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Archibald MacLeish Quotes

Poet

Archibald MacLeish was an American poet, playwright, and government official, born on May 7, 1892, and died on April 20, 1982. His poetry often addressed social and political issues, and he made significant contributions to both poetry and drama.

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All Men World Humans Atheism Ifs Positive Atheism Should Art Mind Poetry America Earth Freedom Journalism Knows Silence Cities Country Death Eternal

Famous Archibald MacLeish Quotes

“The perversion of the mind is only possible when those who should be heard in its defence are silent.”

Should Mind Heard Silent Defence Perversion

Book:A Time to Speak: The Selected Prose of Archibald MacLeish

Source: A Time to Speak: The Selected Prose of Archibald MacLeish

“A Poem should be palpable and mute As a globed fruit.”

Should Poetry Fruit Mute

Author:Archibald MacLeish

“A poem should be wordless As the flight of birds.”

Should Bird Flight

Author:Archibald MacLeish

“The one man who should never attempt an explanation of a poem is its author. If the poem can be improved by it's author's explanations it never should have been published, and if the poem cannot be improved by its author's explanations the explanations are scarcely worth reading.”

Ifs Men Should Has Beens Poetry Reading Should Have Explanation One Man Should Have Been Worth Reading

Author:Archibald MacLeish

“A poem should not mean but be.”

Should Mean Poetry

Author:Archibald MacLeish

“Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, there is no reason either in football or in poetry why the two should not meet in a man's life if he has the weight and cares about the words.”

Ifs Men Should Two Reason Wisdom Care Sports Football Weight No Reason Conventional Conventional Wisdom

Book:Riders on the Earth: essays and recollections

Source: Riders on the Earth: essays and recollections

“If the poem can be improved by the author's explanations, it never should have been published.”

Ifs Should Writing Has Beens Should Have Explanation Should Have Been

Author:Archibald MacLeish

About the Author

Born: May 7, 1892
Died: April 20, 1982
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 80

Books & Sources

Collected Poems, 1917-1982Related source material

Riders on the Earth: essays and recollectionsRelated source material

J. B.Related source material

The American causeRelated source material

A Time to Speak: The Selected Prose of Archibald MacLeishRelated source material

A continuing journeyRelated source material

In Honor of a Man and an Ideal...: Three Talks on FreedomRelated source material

New & collected poems, 1917-1976Related source material

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