I can't tell you where a poem comes from, what it is, or what it is for: nor can any other man. The reason I can't tell you is that the purpose of a poem is to go past telling, to be recognised by burning.
A. R. AmmonsRead
Definition, rationality, and structure are ways of seeing, but they become prisons when they blank out other ways of seeing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Relying solely on definitions and rational frameworks can limit our understanding and creativity.
This quote by A. R. Ammons highlights the importance of diverse perspectives in perceiving the world. While definitions, rationality, and structure provide valuable frameworks, they can also confine our thinking and inhibit the exploration of alternative viewpoints, which are essential for a fuller understanding of life and reality.
Themes
PerceptionLimitsUnderstandingCreativityDiversity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about educational methods, one might quote Ammons to emphasize the need for open-mindedness.
More from A. R. Ammons
All quotes βEven if you walk exactly the same route each time - as with a sonnet - the events along the route cannot be imagined to be the same from day to day, as the poet's health, sight, his anticipations, moods, fears, thoughts cannot be the same.
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If the greatest god is the stillness all the motions add up to, then we must ineluctably be included.
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For though we often need to be restored to the small, concrete, limited, and certain, we as often need to be reminded of the large, vague, unlimited, unknown
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