--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think many people (like myself) prefer…" description: "\"I think many people (like myself) prefer to read poetry mixed with prose; it gives you more to go by; the conventions of poetry have been getting far o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/william-empson-21017_bridges_i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-t_1895238.jpg" --- # I think many people (like myself) prefer to read poetry… ![“I think many people (like myself) prefer to read poetry mixed with prose; it gives you more to go by; the conventions of poetry have been getting far off from normal life, so that to have a prose bridge makes reading poetry seem more natural.” quote by William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/william-empson-21017_bridges_i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-t_1895238.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/william-empson-21017_bridges_i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-t_1895238.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/william-empson-21017_bridges_i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-t_1895238.jpg) > “I think many people (like myself) prefer to read poetry mixed with prose; it gives you more to go by; the conventions of poetry have been getting far off from normal life, so that to have a prose bridge makes reading poetry seem more natural.” [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mixing poetry with prose creates a bridge that makes poetic language more accessible to everyday readers. **In simple terms:** Prose helps readers understand poetry better. Key Takeaway Use prose to clarify poetic ideas. Themes literature accessibility genre blending Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical educational When to use this quote - teaching poetry - creative writing workshops - literary analysis - reading groups Key Concepts aesthetic theory communication educational technique Questions to Reflect On - How does prose change your perception of poetry? - When is a bridge necessary between forms? A Different Perspective Some may argue prose dilutes poetic purity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Conventions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventions/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mixed Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mixed-prose-2763430/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Normal life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Mixed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-mixed-2763432/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Prose Gives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose-gives-2763431/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-poetry/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-nth-power/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [The useless days will add up to something. The shitty waitressing jobs. The hours writing in your journal. The long meandering walks. The hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-useless-days-will-add-up-to-something-the-shitty-waitressing-jobs-2/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Haunting the library as a kid, reading poetry books when I was not reading bird books, I had been astonished at how often birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenn-kaufman/haunting-the-library-as-a-kid-reading-poetry-books-when-i-was-not/) [Kenn Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenn-kaufman/) > [When I began, poetry was very academic. You published little pamphlets from fancy presses. It was rather... chaste. There wasn't much public reading. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fuller/when-i-began-poetry-was-very-academic-you-published-little-pamphlets/) [John Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fuller/) > [Do not ever read books about versification: no poet ever learnt it that way. If you are going to be a poet, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/do-not-ever-read-books-about-versification-no-poet-ever-learnt-it/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [“The useless days will add up to something. The shitty waitressing jobs. The hours writing in your journal. The long meandering walks. The hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-useless-days-will-add-up-to-something-the-shitty-waitressing-jobs/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“I am angry that I starved my brain and that I sat shivering in my bed at night instead of dancing or reading poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-am-angry-that-i-starved-my-brain-and-that-i-sat-shivering-in-my-bed/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“The work of great poetry is to aid us to become free artists ourselves...The art of reading poetry is an authentic training in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/the-work-of-great-poetry-is-to-aid-us-to-become-free-artists/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Not reading poetry amounts to a national pastime here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-mcginley/not-reading-poetry-amounts-to-a-national-pastime-here/) [Phyllis McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-mcginley/) > [Reading poetry gives me a sense of calm, well-being, and love for humanity - the same stuff more flexible women get from yoga.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/reading-poetry-gives-me-a-sense-of-calm-well-being-and-love-for/) [J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/) > [Even though poetry was written for the 'minds ear' as well as the physical ear, the minds ear can be trained only by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvor-winters/even-though-poetry-was-written-for-the-minds-ear-as-well-as-the/) [Yvor Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvor-winters/) > [The library was open for one hour after school let out. I hid there, looking at art books and reading poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-library-was-open-for-one-hour-after-school-let-out-i-hid-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [“I suppose I could have been nicer when I was at Columbia. I could have been polite, respectful, turned in my papers on time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-rall/i-suppose-i-could-have-been-nicer-when-i-was-at-columbia-i-could-have/) [Ted Rall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-rall/) > [If every head of state and every government official spent an hour a day reading poetry we'd live in a much more humane and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/if-every-head-of-state-and-every-government-official-spent-an-hour-a/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [“Stani walks in later, glaring at them both. “Bloody bastards. One minute punching each other, next minute reading poetry. What’s wrong with everyone this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/stani-walks-in-later-glaring-at-them-both-bloody-bastards-one-minute/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) ## More by William Empson > [“Villanelle It is the pain, it is the pain endures. Your chemic beauty burned my muscles through. Poise of my hands reminded me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/villanelle-it-is-the-pain-it-is-the-pain-endures-your-chemic-beauty/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [Proust has listed a great many reasons why it is impossible to be happy, but, in the course of being happy, one finds it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/proust-has-listed-a-great-many-reasons-why-it-is-impossible-to-be/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [Waiting for the end, boys, waiting for the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/waiting-for-the-end-boys-waiting-for-the-end/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [“Waiting for the end, boys, waiting for the end. What is there to be or do? What's become of me or you? Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/waiting-for-the-end-boys-waiting-for-the-end-what-is-there-to-be-or/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [My heart pumps yet the poison draught of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/my-heart-pumps-yet-the-poison-draught-of-you/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [“Slowly the poison the whole blood stream fills. It is not the effort nor the failure tires. The waste remains, the waste remains and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/slowly-the-poison-the-whole-blood-stream-fills-it-is-not-the-effort/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [The central function of imaginative literature is to make you realize that other people act on moral convictions different from your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/the-central-function-of-imaginative-literature-is-to-make-you-realize/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [Slowly the poison the whole blood stream fills. It is not the effort nor the failure tires. The waste remains, the waste remains and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/slowly-the-poison-the-whole-blood-stream-fills-it-is-not-the-effort-2/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [You don't want madhouse and the whole thing there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/you-don-t-want-madhouse-and-the-whole-thing-there/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [Poetry contains nothing haphazard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/poetry-contains-nothing-haphazard/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [I'm afraid I take ... this rather clinical view of love: it's saving you from madness. I'm not so enthusiastic as other poets have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/i-m-afraid-i-take-this-rather-clinical-view-of-love-it-s-saving-you/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [The heart of standing is you cannot fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/the-heart-of-standing-is-you-cannot-fly/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [All those large dreams by which men long live well Are magic-lanterned on the smoke of hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/all-those-large-dreams-by-which-men-long-live-well-are-magic/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [Twixt devil and deep sea, man hacks his caves; Birth, death; one, many; what is true, and seems; Earth's vast hot iron, cold space's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/twixt-devil-and-deep-sea-man-hacks-his-caves-birth-death-one-many/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [Law makes long spokes of the short stakes of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/law-makes-long-spokes-of-the-short-stakes-of-men/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) [Explore all 30 William Empson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) ## More Bridges 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/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/) [Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/) > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/) [Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/) [Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think many people (like myself) prefer to read poetry mixed with prose; it gives you more to go by; the conventions of poetry have been getting far off from normal life, so that to have a prose bridge makes reading poetry seem more natural.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Empson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-to-read-poetry-mixed-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bridges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-to-read-poetry-mixed-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/william-empson-21017_bridges_i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-t_1895238.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/william-empson-21017_bridges_i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-t_1895238.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/william-empson-21017_bridges_i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-t_1895238.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think many people (like myself) prefer to read poetry mixed with prose; it gives you more to go by; the…” — William Empson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Empson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think many people (like myself)...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-to-read-poetry-mixed-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/i-think-many-people-like-myself-prefer-to-read-poetry-mixed-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```