We never know how high we are

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is the author of “We never know how high we are.” A central figure in American literature, Dickinson wrote around 1,800 poems. Averse to publicity, Dickinson only published around 10 poems during her life. The publication of the remainder of her poems occurred after she died. “We never know how high we are” is one of her many posthumously published poems. Like most of her poems, it didn’t come with a date or a title. Due to the lack of titles, Dickinson scholars use numbers and the poem’s first line to identify them. "We never know how high we are" is the first line of the poem.” One authoritative Dickinson editor, Thomas Johnson, assigned it number 1176. A later Dickinson editor, R. W. Franklin, assigned it number 1197. Scholars believe she wrote “We never know how high we are” around 1870. The poem is a lyric and, since its message is not entirely straightforward, something of a riddle. Dickinson’s unique syntax, subversive style, and ideas about humanity shape the poem, which addresses the potential and limitations of people. “We never know how high we are” is one of her lesser known poems; some of Dickinson’s more famous poems include “