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Poet Quotes

“I think a good deal may be said to extenuate the fault of bad Poets. What we call a Genius, is hard to be distinguish'd by a man himself, from a strong inclination: and if his genius be ever so great, he can not at first discover it any other way, than by giving way to that prevalent propensity which renders him the more liable to be mistaken.”

Ifs Thinking Men Way Giving Firsts May Said Hard Strong Deals Poet Genius Faults Mistaken Can Not Inclination Liable Propensity Giving Way

Book:Poems: Pastoral poetry, and An essay on criticism

Source: Poems: Pastoral poetry, and An essay on criticism

“Natural emotion is the soul of poetry, as melody is of music; the same faults are engendered by over-study of either art; there is a lack of sincerity, of irresistible impulse in both the poet and the, composer.”

Art Soul Natural Emotion Study Poet Faults Impulse Melody Sincerity Composer Irresistible

Book:Poets of America

Source: Poets of America

“[Rhyme is] but the invention of a barbarous age, to set off wretched matter and lame Meter; ... Not without cause therefore some both Italian and Spanish poets of prime note have rejected rhyme, ... as have also long since our best English tragedies, as... trivial and of no true musical delight; which [truly] consists only in apt numbers, fit quantity of syllables, and the sense variously drawn out from one verse into another, not in the jingling sound of like endings, a fault avoided by the learned ancients both in poetry and all good oratory.”

Long Matter Age Causes Sound Numbers Poet Fit Tragedy Faults Notes Musical Delight Invention Prime Italian Quantity Verses Rejected Rhyme Wretched Avoided Meter Lame Syllables Oratory

Author:John Milton

“Contemporary poets are skeptical and suspicious even, or perhaps especially, about themselves. They publicly confess to being poets only reluctantly, as if they were a little ashamed of it. But in our clamorous times it's much easier to acknowledge your faults, at least if they're attractively packaged, than to recognize your own merits, since these are hidden deeper and you never quite believe in them yourself.”

Ifs Believe Littles Poet Easier Faults Deeper Contemporary Acknowledge Merit Ashamed Never Quit Suspicious Skeptical

Book:Poems, New and Collected, 1957-1997

Source: Poems, New and Collected, 1957-1997

“Plato found fault that the poets of his time filled the world with wrong opinions of the gods, making light tales of that unspotted essence, and therefore would not have the youth depraved with such opinions.”

World Light Found Opinion Youth Poet Essence Filled Faults Tales Plato Depraved

Book:The works of the Honourable Sr. Philip Sidney, kt. in prose and verse: In three volumes. ...

Source: The works of the Honourable Sr. Philip Sidney, kt. in prose and verse: In three volumes. ...

“The true poet is called to take in the splendor of the world and for that reason will always be inclined to praise rather than tofind fault.”

World Reason Poetry Poet Praise Faults Splendor

Author:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“The definition of good prose is proper words in their proper places; of good verse, the most proper words in their proper places.The propriety is in either case relative. The words in prose ought to express the intended meaning, and no more; if they attract attention to themselves, it is, in general, a fault.”

Ifs Poetry Attention Cases Poet Ought Faults Definitions Prose Relative Verses Propriety

Book:Specimens of the Table Talk of the Late Samuel Taylor Coleridge: In Two Volumes

Source: Specimens of the Table Talk of the Late Samuel Taylor Coleridge: In Two Volumes

“Shakespeare's fault is not the greatest into which a poet may fall. It merely indicates a deficiency of taste.”

May Fall Poet Taste Faults Deficiency

Book:Selected Writings

Source: Selected Writings

“I became a poet at the age of sixteen. I did not intend to do it. It was not my fault.”

Age Poet Faults Sixteen

Author:Margaret Atwood