"I suppress the vast majority of what I write"
About this Quote
For a poet, “I suppress the vast majority of what I write” isn’t a confession of timidity so much as a declaration of craft: the real labor happens after the first rush of language, when the ego has to be edited out. The verb “suppress” is doing pointed work. It’s harsher than “revise” or “set aside.” It suggests active resistance, like holding back something that wants to spill. That friction implies Murray’s drafts are abundant, even unruly, and that the poem we see is the product of disciplined refusal.
The subtext is an argument against the myth of effortless inspiration. In a culture that treats output as authenticity (post it, publish it, ship it), suppression reads almost countercultural. It frames restraint as integrity: not everything that feels urgent deserves an audience; not every clever line is true enough. For poets, that distinction matters because the medium rewards intensity, and intensity can easily become performative. “Vast majority” also quietly signals humility and ambition at once: humility, because most writing isn’t worthy; ambition, because the standard is high enough to discard mountains.
Contextually, the line resonates with the economics of attention. Poets are often expected to be constantly visible - readings, socials, micro-publications - yet poetry’s power depends on compression and selection. Murray’s remark is a reminder that what moves us on the page is usually the tip of an iceberg: a chosen few lines surviving a private war with the rest.
The subtext is an argument against the myth of effortless inspiration. In a culture that treats output as authenticity (post it, publish it, ship it), suppression reads almost countercultural. It frames restraint as integrity: not everything that feels urgent deserves an audience; not every clever line is true enough. For poets, that distinction matters because the medium rewards intensity, and intensity can easily become performative. “Vast majority” also quietly signals humility and ambition at once: humility, because most writing isn’t worthy; ambition, because the standard is high enough to discard mountains.
Contextually, the line resonates with the economics of attention. Poets are often expected to be constantly visible - readings, socials, micro-publications - yet poetry’s power depends on compression and selection. Murray’s remark is a reminder that what moves us on the page is usually the tip of an iceberg: a chosen few lines surviving a private war with the rest.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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