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Poet Quotes

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Poet Quotes

“Some have at first for wits, then poets passed, Turned critics next, and proved plain fools at last.”

Firsts Lasts Next Poet Fool Critics Wit

Author:Alexander Pope

“Nowadays when a poet with one privately printed book can have his next three years taken care of by a Guggenheim fellowship, a Kenyon Review fellowship, and the Prix de Rome, it is hard to remember what chances the poet took in that small-town world, how precariously hand-to-mouth his existence was. And yet in one way the old days were better; [Vachel] Lindsay after a while, by luck and skill, got far more readers than any poet could get today.”

“Fighting for one's freedom, struggling towards being free, is like struggling to be a poet or a good Christian or a good Jew or a good Muslim or good Zen Buddhist. You work all day long and achieve some kind of level of success by nightfall, go to sleep and wake up the next morning with the job still to be done. So you start all over again.”

Kind Long Stills Done Christian Jobs Fighting Next Sleep Levels Morning Struggle Achieve Poet Wake Up Jew Buddhist Going To Sleep Being Free Good Christian Nightfall Zen Buddhist

Author:Maya Angelou

“Happy indeed the poet of whom, like Orpheus, nothing is known but an immortal name! Happy next, perhaps, the poet of whom, like Homer, nothing is known but the immortal works. The more the merely human part of the poet remains a mystery, the more willing is the reverence given to his divine mission.”

Humans Next Names Given Known Mystery Divine Willing Poet Fame Remains Missions Immortal Reverence Orpheus

Author:Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton

“The competition for the future of crime fiction is fierce, as it should be, but don't take your eyes off Craig McDonald. He's wily, talented and-rarest of the rare-a true original. He writes melancholy poetry that actually has melancholy poets wandering around, but don't turn your backs on them, either. I am always eager to see what he's going to do next.”

Should Writing Eye Turns Next Fiction Crime Poet Originals Competition Wander Melancholy Fierce Crime Fiction Mcdonalds Wandering Around

Author:Laura Lippman

“[To become a poet] The most important thing is to pay attention. The next would probably be to read; it's so important to pay attention. It keeps you from being bored, and I might add it keeps you from being boorish.”

Important Might Next Pay Attention Poet Important Things Add Pay Attention Bored Being Bored

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Threadbare his songs seem now, to lettered ken: They were worn threadbare next the hearts of men.”

Men Heart Seems Song Next Poet Worn

Book:Retrogression: and other poems

Source: Retrogression: and other poems

“Virtually every beginning poet hurts himself by an addiction to adjectives. Verbs are by far the most important things for poems-especially wonderful tough monosyllables like "gasp" and "cry." Nouns are the next most important. Adjectives tend to be useless.”

Important Next Hurt Wonderful Cry Poet Tough Important Things Addiction Useless Verbs Adjectives Nouns

Author:Donald Hall

“We're talking about an extremely prolific poet and songwriter and lyricist. That stuff comes off the top of her head. She [Joni Mitchell] will write exactly what she lives. If she puts some money in the soda machine, she'll write about putting money in the soda machine. "Dry Cleaner from Des Moines," on the Shadows & Light album, was about sitting next to a dry cleaner from Des Moines, playing a slot machine.”

Ifs Writing Light Poetry Next Stuff Talking Poet Sitting Shadow Machines Albums Dry Songwriters Cleaners Soda Slot Machines Lyricists Des Moines Dry Cleaners

Author:Don Alias

“I think poets are supposed to be writing for television and film. I grew up in the day of early TV that was so raw and funny, and I think we're in the next important moment of television, where it's really telling the epic of the culture like Charles Dickens was doing in the 19th century with his serialized novels.”

Thinking Writing Important Moments Film Culture Next Novel Century Television Poet Tvs Grew Grew Up Supposed To Be Epic 19th Century Dickens Important Moments

Author:Eileen Myles

“I don't think that you can say by any stretch of the imagination that all Wisconsin or Brooklyn-based poets write in a particular way. Similar sensibilities can spring up next to each other in the flower bed, or across oceans.”

Thinking Way Writing Next Imagination Particular Poet Flower Bed Ocean Spring Sensibility Brooklyn Wisconsin

Author:Matthea Harvey

“I had to learn quick, because I was performing in Cinco de Mayo festivals with babies crying and people lifting their beers, and you know the feather dancers would come, and they'd say, "What are you, a poet? You're next".”

People Knows Next Cry Poet Baby Beer Performing Dancer Feathers Festivals Lifting Cinco De Mayo

Author:Sandra Cisneros

“"You're next, after the feather dancers." And you had to get their attention, because otherwise people would go, "Oh, a poet." You really have to learn.”

People Next Attention Poet Dancer Feathers Wise People

Author:Sandra Cisneros