My life has been the poem I would have writ, But I could not both live and utter it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Thoreau feels his life is the poem he would have written, but he cannot both live and articulate it fully.
- In plain terms
- He sees life as a poem he cannot fully express while living.
- What can you take from it?
- Living and creating art simultaneously can be conflicting.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can we fully capture life in art?
- What compromises are necessary?
Another view
Not all see life as artistic expression.
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