Poetry Quotes | Beyond Motive

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Poetry Quotes

"Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds."

"Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds."

Percy Bysshe Shelley, English Poet

Poetry, Moments

289

"What is poetry which does not save nations or people?"

"What is poetry which does not save nations or people?"

Czeslaw Milosz, Polish Poet

Poetry, People, Nations

49

"Poetry is a sort of homecoming."

"Poetry is a sort of homecoming."

Paul Celan, Romanian Poet

46

"When truth has no burning, then it is philosophy, when it gets burning from the heart, it becomes poetry."

"When truth has no burning, then it is philosophy, when it gets burning from the heart, it becomes poetry."

Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistani Poet

Poetry, Truth, Heart, Philosophy

44

Ennui
Tea-leaves thwart those who court catastrophe,
Designing futures where nothing will occur.
Cross the gypsy’s palm and yawning she
Will still predict no perils left to conquer.

Jeopardy is jejune now: the naïve knight
Finds ogres out-of-date and dragons unheard-of,
While blasé princesses indict
Tilts at terror as downright absurd.

The beast in Jamesian grove will never jump,
Compelling hero’s dull career to crisis;
And when insouciant angels play God’s trump,
While bored arena crowds for once look eager,
Hoping toward havoc, neither pleas nor prices
Shall coax from doom’s blank door lady or tiger.

Ennui
Tea-leaves thwart those who court catastrophe,
Designing futures where nothing will occur.
Cross the gypsy’s palm and yawning she
Will still predict no perils left to conquer.

Jeopardy is jejune now: the naïve knight
Finds ogres out-of-date and dragons unheard-of,
While blasé princesses indict
Tilts at terror as downright absurd.

The beast in Jamesian grove will never jump,
Compelling hero’s dull career to crisis;
And when insouciant angels play God’s trump,
While bored arena crowds for once look eager,
Hoping toward havoc, neither pleas nor prices
Shall coax from doom’s blank door lady or tiger.

Sylvia Plath, American Poet

Poetry, Boredom, Fantasy, Adventure

41

"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary."

"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary."

Khalil Gibran, Lebanese Poet

Poetry, Joy, Pain, Wonder

40

"A grain of poetry suffices to season a century."

"A grain of poetry suffices to season a century."

Jose Marti, Cuban Activist

39

"All one's inventions are true, you can be sure of that. Poetry is as exact a science as geometry."

"All one's inventions are true, you can be sure of that. Poetry is as exact a science as geometry."

Gustave Flaubert, French Novelist

Poetry, Science, Geometry, Inventions

39

"Art: If the object of poetry is, to make men, then poetry is the heir of prophecy."

"Art: If the object of poetry is, to make men, then poetry is the heir of prophecy."

Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistani Poet

Poetry, Men, Heir, Prophecy

34

"Serious poetry deals with the fundamental conflicts that cannot be logically resolved: we can state the conflicts rationally, but reason does not relieve us of them."

"Serious poetry deals with the fundamental conflicts that cannot be logically resolved: we can state the conflicts rationally, but reason does not relieve us of them."

Allen Tate, American Poet

Poetry, Deals, Reason, State

25

"I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like the timber, it steeped itself in the forests."

"I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like the timber, it steeped itself in the forests."

Pablo Neruda, Chilean Writer

Poetry, Rain, Voice

25

"Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted."

"Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted."

Percy Bysshe Shelley, English Poet

24

"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom."

"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom."

Robert Frost, American Poet

Poetry, Wisdom, Delight

24

"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the 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."

"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the 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, American Poet

Poetry, Emotion, Emotions, Expression

24

"The moon seems unawareof night's dark hittingon the damp warm rain misguiding owl's spitting A thunder light of loveraising hearts beatingwhile weather learns morefrom rain lovers meeting."

"The moon seems unawareof night's dark hittingon the damp warm rain misguiding owl's spitting A thunder light of loveraising hearts beatingwhile weather learns morefrom rain lovers meeting."

