--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think poetry is as old as language, and…" description: "\"I think poetry is as old as language, and both come out of the same thing - an effort to try to express something that is inexpressible.\" — W. S. Merwin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/w-s-merwin-10641_effort_i-think-poetry-is-as-old-as-language-and_1136945.png" --- # I think poetry is as old as language, and both come out of… ![“I think poetry is as old as language, and both come out of the same thing - an effort to try to express something that is inexpressible.” quote by W. S. Merwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/w-s-merwin-10641_effort_i-think-poetry-is-as-old-as-language-and_1136945.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/w-s-merwin-10641_effort_i-think-poetry-is-as-old-as-language-and_1136945.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a7/w-s-merwin-10641_effort_i-think-poetry-is-as-old-as-language-and_1136945.png) > “I think poetry is as old as language, and both come out of the same thing - an effort to try to express something that is inexpressible.” [W. S. Merwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-merwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry and language share origins: both strive to express the inexpressible. **In simple terms:** Poetry and language both try to express what’s hard to say. Key Takeaway Use language to capture the unspoken. Themes poetry language expression Mood contemplative inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - teaching - personal journaling - public speaking - therapy Key Concepts aesthetic theory communication Questions to Reflect On - What emotions are hardest to articulate? - How does poetry bridge that gap? A Different Perspective Language may fall short of truly expressing the inexpressible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-come-3151264/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Old Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-language-718861/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-old-1267385/) [Think Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-poetry/) [Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try/) ## Related quotes > [“I'd hoped the language might come on its own, the way it comes to babies, but people don't talk to foreigners the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-d-hoped-the-language-might-come-on-its-own-the-way-it-comes-to/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [All mystics speak the same language, for they come from the same country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-claude-de-saint-martin/all-mystics-speak-the-same-language-for-they-come-from-the-same/) [Louis Claude de Saint-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-claude-de-saint-martin/) > [My book would come out in one language, then it would come out in another language, then it would come out in One City,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/my-book-would-come-out-in-one-language-then-it-would-come-out-in/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [“Poetry is an old wise serpent which only occasionally comes out to catch the sun (and scare people).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-samarrai/poetry-is-an-old-wise-serpent-which-only-occasionally-comes-out-to/) [Leila Samarrai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-samarrai/) > [I like cups of tea and reading books and poetry and old people things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bindi-irwin/i-like-cups-of-tea-and-reading-books-and-poetry-and-old-people-things/) [Bindi Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bindi-irwin/) > [When you speak a new language you must see if you can translate all of the poetry of your old language into the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-scott/when-you-speak-a-new-language-you-must-see-if-you-can-translate-all/) [Dana Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-scott/) > [Poetry doesn't necessarily need to be some erudite thing. 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