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Quote by Robert Hass

“One way to escape the universe in which everything is a kind of media cartoon is to write about the part of your life that doesn't feel like a cartoon, and how the cartoon comes into it.”

Quote by Robert Hass

Author

Robert Hass is an American poet known for his concise and profound poetry style. His works explore themes of nature, history, and the human condition, and have won numerous literary awards. more

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“I think that what art can do is refresh our sense of justice, wake us up to what we've taken for granted in the political realm, as in the other realms.”

Thinking Art Political Can Do Justice Taken Granted Realms Taken For Granted

Author:Robert Hass

“Haiku is an art that seems dedicated to making people pay attention to the preciousness and particularity of every moment of existence. I think that poetry can do that.”

People Thinking Art Moments Seems Can Do Pay Existence Attention Pay Attention Dedicated Haiku

Author:Robert Hass

“The problem with describing poets as legislators is that at that level of politics - politics as political invention - poets have no special skills and are not apt to.”

Problem Political Levels Special Poet Skills Invention Describing Legislators

Author:Robert Hass

“It's clear that there has to be some play between the vitality of invention in economic life and some regulation of it, and in some ways the great ideological wars of the 20th century that cost so many lives had to do with whether to have managed economies directed by government or economies directed by the free movement of capital, which is only partially subject to government regulation.”

Way War Play Government Economy Clear Economic Subjects Century Movement Cost Invention Regulation 20th Century Vitality Ideological Government Regulation Free Movement

Author:Robert Hass

“Do poets have any insight into what's the right ratio? I doubt it, but I think that they can be awake to what the ends are.”

Thinking Ends Doubt Poet Insight Awake Ratios

Author:Robert Hass

“Where politics is concerned, I think poets have to be pragmatists, philosophical pragmatists.”

Thinking Poet Concerned Philosophical Pragmatists

Author:Robert Hass

“If you ask me if I have this or that principle, tell me what its consequences are, and then I'll tell you whether I have that principle or not.”

Ifs Asks Principles Consequence Ask Me

Author:Robert Hass

“I think that poets can say, "What we want is for everybody on earth to wake up free from fear and with access to medicine and clean water and education." But I don't think poets have any special insight on how to get there. And the 20th century is a pretty good record of that because so many of the great poets were Stalinists: Vallejo, Neruda, Eluard, Aragon, etc. They wrote their odes to Lenin and Stalin. They glorified some of the most violent and grotesque dictatorships of the 20th century. And a lot of the ones who were not Stalinists were fascists or fascist sympathizers.”

“There's a good deal in Pound's and Eliot's poetry that stood up even though their politics were deplorable. Or Pound's very deplorable, Eliot's kind of deplorable.”

Kind Deals Pounds Stood Up Eliot

Author:Robert Hass

“Just to be able to release an album back in the day when I came out was very gratifying. Most people were not given the opportunity.”

People Able Opportunity Given Albums Release Back In The Day

Author:Keith Sweat