Munia Khan, Bangladeshi Poet

Poetry, Nature, Romance, Mystery, Emotion

24

"Poetry is the mother-tongue of the human race."

"Poetry is the mother-tongue of the human race."

Johann G. Hamann, German Philosopher

Poetry, Mother, Race

23

"I want people to bow as they see me and say he is gifted with poetry, he has seen the presence of the creator."

"I want people to bow as they see me and say he is gifted with poetry, he has seen the presence of the creator."

Allen Ginsberg, American Poet

Poetry, People, Want

22

"Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn."

"Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn."

Thomas Gray, English Poet

Poetry, Thoughts, Words

22

"I have nothing to say, I am saying it, and that is poetry."

"I have nothing to say, I am saying it, and that is poetry."

John Cage, American Composer

Poetry, Nothing, Saying

22

"There is something about poetry beyond prose logic, there is mystery in it, not to be explained but admired."

"There is something about poetry beyond prose logic, there is mystery in it, not to be explained but admired."

Edward Young, English Poet

Poetry, Logic, Mystery, Prose

22

"Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth."

"Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth."

June Jordan, American Writer

Poetry, Truth, Act

21

"Written poetry is worth reading once, and then should be destroyed. Let the dead poets make way for others."

"Written poetry is worth reading once, and then should be destroyed. Let the dead poets make way for others."

Antonin Artaud, French Dramatist

Poetry, Poets, Reading, Worth

21

"I want to branch out. I want to write. I write poetry. I want to see my children grow up well."

"I want to branch out. I want to write. I write poetry. I want to see my children grow up well."

Annie Lennox, Scottish Musician

Poetry, Children, Want

20

"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood."

"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood."

T. S. Eliot, American Poet

20

"When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images."

"When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images."

Niels Bohr, Danish Physicist

Poetry, Atoms, Facts, Language

19

"So, poetry becomes a means for useful dialogue between people who are not only unknown, but mute to each other. It produces a dialogue among people that guards all of us against manipulation by our so-called leaders."

"So, poetry becomes a means for useful dialogue between people who are not only unknown, but mute to each other. It produces a dialogue among people that guards all of us against manipulation by our so-called leaders."

June Jordan, American Writer

Poetry, People, Leaders, Manipulation

19

"I've already written 300 space poems. But I look upon my ultimate form as being a poetic prose. When you read it, it appears to be prose, but within the prose you have embedded the techniques of poetry."

"I've already written 300 space poems. But I look upon my ultimate form as being a poetic prose. When you read it, it appears to be prose, but within the prose you have embedded the techniques of poetry."

Story Musgrave, American Astronaut

Poetry, Being, Poems, Prose

19

"Poetry lies its way to the truth."

"Poetry lies its way to the truth."

John Ciardi, English Dramatist

Poetry, Truth, Lies

18

"We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry."

"We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry."

William Butler Yeats, Irish Poet

Poetry, Quarrel, Rhetoric

18

"Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits."

"Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits."

Carl Sandburg, American Poet

18

"As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too."

"As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too."

Clement Clarke Moore, American Writer

17

"Ye stars! which are the poetry of heaven!"

"Ye stars! which are the poetry of heaven!"

Lord Byron, British Poet

17

"Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help."

"Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help."

Thom Gunn, British Poet

Poetry, Deep, Feeling, Help

17

"In our period, they say there is free speech. They say there is no penalty for poets, There is no penalty for writing poems. They say this. This is the penalty."

"In our period, they say there is free speech. They say there is no penalty for poets, There is no penalty for writing poems. They say this. This is the penalty."

Muriel Rukeyser, American Poet

Poetry, Freespeech, Poems, Poets, Writing

16

"Well, if this is poetry, I'm certainly never going to write any myself."

"Well, if this is poetry, I'm certainly never going to write any myself."

James Schuyler, American Poet

16

"I learned to impersonate the kind of person that talks about poetry. It comes from teaching, I think."

"I learned to impersonate the kind of person that talks about poetry. It comes from teaching, I think."

Robert Morgan, American Soldier

Poetry, Teaching

16

"I don't think the creative writing industry has helped American poetry."

