--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poetry demands a different material than…" description: "\"Poetry demands a different material than prose. It uses another facet of the same fact … the spontaneous conformation of language as it is heard.\" — Wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/william-carlos-williams-1841_demand_poetry-demands-a-different-material-than_982062.png" --- # Poetry demands a different material than prose. It uses… ![“Poetry demands a different material than prose. It uses another facet of the same fact … the spontaneous conformation of language as it is heard.” quote by William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/william-carlos-williams-1841_demand_poetry-demands-a-different-material-than_982062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/william-carlos-williams-1841_demand_poetry-demands-a-different-material-than_982062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/william-carlos-williams-1841_demand_poetry-demands-a-different-material-than_982062.png) > “Poetry demands a different material than prose. It uses another facet of the same fact … the spontaneous conformation of language as it is heard.” [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry captures language’s spontaneous shape as heard, unlike prose. **In simple terms:** Poetry uses language’s natural flow. Key Takeaway Listen to language’s rhythm when writing poetry. Themes creativity language art Mood inspirational reflective Type literary creative When to use this quote - writing workshops - reading poetry - teaching literature Key Concepts aesthetics literary theory Questions to Reflect On - How does hearing influence your writing? - Can prose achieve poetic spontaneity? A Different Perspective Prose can also be poetic; the distinction isn’t absolute. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Traditionally poetry is written in lines. But the prose poem is the kind of poem that isn't written in lines. 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A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) ## More by William Carlos Williams > [“unsignificantly off the coast there was a splash quite unnoticed this was Icarus drowning”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/unsignificantly-off-the-coast-there-was-a-splash-quite-unnoticed-this/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [Death will be late to bring us aid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/death-will-be-late-to-bring-us-aid/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [What power has love but forgiveness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/what-power-has-love-but-forgiveness/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [I think all writing is a disease. You can't stop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/i-think-all-writing-is-a-disease-you-can-t-stop-it/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [The beauty is in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/the-beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [“You're a romanticist. What do you think a man is, a papaya? To digest your dinner? 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But poetry is the machine which drives it, pruned to a perfect economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/prose-may-carry-a-load-of-ill-defined-matters-like-a-ship-but-poetry/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [It is not what you say that matters but the manner in which you say it; there lies the secret of the ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/it-is-not-what-you-say-that-matters-but-the-manner-in-which-you-say/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [“And a church spire sketched on the sky, of sheet metal and open beams, to resemble a church spire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/and-a-church-spire-sketched-on-the-sky-of-sheet-metal-and-open-beams/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) [Explore all 204 William Carlos Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) ## More Demand quotes > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. 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