--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reading of a poem should be an…" description: "\"The reading of a poem should be an experience. Its writing must be all the more so.\" — Wallace Stevens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/wallace-stevens-846_inspirational_the-reading-of-a-poem-should-be-an-exper_846985.jpg" --- # The reading of a poem should be an experience. Its writing… ![“The reading of a poem should be an experience. Its writing must be all the more so.” quote by Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/wallace-stevens-846_inspirational_the-reading-of-a-poem-should-be-an-exper_846985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/wallace-stevens-846_inspirational_the-reading-of-a-poem-should-be-an-exper_846985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/wallace-stevens-846_inspirational_the-reading-of-a-poem-should-be-an-exper_846985.jpg) > “The reading of a poem should be an experience. Its writing must be all the more so.” [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry should be an immersive experience, and its creation must be equally profound **In simple terms:** Poems are lived experiences, both reading and writing Key Takeaway Engage deeply with both reading and writing poetry Themes art experience creativity Mood contemplative inspired Type literary educational When to use this quote - literary workshops - personal reflection - teaching poetry - creative writing Key Concepts aesthetic theory embodied cognition Questions to Reflect On - How do you make poetry accessible? - What practices deepen your poetic experience? A Different Perspective Some may find the expectation of immersion intimidating ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-writing-289386/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poem Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-experience-706593/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-poem-580428/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I do not have more information after reading a poem; I have more experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/i-do-not-have-more-information-after-reading-a-poem-i-have-more/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [I want the poem to be an experience - for both the listener and for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/i-want-the-poem-to-be-an-experience-for-both-the-listener-and-for/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [In general, my own experience of writing an adaptation of 'Evening' gave me a chance to get into different parts of the book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-minot/in-general-my-own-experience-of-writing-an-adaptation-of-evening-gave/) [Susan Minot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-minot/) > [In my experience, writing a novel tends to create its own structure, its own demands, its own language, its own ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/in-my-experience-writing-a-novel-tends-to-create-its-own-structure/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The experience of writing 'The Kite Runner' is one I will always think back on with fondness. There is an energy, a romance in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-experience-of-writing-the-kite-runner-is-one-i-will-always-think/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [We had absolutely no experience in writing kids books and its a very competitive market. But we buy and read a lot of children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fletcher/we-had-absolutely-no-experience-in-writing-kids-books-and-its-a-very/) [Tom Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fletcher/) > [I've never been much of a craftsman, in an educated way. But I think just the experience of writing makes the avenues I follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/i-ve-never-been-much-of-a-craftsman-in-an-educated-way-but-i-think/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [Every book is its own experience, the writing of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/every-book-is-its-own-experience-the-writing-of-it/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [When you're actually inside the experience of writing something, in some ways, you're just writing. Ultimately, you fall in love with the characters, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kinberg/when-you-re-actually-inside-the-experience-of-writing-something-in/) [Simon Kinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kinberg/) > [A painting lets us know how somebody literally saw things. A piece of music is another language that transmits a whole wealth of emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/a-painting-lets-us-know-how-somebody-literally-saw-things-a-piece-of/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [One of the ready advantages of writing a road or quest story is that it mirrors the experience of writing a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/one-of-the-ready-advantages-of-writing-a-road-or-quest-story-is-that/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [For me the experience of writing is really an experience of losing control… I think it's very much like dreaming or like surfing. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/for-me-the-experience-of-writing-is-really-an-experience-of-losing/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Because I'm an art historian, I have some experience of writing that comes out of close attention. That's what really art history is. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/because-i-m-an-art-historian-i-have-some-experience-of-writing-that/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“ (About her brief experience writing greeting cards...) I even wrote for a greeting card company -- for about a month. A family friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-j-stone/about-her-brief-experience-writing-greeting-cards-i-even-wrote-for-a/) [Donna J. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-j-stone/) > [Its impossible to control the reception of your work - the only thing you can control is the experience of writing itself, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/its-impossible-to-control-the-reception-of-your-work-the-only-thing/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) ## More by Wallace Stevens > [Poet, patting more nonsense foamed From the sea, conceive for thecourts Of these academies, the diviner health Disclosed in common forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/poet-patting-more-nonsense-foamed-from-the-sea-conceive-for-thecourts/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The way through the world is more difficult to find than the way beyond it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-way-through-the-world-is-more-difficult-to-find-than-the-way/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The magnificent cause of being, The imagination, the one reality In this imagined world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-magnificent-cause-of-being-the-imagination-the-one-reality-in/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Music falls on the silence like a sense / A passion that we feel, not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/music-falls-on-the-silence-like-a-sense-a-passion-that-we-feel-not/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The life of the city never lets you go, nor do you ever want it to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-life-of-the-city-never-lets-you-go-nor-do-you-ever-want-it-to/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [After a lustre of the moon, we say We have not the need of any paradise, We have not the need of any seducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/after-a-lustre-of-the-moon-we-say-we-have-not-the-need-of-any/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [I am what is around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/i-am-what-is-around-me/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“We live in an old chaos of the sun, Or old dependency of day and night, Or island solitude, unsponsored, free, Of that wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/we-live-in-an-old-chaos-of-the-sun-or-old-dependency-of-day-and-night/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“Lunar Paraphrase" The moon is the mother of pathos and pity. When, at the wearier end of November, Her old light moves along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/lunar-paraphrase-the-moon-is-the-mother-of-pathos-and-pity-when-at/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Poetry is the scholar's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/poetry-is-the-scholar-s-art/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“The stars are putting on their glittering belts, They throw around their shoulders cloaks that flash Like a great shadow's last embellishment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-stars-are-putting-on-their-glittering-belts-they-throw-around/) [wallace stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/unfortunately-there-is-nothing-more-inane-than-an-easter-carol-it-is/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The word is the making of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-word-is-the-making-of-the-world/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [A diary is more or less the work of a man of clay whose hands are clumsy and in whose eyes there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/a-diary-is-more-or-less-the-work-of-a-man-of-clay-whose-hands-are/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [It is never the thing but the version of the thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-is-never-the-thing-but-the-version-of-the-thing/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) [Explore all 352 Wallace Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reading of a poem should be an experience. 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