Home / Authors / Billy Collins

Billy Collins

Billy Collins Quotes

Poet

Billy Collins is a renowned American poet, born on March 22, 1941. His poetry is known for its simplicity, humor, and profound insights, making it popular among readers. Collins served as the United States Poet Laureate and taught at several universities.

Filter quotes by topic

All Thinking Writing Poet Way Ifs Kind Poetry Reader Lines Mean Littles Poetry Is Trying Reading Difficulty Ends Firsts I Can Knows Light

Famous Billy Collins Quotes

“Some difficulty is warranted and other difficulty I think is gratuitous. And I think I can tell the difference. There are certainly very difficult poets that I really enjoy reading.”

Thinking I Can Reading Enjoy Difficult Differences Poet Difficulty

Author:Billy Collins

“More often than not in poetry I find difficulty to be gratuitous and show-offy and camouflaging, experimental to a kind of insane degree - a difficulty which really ignores the possibility of having a sensible reader.”

Kind Shows Possibility Reader Degrees Difficulty Insane Sensible

Author:Billy Collins

“Another trouble with poetry - and I'm gonna stop the list at two - is the presence of presumptuousness in poetry, the sense you get in a poem that the poet takes for granted an interest on the reader's part in the poet's autobiographical life, in the poet's memories, problems, difficulties and even minor perceptions.”

Two Problem Interest Memories Trouble Poet Reader Perception Difficulty Lists Granted Minors

Author:Billy Collins

“I try to presume that no one is interested in me. And I think experience bears that out. No one's interested in the experiences of a stranger - let's put it that way. And then you have difficulty combined with presumptuousness, which is the most dire trouble with poetry.”

Thinking Way Trying Trouble Bears Difficulty Stranger

Author:Billy Collins

“Usually the poems are written in one sitting. There's always a groping towards some satisfying ending. But I'd say the hardest part is not writing. Once the writing starts, it's too pleasurable to think of it as a difficulty.”

Thinking Writing Written Sitting Difficulty Hardest Satisfying

Author:Billy Collins

“A trouble with poetry is the presence of presumptuousness in poetry, the sense you get in a poem that the poet takes for granted an interest on the reader's part in the poet's autobiographical life, in the poet's memories, problems, difficulties and even minor perceptions. I try to presume that no one is interested in me. And I think experience bears that out. No one's interested in the experiences of a stranger - let's put it that way. And then you have difficulty combined with presumptuousness, which is the most dire trouble with poetry.”

Thinking Way Trying Problem Interest Memories Trouble Poet Bears Reader Perception Difficulty Stranger Granted Poetry Is Minors

Author:Billy Collins

“There are interesting forms of difficulty, and there are unprofitable forms of difficulty. I mean, I enjoy some difficult poetry, but some of it is impenetrable and I actually wouldn't want to penetrate it if I could, perhaps.”

Ifs Want Mean Form Enjoy Difficult Interesting Difficulty If I Could Penetrate

Author:Billy Collins

About the Author

Born: March 22, 1941
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 133

Related Topics

Thinking Writing Poet Way Ifs Kind Poetry Reader Lines Mean Littles Poetry Is Trying Reading Difficulty Ends Firsts I Can Knows Light

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected PoemsRelated source material

Picnic, LightningRelated source material

The Trouble With Poetry - And Other PoemsRelated source material

Nine HorsesRelated source material

Questions About AngelsRelated source material

Taking Off Emily Dickinson's ClothesRelated source material

The Apple That Astonished Paris: PoemsRelated source material

The Apple that Astonished ParisRelated source material

The Trouble with Poetry and Other PoemsRelated source material

Aimless Love: New and Selected PoemsRelated source material

Similar Authors

Edward HirschBrowse related quotes
Matthew ZapruderBrowse related quotes
George SaundersBrowse related quotes
William ZinsserBrowse related quotes
Paul AusterBrowse related quotes
Salvatore QuasimodoBrowse related quotes
Lynne TillmanBrowse related quotes
Sandra CisnerosBrowse related quotes
Jorge Luis BorgesBrowse related quotes
Stephen KingBrowse related quotes