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Quote by W. S. Merwin

“I wouldn't be happy about being considered a love poet or an environmental - I don't want any of those tags.”

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W. S. Merwin is a renowned American poet, born on September 30, 1927. His poetry is known for its profound philosophy and unique style, which has won him a wide audience. more

“There are poets who believe that you shouldn't engage at all in any cause. And there's something to be said for that. Because you don't want to - I think most political poetry is very bad. And it's very bad because you know too much to start with. You have a sense that you're right, and you're trying to tell other people what's right. And I think that's always kind of fundamentalism, and I don't like it.”

People Thinking Knows Want Trying Believe Kind Said Political Causes Too Much Poet Poetry Is Fundamentalism

Author:W. S. Merwin

“But most love poetry is awful; nobody knows how to write good love poetry either. But that's not a reason not to write love poetry. Some of the best poetry ever written has been love poetry, and some of the greatest poetry ever written has been political poetry.”

Knows Writing Has Beens Reason Political Know How Written Awful Poetry Is Nobody Knows Love Poetry Good Love Best Poetry Greatest Poetry

Author:W. S. Merwin

“The Divine Comedy is a political poem and when you say poetry is not about - he's always quoted out of context, that "poetry makes nothing happen," that doesn't mean you shrug your shoulders and don't try to make anything happen. And Dante felt that poetry was engaged, there was a point of view; it's not my point of view, it's orthodox medieval Christianity, and I have my troubles with that. He didn't feel that you could just rule out so important a section of life - we care about these things, and it's out of caring about them that we write poetry.”

“If you can't bear what's happening to the natural world, if you can't bear the way we treat each other; if you can't bear wars, you just can't bear the whole idea of war, which is possibly unavoidable. But still, you resist it. Because you just hate our treating each other that way and causing that suffering.”

Ifs World Way Stills Ideas War Whole Suffering Hate Natural Bears Happenings Treats Natural World

Author:W. S. Merwin

“I also think that life itself is both indifferent to us and the source of all of our joys and everything that we love. And it's necessary to accept the one in order to love the other.”

Thinking Joy Order Accepting Source Indifferent

Author:W. S. Merwin

“I think it's good for anybody to learn languages. Americans are particularly limited in that way. Europeans less so... We're beginning to have Spanish move in on English in the states because of all the people coming from Hispanic countries... and we're beginning to learn some Spanish. And I think that's a good thing... Only having one language is very limiting... You get to think that's the way the human race is made; there's only one language worth speaking... Well, this isn't good for English.”

People Thinking Way Humans Wells Made Country States Moving Language Race Good Things Human Race Hispanic Speaking Well

Author:W. S. Merwin

“I don't make movies about issues. This is my same litmus test for all the movies I love: Is it a great character on a great emotional quest with a great emotional need? Do they overcome great emotional obstacles? Is it a fantastic story? I didn't set out to be a political activist. I'm just a human being who's moved by certain things, and if certain things break my heart, I set out to fix them.”

“I do have a spongelike ear or mentality or whatever you call it, but it's probably a bit subconscious.”

Bits Ears Mentality Subconscious

Author:Paul McCartney

“People think when you have a, quote, 'bank failure,' that that is the end of the bank. And it isn't necessarily.”

People Thinking Ends

Author:Michele Bachmann

“I'm actually doing what I want with my life. I do sometime think I could just shut up and rest on my laurels and say: you know what guys, I'll operate out of the pocket you put me in.... but no way! No way I'm gonna do that! I'd just get bored stiff the first minute.”

Thinking Knows Way Want Firsts Guy Minutes Bored Pockets Shut Up Laurels

Author:Paul McCartney

Quote by W. S. Merwin

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