Home / Authors / William Carlos Williams

William Carlos Williams Quotes

Poet

William Carlos Williams was an American poet born on September 17, 1883, and died on March 4, 1963. His poetry style emphasized colloquialism and the depiction of everyday life, which had a profound impact on American poetry.

Filter quotes by topic

All Writing Ifs Imagination Men Art May Knows Poetry Thinking Love Love Is Mind Wind World Facts Flower Made Tree Age Dark

Famous William Carlos Williams Quotes

“The only human value of anything, writing included, is intense vision of the facts.”

Writing Humans Facts Values Vision Intense Human Values

Book:The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams: 1909-1939

Source: The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams: 1909-1939

“It is almost impossible to state what one in fact believes, because it is almost impossible to hold a belief and to define it at the same time.”

Believe States Facts Belief Impossible

Author:William Carlos Williams

“At our age the imagination across the sorry facts lifts us to make roses stand before thorns. Sure love is cruel and selfish and totally obtuse— at least, blinded by the light, young love is. But we are older, I to love and you to be loved, we have, no matter how, by our wills survived to keep the jeweled prize always at our finger tips. We will it so and so it is past all accident.”

Love Matter Facts Light Age Past Young Imagination Love Is Rose Fingers Sorry Accidents Selfish Lifts Prize Survived Thorns Young Love Blinded Sure Love

Book:Selected poems

Source: Selected poems

“No opinion can be trusted; even the facts may be nothing but a printer's error.”

May Facts Opinion History Errors Trusted Printer

Book:In the American Grain

Source: In the American Grain

“One thing I am convinced more and more is true, and that is this: The only way to be truly happy is to make others happy. When you realize that and take advantage of the fact, everything is made perfect.”

Way Made Facts Realizing Perfect One Thing Advantage Convinced Optimistic Truly Happy Make Others Happy

Book:The Selected Letters of William Carlos Williams

Source: The Selected Letters of William Carlos Williams

“Poetry demands a different material than prose. It uses another facet of the same fact... the spontaneous conformation of language as it is heard.”

Different Facts Use Language Heard Materials Demand Prose Spontaneous Facets

Author:William Carlos Williams

About the Author

Born: September 17, 1883
Died: March 4, 1963
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 161

Books & Sources

The Collected Poems of William Carlos WilliamsRelated source material

The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams: 1939-1962Related source material

ImaginationsRelated source material

The William Carlos Williams ReaderRelated source material

Selected poemsRelated source material

PatersonRelated source material

Asphodel, that Greeny Flower & Other Love PoemsRelated source material

In the American GrainRelated source material

Selected essaysRelated source material

The Selected Letters of William Carlos WilliamsRelated source material

Similar Authors

William Butler YeatsBrowse related quotes
Ursula K. Le GuinBrowse related quotes
Wallace StevensBrowse related quotes
Mehmet Murat IldanBrowse related quotes
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheBrowse related quotes
W. H. AudenBrowse related quotes
Virginia WoolfBrowse related quotes
Samuel JohnsonBrowse related quotes
Toni MorrisonBrowse related quotes
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeBrowse related quotes