Poet Quotes

From reading a previous answer, you know that I consider all those aspects to be part of American cultural myth and thus they figure into good American poetry, whether the poet is aware of what he is doing or not.

No poet or novelist wishes he were the only one who ever lived, but most of them wish they were the only one alive, and quite a number fondly believe their wish has been granted.

A subject for a great poet would be God's boredom after the seventh day of creation.

The poet's expression of joy conceals his despair at not having found the reality of joy.

God is the perfect poet.

As I look over my work, I mean every time I look over my early work, I see, yes, I could do that then and then I could do that and that... That may be the hardest thing for a writer, at least for a poet, to tell what the identity of his work is.

People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I found that immensely valuable.

It is a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it.

Jim wanted to be known as a poet, first and foremost.

A poet can write about a man slaying a dragon, but not about a man pushing a button that releases a bomb.

Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of his audience, the poet, like an acrobat, climbs on rhyme to a high wire of his own making.

If a poet is anybody, he is somebody to whom things made matter very little - somebody who is obsessed by Making.

The eyes of a poet discover in each person a unique and irreplaceable humanity. While arrogant intellect seeks to control and manipulate the world, the poetic spirit bows with reverence before its mysteries.

None merits the name of Creator but God and the poet.

A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nor does a nursery gardener scent his roses.

My name was originally John Collins, but I just didn't think it had the flair I needed. I found out the poet laureate of Poland was named Krasinski and so it seemed like a shoe-in for show business.