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Quote by Sam Hamill

“I'm basically a poetry scholar, and I'm happier here in my studio with my row of Chinese dictionaries than I am, frankly, at Lincoln Center.”

Quote by Sam Hamill

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Sam Hamill

Sam Hamill is an American poet born on September 5, 1943. His poetry is deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, known for its profound thinking and unique linguistic style. more

“I can remember, I think it was 1967, sitting in the First Unitarian Church in Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, and seeing Phil Levine come out on the little stage. He sat on the edge and said, "You know, sometimes it's hard not to hate my country for the way I feel, at times, but I won't let that happen." And then he read, "They Feed They Lion," this incredibly powerful, incantatory poem that was inspired in part by the burning of Detroit in 1967 and the riots that followed.”

“Galway Kinnell came out with that wonderful big, breathy, hollow voice of his and read, for the first time in public, "The Bear." That poem impressed me so much that I memorized it. I used it for years when I taught in prisons. It's a powerful extended metaphor for what the writing life is really all about. It's a uniquely powerful poem about self-transformation, and that's what we're asking, really, beyond even our objection to the war. We're asking people to look at themselves and think about what might be possible with a little self-transformation.”

“Each of us as poets, as decent suffering human beings, has to find a way to run our lives that is compassionate toward one another and toward our environment.”

Way Humans Running Suffering Human Beings Environment Our Lives Poet Decent Compassionate Our Environment

Author:Sam Hamill

“We're certainly not perfect, and we're not probably even better than anybody else, except that perhaps we are given to certain kinds of contemplation that provide a valuable balance to the knee-jerk reactionary behavior of most of our newspapers and political leaders. Poets are great doubters.”

Kind Political Certain Given Perfect Leader Poet Balance Behavior Valuable Newspapers Knees Contemplation Not Perfect Jerk Reactionaries Political Leaders Doubters

Author:Sam Hamill

“What poetry does above all else is develop sensibility. And that's what makes poetry so dangerous. That's why poetry is so good at undermining governments and so bad at building them. There's nothing harder to organize than a group of poets.”

Doe Government Groups Dangerous Building Poet Harder Poetry Is Sensibility Organize Undermining

Author:Sam Hamill

“The only thing we all agree on, virtually every poet in this country, is that this Administration is really frightening, and we want something done about it.”

Want Country Done Poet Agree Administration Frightening Want Something

Author:Sam Hamill

“George W. Bush is using language that's a mirror image of the language of Osama bin Laden when he says, "We have God on our side. This is the struggle of good against evil."”

Evil Language Sides Struggle Mirrors Bin Laden Osama Bin Laden Good Against Evil Mirror Image

Author:Sam Hamill

“I think the most important thing is being in healthy relationships. That might be a weird answer, but I think emotional health is a big contributor to physical health. I think [having] good romantic relationships, but even friendships and family, around you and having strong, supportive people around you helps you have an overall healthy lifestyle.”

“Most of the ugly wars in history have been wars of religion. And there's nothing more dangerous than someone with religious certitude who creates consequences in the world that to me are simply inexcusable.”

World Has Beens War Religious Dangerous Consequence Ugly Certitude

Author:Sam Hamill

“I'm a girl, so every day I have a different opinion about or a different feeling about something that inspires me, but I think the thing that's driven me is I'll take a look at successful people and just try and see what their path was and follow that with my own twist, obviously. I guess I'm inspired by other people who are successful.”

People Thinking Trying Looks Different Feelings Girl My Own Opinion Path Successful Inspire Inspired Driven Successful People Twists Different Opinions Different Feelings

Author:April Rose

Quote by Sam Hamill

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