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Quote by Delmore Schwartz

Work

Selected Poems (1938-1958): Summer Knowledge

This volume compiles a selection of poems from the author's career spanning two decades, showcasing their work during the mid-20th century. more

Author

Delmore Schwartz
Delmore Schwartz

Delmore Schwartz was an American poet, born on December 8, 1913, and died on July 11, 1966. His poetry is known for its profound emotion and unique style, and is considered an important figure in 20th-century American literature. more

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“It is your organized religions that have made it clear through their most sacred scriptures that cruelty and killing is an acceptable response to human frailty and human differences. This goes against every human instinct, but organized religion has reorganized human thoughts. Some humans have even been turned against their own instinct for survival. And so people go around maiming and killing each other, because they've been told quite directly that this is what God does to them--and what God wants them to do to each other.”

“So long as you believe in a Two-Faced God, you will create ecstasy and terror side by side. You have imagined a God who is the epitome of both, and by telling yourself that you are created in the Image and Likeness of God, you have given yourself the moral authority to demonstrate both. You love and hate in the name of God.”

“While overeating would be seen by some as an indulgence of self, it is in fact a profound rejection of self. It is a moment of self-betrayal and self-punishment, and anything but a commitment to one's own well-being.”