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Rita Dove

Rita Dove Quotes

Poet

Rita Dove is an American poet born on August 28, 1952. Her works are known for their profound social insight and emotional expression, having won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

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Famous Rita Dove Quotes

“To those inclined toward kindness, I say Come out of your houses drumming. All others, beware: I have discarded my smile but not my teeth.”

Poetry Kindness Strength Poem

Author:Rita Dove

“Fact is, the invention of women under siege has been to sharpen love in the service of myth. If you can’t be free, be a mystery.”

Love Poetry Women Mystery Poem Myth Misogyny Mysteries Billie Holiday

Book:Grace Notes: Poems

Source: Grace Notes: Poems

“Since she's discovered men would rather drown than nibble, she does just fine.”

Men Poetry Women Relationships Appetites

Book:On the Bus With Rosa Parks

Source: On the Bus With Rosa Parks

“don't think you can ever forget her don't even try she's not going to budge no choice but to grant her space crown her with sky for she is one of the many and she is each of us”

Poetry Women Homeless Memorability

Book:On the Bus With Rosa Parks

Source: On the Bus With Rosa Parks

“I've never stopped wanting to cross the equator, or touch an elk's horns, or sing Tosca or screw James Dean in a field of wheat. To hell with wisdom. They're all wrong: I'll never be through with my life.”

Life Desire Poetry Dreams Living Aging Goals Elderly

Book:On the Bus With Rosa Parks

Source: On the Bus With Rosa Parks

“Our situation is intolerable, but what's worse is to sit here and do nothing.”

Life Action Poetry Civil Rights Social Change Grass Roots Movements

Book:On the Bus With Rosa Parks

Source: On the Bus With Rosa Parks

“I tell you, if you feel strange, strange things will happen to you: Fallen peacocks on library shelves”

Poetry Libraries Strangeness Peacocks

Book:On the Bus With Rosa Parks

Source: On the Bus With Rosa Parks

“Listen, no one signed up for this lullaby. No bleeped sheep or rosebuds or twitching stars will diminish the fear or save you from waking into the same day you dreamed of leaving—”

Poetry Fear Sleep Poem Waking Carrying On

Author:Rita Dove

“We tend to be so bombarded with information, and we move so quickly, that there's a tendency to treat everything on the surface level and process things quickly. This is antithetical to the kind of openness and perception you have to have to be receptive to poetry.poetry seems to exist in a parallel universe outside daily life in America.”

Kind Seems America Moving Poetry Universe Process Levels Information Poet Perception Treats Surface Tendencies Daily Life Openness Parallels Receptive Parallel Universe Bombarded

Author:Rita Dove

“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.”

Poetry Language Powerful Most Powerful Poetry Is Reading Poetry Distillation Poetry Reading

Author:Rita Dove

About the Author

Born: August 28, 1952
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 109

Related Topics

Thinking Writing Ifs Mean Poet Poetry People Way World Children Feels Knows Needs Trying Book Library Literature Moving Firsts Humans

Popular Topics

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

Books & Sources

Conversations with Rita DoveRelated source material

On the Bus With Rosa ParksRelated source material

Collected Poems: 1974-2004Related source material

Fifth Sunday: storiesRelated source material

Grace Notes: PoemsRelated source material

Selected poemsRelated source material

The Yellow House on the Corner: PoemsRelated source material

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