language itself. The Ashbery poets are writing only about poetry itself. That seems to me a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/the-language-poets-are-writing-only-about-language-itself-the-ashbery/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [“Many of the poets writing today are hung up on language and symbolism. If the poem does not have depth of meaning or fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-king/many-of-the-poets-writing-today-are-hung-up-on-language-and-symbolism/) [Harley King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-king/) > [Southern poets are still writing narrative poems, poems in forms, dramatic poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/southern-poets-are-still-writing-narrative-poems-poems-in-forms/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [“The extraordinary-looking pair of young people weren't holding hands, but the way they tilted ever so subtly toward each other made it clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-extraordinary-looking-pair-of-young-people-weren-t-holding-hands/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“Style is not how you write. It is how you do not write like anyone else. \* \* \* How do you know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-ghigna/style-is-not-how-you-write-it-is-how-you-do-not-write-like-anyone/) [Charles Ghigna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-ghigna/) > [I have the feeling that a lot of poets writing now are - they sort of tap dance through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-have-the-feeling-that-a-lot-of-poets-writing-now-are-they-sort-of/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) ## More by Ted Kooser > [The poem is the device through which the ordinary world is seen in a new way - engaging, compelling, even beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/the-poem-is-the-device-through-which-the-ordinary-world-is-seen-in-a/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [If you can find two poems in a book, it could be a pretty good book for you. You know, two poems you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/if-you-can-find-two-poems-in-a-book-it-could-be-a-pretty-good-book/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [There's nothing wrong with delighting in what you do. In fact, most of the fun you'll have as a poet will come about during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-delighting-in-what-you-do-in-fact-most-of/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [When she left me I stood out in the thunderstorm, hoping to be destroyed by lightning. It missed, first left, then right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/when-she-left-me-i-stood-out-in-the-thunderstorm-hoping-to-be/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [Every poet gets to choose what kind of community he or she serves with the poems, and it's true that there is a community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/every-poet-gets-to-choose-what-kind-of-community-he-or-she-serves/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [I had in effect been thrown out of graduate school because I was a lousy graduate student, and I had to find a job,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/i-had-in-effect-been-thrown-out-of-graduate-school-because-i-was-a/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [When I was a kid, I suppose I got more praise for being able to draw things and paint things than I did for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/when-i-was-a-kid-i-suppose-i-got-more-praise-for-being-able-to-draw/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [If I don't take the risk, I'll wind up with a bloodless poem. I have to be out there on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/if-i-don-t-take-the-risk-i-ll-wind-up-with-a-bloodless-poem-i-have-to/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [Keeping a journal is like taking good care of one’s heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/keeping-a-journal-is-like-taking-good-care-of-one-s-heart/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [There's always been what I would call the William Carlos Williams strain, in which poems of simplicity and clarity are valued by a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/there-s-always-been-what-i-would-call-the-william-carlos-williams/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [I like the poem on the page and not at the podium. I like to address the poem in peace and quiet, not on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/i-like-the-poem-on-the-page-and-not-at-the-podium-i-like-to-address/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [a happy birthday this evening, I sat by an open window and read till the light was gone and the book was no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/a-happy-birthday-this-evening-i-sat-by-an-open-window-and-read-till/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [Wallace Stevens had more time to write as an insurance agent. He was a bond lawyer and I know that insurance company lawyers don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/wallace-stevens-had-more-time-to-write-as-an-insurance-agent-he-was-a/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [I like the idea of there being times when even words cost so much you used them sparingly. I have known a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/i-like-the-idea-of-there-being-times-when-even-words-cost-so-much-you/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [In my work, I really try to look at ordinary things quite closely to see if there isn't a little bit of something special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/in-my-work-i-really-try-to-look-at-ordinary-things-quite-closely-to/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) [Explore all 40 Ted Kooser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) ## More Poetry quotes > [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/) [Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/) > [The name Phenomenal Woman was inspired by Maya Angelo, who wrote 'Phenomenal Woman', a favorite poem of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meena-harris/the-name-phenomenal-woman-was-inspired-by-maya-angelo-who-wrote/) [Meena Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meena-harris/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“Time gives poetry to a battlefield...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/time-gives-poetry-to-a-battlefield/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“In the streets, the children scream, the lovers cried, and the poets dreamed,” he crooned, putting down the metal grill tongs to take my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandria-clarke/in-the-streets-the-children-scream-the-lovers-cried-and-the-poets/) [Alexandria Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandria-clarke/) > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [You don’t read or overhear the voice in the poem, you are the voice in the poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/you-don-t-read-or-overhear-the-voice-in-the-poem-you-are-the-voice-in/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) > [All lyrical work must, as a whole, be perfectly intelligible, but in some particulars a little unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-lyrical-work-must-as-a-whole-be-perfectly-intelligible-but-in/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [“Things are more like they are now...than they have EVER been before!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uncle-arnie-mamath/things-are-more-like-they-are-now-than-they-have-ever-been-before/) [Uncle Arnie Mamath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uncle-arnie-mamath/) [Browse all 21,625 Poetry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing poems? 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