--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You remember I had a strong inclination…" description: "\"“You remember I had a strong inclination all my life to be a painter. Under different circumstances I would rather have been a painter than to bother w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/william-carlos-williams-1841_art_you-remember-i-had-a-strong-inclination_1840103.png" --- # You remember I had a strong inclination all my life to be… ![“You remember I had a strong inclination all my life to be a painter. Under different circumstances I would rather have been a painter than to bother with these god-damn words. I never actually thought of myself as a poet but I knew I had to be an artist in some way.” quote by William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/william-carlos-williams-1841_art_you-remember-i-had-a-strong-inclination_1840103.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/william-carlos-williams-1841_art_you-remember-i-had-a-strong-inclination_1840103.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/william-carlos-williams-1841_art_you-remember-i-had-a-strong-inclination_1840103.png) > ““You remember I had a strong inclination all my life to be a painter. Under different circumstances I would rather have been a painter than to bother with these god-damn words. I never actually thought of myself as a poet but I knew I had to be an artist in some way.”” [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. The speaker feels a stronger pull toward visual art than words, yet acknowledges a need for artistic expression in any form. **In simple terms:** Artistic drive outweighs verbal preference. Key Takeaway Embrace your creative medium. Themes creativity identity artistic struggle Mood introspective inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career choice - personal projects - education - therapy Key Concepts visual arts poetry self‑realization Questions to Reflect On - Which medium best expresses your inner self? - How can you integrate multiple art forms? A Different Perspective Societal pressure may devalue non‑literary arts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Circumstances Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-painter-2342965/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-painter-350248/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poet Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet-knew-2342964/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thought Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-poet-2342963/) ## Related quotes > [“Everything's a painting, anyway," Fawn said. "That's what I think. 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I also discovered that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-didn-t-read-poetry-seriously-until-college-when-i-really-began-to/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Create with the heart; build with the mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/create-with-the-heart-build-with-the-mind/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Biggie was to me the guy who was the best at painting the picture and making you visualize something, Pac was the best poet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-storch/biggie-was-to-me-the-guy-who-was-the-best-at-painting-the-picture-and/) [Scott Storch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-storch/) ## 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 Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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