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Poets And Poetry Quotes


These are some of the best 'Poets And Poetry' quotations and sayings.


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A drainless shower of light is poesy; 'tis the supreme of power; 'tis might half slumb'ring on its own right arm.

A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape and significance of the universe, helps to extend everyone's knowledge of himself and the world around him.

A poem begins with a lump in the throat; a homesickness or a lovesickness. It is a reaching-out toward expression; an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is one where an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.

A poet dares to be just so clear and no clearer; he approaches lucid ground warily, like a mariner who is determined not to scrape his bottom on anything solid. A poet's pleasure is to withhold a little of his meaning, to intensify by mystification. He unzips the veil from beauty, but does not remove it. A poet utterly clear is a trifle glaring.

A poet in history is divine, but a poet in the next room is a joke.

An art in which the artist by means of rhythm and great sincerity can convey to others the sentiment which he feels about life.

Colour, which is the poet's wealth, is so expensive that most take to mere outline sketches and become men of science.

I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry; that is, prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in their best order.

If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.

In poetry, you must love the words, the ideas and the images and rhythms with all your capacity to love anything at all.

It is Homer who has chiefly taught other poets the art of telling lies skillfully.

Most joyful let the Poet be, it is through him that all men see. See quote detail

Most people do not believe in anything very much and our greatest poetry is given to us by those that do.

No honest poet can ever feel quite sure of the permanent value of what he has written: he may have wasted his time and messed up his life for nothing.

Not reading poetry amounts to a national pastime here.

Of our conflicts with others we make rhetoric; of our conflicts with ourselves we make poetry.

One of Wordsworth's Lake District neighbours remarked, upon hearing of the poet's death "I suppose his son will carry on the business."

Poetry is a mug's game.

Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.

Poetry is all nouns and verbs.


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