Man is a complex being: he makes deserts bloom - and lakes die.
Gil Scott-HeronRead
A good poet feels what his community feels. _x000D_ Like if you stub your toe, the rest of your body hurts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A good poet resonates with the emotions and experiences of their community.
This quote by Gil Scott-Heron emphasizes the deep connection between a poet and their community. It suggests that a true poet not only articulates their own feelings but also embodies the collective emotions and struggles of the people around them, much like how stubbing a toe causes a resonating pain throughout the body, highlighting the interdependent nature of human experiences.
Themes
PoetryCommunityEmpathyEmotionConnection
In practice
Example use cases
In a poetry reading, this quote could be used to introduce a poem that reflects community experiences.
More from Gil Scott-Heron
All quotes βThe revolution will be no re-run brothers,_x000D_ The revolution will be live.
Gil Scott-HeronRead
You will not be able to stay home, brother./You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out./You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,/Skip out for beer during commercials,/Because the revolution will not be televised.
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I've always had questions about what it meant to be a protester, to be in the minority. Are the people who are trying to find peace, who are trying to have the Constitution apply to everybody, are they really the radicals? We're not protesting from the outside. We're inside.
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Every once in a while, you live long enough to get the respect that people didn't want to give while you were trying to become a senior citizen.
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You know what has made me the happiest I've ever been? Seeing my son and daughter graduate from college. More than wanting them to be educated, I wanted them to be nice people. To see that they have become both is just a wonderful thing.
Gil Scott-HeronRead
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