--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But poetry is a way of language, it is…" description: "\"But poetry is a way of language, it is not its subject or its maker's background or interests or hobbies or fixations. It is nearer to utterance than h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/thomas-lynch-18339_history_but-poetry-is-a-way-of-language-it-is-no_1346447.png" --- # But poetry is a way of language, it is not its subject or… ![“But poetry is a way of language, it is not its subject or its maker's background or interests or hobbies or fixations. It is nearer to utterance than history.” quote by Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/thomas-lynch-18339_history_but-poetry-is-a-way-of-language-it-is-no_1346447.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/thomas-lynch-18339_history_but-poetry-is-a-way-of-language-it-is-no_1346447.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/thomas-lynch-18339_history_but-poetry-is-a-way-of-language-it-is-no_1346447.png) > “But poetry is a way of language, it is not its subject or its maker's background or interests or hobbies or fixations. It is nearer to utterance than history.” [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry focuses on the act of expression rather than the poet’s background or the subject matter. **In simple terms:** Poetry is about how we speak, not who we are. Key Takeaway Appreciate the craft of language itself. Themes art expression identity creativity language literature Mood contemplative analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary analysis - public speaking - education Key Concepts aesthetic theory phenomenology Questions to Reflect On - How does form shape meaning? - Can language stand alone from its creator? A Different Perspective Ignoring context can miss deeper meanings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hobbies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobbies/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Nearer Utterance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearer-utterance-4564963/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-way-267357/) [Utterance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utterance/) [Utterance History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utterance-history-4564962/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [People should like poetry the way a child likes snow, and they would if poets wrote it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/people-should-like-poetry-the-way-a-child-likes-snow-and-they-would/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/poetry-is-a-way-of-taking-life-by-the-throat/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Bringing science into poetry is one way of acknowledging some of the richest stuff that is in my cultural moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/bringing-science-into-poetry-is-one-way-of-acknowledging-some-of-the/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [One must write poetry in such as way that if one threw the poem in a window, the pane would break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniil-kharms/one-must-write-poetry-in-such-as-way-that-if-one-threw-the-poem-in-a/) [Daniil Kharms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniil-kharms/) > [Poetry is a way of being alone without feeling alone. It allows you to experience another mind, I suppose. And it does that more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/poetry-is-a-way-of-being-alone-without-feeling-alone-it-allows-you-to/) [Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/) > [I believe in poetry as a way of surviving the emotional chaos, spiritual confusions, and traumatic events that come with being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-orr/i-believe-in-poetry-as-a-way-of-surviving-the-emotional-chaos/) [Gregory Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-orr/) > [“Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/poetry-is-the-way-we-help-give-name-to-the-nameless-so-it-can-be/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [My father, Eric Trethewey, is a poet, so I had one right inside the house. And on long trips, he'd tell me, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/my-father-eric-trethewey-is-a-poet-so-i-had-one-right-inside-the/) [Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/) > [Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/deep-feeling-doesn-t-make-for-good-poetry-a-way-with-language-would/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I think no matter how snarky you try to be, poetry will always find a way to make a spiritual goal out of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-young/i-think-no-matter-how-snarky-you-try-to-be-poetry-will-always-find-a/) [Mike Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-young/) > [Poetry is a way of looking at the world for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/poetry-is-a-way-of-looking-at-the-world-for-the-first-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For women ... poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of light within which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/for-women-poetry-is-not-a-luxury-it-is-a-vital-necessity-of-our/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Nobody ever told me what to read, or ever put poetry in my way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-rosenberg/nobody-ever-told-me-what-to-read-or-ever-put-poetry-in-my-way/) [Isaac Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-rosenberg/) > [... poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/poetry-is-not-a-luxury-it-is-a-vital-necessity-of-our-existence-it/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) ## More by Thomas Lynch > [“I had this theory. It was based loosely on the unremarkable observation that the old are always looking back with longing while the young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/i-had-this-theory-it-was-based-loosely-on-the-unremarkable/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [“The advance of our technology is coincidental with the loss of our appetite for ethical questions that ought to attend the implications of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/the-advance-of-our-technology-is-coincidental-with-the-loss-of-our/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [Whatever’s there to feel, feel it – the riddance, the relief, the fright and freedom, the fear of forgetting, the dull ache of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/whatever-s-there-to-feel-feel-it-the-riddance-the-relief-the-fright/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [“The bodies of the newly dead are not debris nor remnant, nor are they entirely icon or essence. 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Marriage is the public spectacle of private parts: cheque-books and genitals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/i-will-i-do-amen-here-here-let-s-eat-drink-and-be-merry-marriage-is/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) [Explore all 35 Thomas Lynch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But poetry is a way of language, it is not its subject or its maker's background or interests or hobbies or fixations. 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