"I don't think the creative writing industry has helped American poetry."

Robert Morgan, American Soldier

Poetry, Writing

16

"My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity."

"My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity."

Wilfred Owen, English Soldier

Poetry, War, Pity

15

"I come here to speak poetry. It will always be in the grass. It will also be necessary to bend down to hear it. It will always be too simple to be discussed in assemblies."

"I come here to speak poetry. It will always be in the grass. It will also be necessary to bend down to hear it. It will always be too simple to be discussed in assemblies."

Boris Pasternak, Russian Novelist

15

"The Tao Te Ching is partly in prose, partly in verse; but as we define poetry now, not by rhyme and meter but as a patterned intensity of language, the whole thing is poetry. I wanted to catch that poetry, its terse, strange beauty. Most translations have caught meanings in their net, but prosily, letting the beauty slip through. And in poetry, beauty is no ornament; it is the meaning. It is the truth. We have that on good authority."

"The Tao Te Ching is partly in prose, partly in verse; but as we define poetry now, not by rhyme and meter but as a patterned intensity of language, the whole thing is poetry. I wanted to catch that poetry, its terse, strange beauty. Most translations have caught meanings in their net, but prosily, letting the beauty slip through. And in poetry, beauty is no ornament; it is the meaning. It is the truth. We have that on good authority."

Ursula K. Le Guin, American Writer

Poetry, Beauty, Meaning, Language

15

"Moon! Moon! I am prone before you. Pity me, and drench me in loneliness."

"Moon! Moon! I am prone before you. Pity me, and drench me in loneliness."

Amy Lowell, American Poet

Poetry, Loneliness, Pity

15

"Poetry and prayer are very similar."

"Poetry and prayer are very similar."

Carol Ann Duffy, British Poet

14

"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."

"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."

Emily Dickinson, American Poet

14

"There is no gilding of setting sun or glamor of poetry to light up the ferocious and endless toil of the farmers' wives."

"There is no gilding of setting sun or glamor of poetry to light up the ferocious and endless toil of the farmers' wives."

Hamlin Garland, American Novelist

Poetry, Light, Sun, Wives

13

"Poetry is an art, and chief of the fine art; the easiest to dabble in, the hardest in which to reach true excellence."

"Poetry is an art, and chief of the fine art; the easiest to dabble in, the hardest in which to reach true excellence."

Edmund C. Stedman, American Poet

Poetry, Art, Excellence

13

"On the other hand, if there's an underlying core of poetry that I go to, I go to the sea. I've lived on the sea all my life. I live on the sea in Cape Breton."

"On the other hand, if there's an underlying core of poetry that I go to, I go to the sea. I've lived on the sea all my life. I live on the sea in Cape Breton."

Richard Serra, American Sculptor

Poetry, Life, Sea

13

"We read Robert Browning's poetry. Here we needed no guidance from the professor: the poems themselves were enough."

"We read Robert Browning's poetry. Here we needed no guidance from the professor: the poems themselves were enough."

Carl Sandburg, American Poet

Poetry, Guidance, Poems

13

"I published, privately, a collection of my serious poetry I had written over the years. I only published 50 copies, which I gave to friends, in a special deluxe edition. It was ridiculously expensive but I'm glad that I did it."

"I published, privately, a collection of my serious poetry I had written over the years. I only published 50 copies, which I gave to friends, in a special deluxe edition. It was ridiculously expensive but I'm glad that I did it."

Tom Glazer, American Musician

Poetry, Friends, Years

13

"Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry."

"Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry."

Muriel Rukeyser, American Poet

Poetry, Experience

13

"And inasmuch as the bridge is a symbol of all such poetry as I am interested in writing it is my present fancy that a year from now I'll be more contented working in an office than ever before."

"And inasmuch as the bridge is a symbol of all such poetry as I am interested in writing it is my present fancy that a year from now I'll be more contented working in an office than ever before."

Hart Crane, American Poet

Poetry, Fancy, Now, Office

13

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