Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Ron Padgett

Quote by Ron Padgett

Work

How to Be Perfect: An Illustrated Guide

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Ron Padgett
Ron Padgett

Ron Padgett is an American poet born on June 17, 1942. His work is known for its concise language and profound emotional depth, having a significant impact on contemporary poetry. more

You May Also Like

“The twilights of ancient cities, with lost traditions inscribed in the black stones of their massive buildings; tremulous dawns over inundated fields, swampy and damp like the air before the sun comes out; the narrow lanes where anything could happen; the heavy chests in age-old sitting rooms; the well behind the farmhouse on a moonlit night; the letter dating from when our grandmother whom we never met was first in love; the mildew in the rooms where the past is stored; the rifle no one knows how to use any more; the fever of hot afternoons next to the window; not a soul on the road; fitful slumber; the blight in the vineyards; church bells; the cloistral grief of living…”

LifeGriefLiving
Book:The Book of Disquiet
Create image

“Students sometimes tell me. that they're waiting for someone to die before they feel they can write their story. They say this sheepishly, guiltily. As if, in some way, they're wishing for that person to expire, already, so they can get on with the business of writing about them. I try to liberate my students from those tortured thoughts by telling them that they may as well just start now, because it can be more difficult to write about the dead than to write about the living. The dead can't fight back. The dead have no voice. They can't say: But that isn't how it was. You're getting it wrong. They can't say: But I loved you so. They can't say: I had no idea.”

WritingDeathLivingGuiltStorytellingRemembrance
Book:Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love
Create image