Favorite Quotes

[Tracy Mitchell]

"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood."

-- T. S. Eliot

[Deb]

"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not an expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things."

~ T. S. Eliot

[Tracy Mitchell]

"Pick a piece of wood floating in the river and follow it down the current with your glance, keeping the eyes constantly on it, without getting ahead of the current. This is the way poetry should be read: at the pace of a line."
                    -- Vera Pavlova

[Tracy Mitchell]

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
― Louis L'Amour

[ajduclos]

Writing poetry is talking to oneself;
yet it is a mode of talking to oneself
in which the self disappears; and the
product is something that, though it
may not be for everybody, is about
                 everybody 

Richard Wilbur

[Tracy Mitchell]

Do you agree with that quote, AJ?
I am not sure I do.  No sure why. 

[Gyppo]

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
― Louis L'Amour

Absolutely.  You can always tear it up if you don't like it.  Better to tip out bad lines and lose them than let them sit and fester, like a bad apple spoiling the whole barrel. 

[ajduclos]

I agree strongly with "Start writing, no matter what..." - Gyppo's comment is "write" on.  Lots of other really great quotes here in this thread.

Tracy, the quote I posted above by Richard Wilbur is one that struck me.  Seems that there is much in this quote that I'm not sure I get.  If I were writing this one word would change in line 3:   I would write "ego" instead of "self".

Writing poetry is talking to oneself;
yet it is a mode of talking to oneself
in which the ego disappears; and the
product is something that, though it
may not be for everybody, is about
                 everybody

Still thinking about this quote as it has grabbed my attention.  Think I'll read some of Wilbur's writes.

 

[ajduclos]

It is hard to imagine how or in what manner John Bolton is thought to be connected with either civilization, or hope.  But that's just me. 

John Bolton's infamous mustache embarrasses me into wanting to shave mine off out of respect to civilization and hope.

Aj

[ajduclos]

Do you agree with that quote, AJ?
I am not sure I do.  No sure why. 

I've looked at that Richard Wilbur quote several times and given it some thought... and I find that I do indeed agree with it, qualified by the change of "self" in L3 to "ego."

Tracy, I would truly like to understand what is troubling you about this quote... always room for more information.

Aj