Poetry Quotes | Beyond Motive 13/15

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Poetry Quotes

"Whereas story is processed in the mind in a straightforward manner, poetry bypasses rational thought and goes straight to the limbic system and lights it up like a brushfire. It's the crack cocaine of the literary world."

"Whereas story is processed in the mind in a straightforward manner, poetry bypasses rational thought and goes straight to the limbic system and lights it up like a brushfire. It's the crack cocaine of the literary world."

Jasper Fforde, British Novelist

Poetry, Emotion, Language, Impact

14

"I suppose that's how it looks in prose. But it's very different if you look at it through poetry and I think it's nicer' Anne recovered herself and her eyes shone and her cheeks flushed 'to look at it through poetry."

"I suppose that's how it looks in prose. But it's very different if you look at it through poetry and I think it's nicer' Anne recovered herself and her eyes shone and her cheeks flushed 'to look at it through poetry."

L. M. Montgomery, Canadian Author

Poetry, Perspective, Optimism, Art

14

"Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing in the open sea."

"Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing in the open sea."

John Updike, American Novelist

Poetry, Criticism, Fiction, Open

14

"Poetry had always seemed something I could turn to in need - an emergency exit, a lifebuoy, as well as a justification."

"Poetry had always seemed something I could turn to in need - an emergency exit, a lifebuoy, as well as a justification."

John Fowles, English Novelist

Poetry, Expression, Truth, Life

14

"Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around in the hedge, almost too close to the fire. He reads my mind with one glance and is gone. All my poetry is now trotting around the bushes inside him, maybe some day to be partly eaten or left to rot. He understands being alive for as long as he can be, and does not worry about why, or what might happen afterwards."

"Hungry for beautiful words, the fox comes rooting around in the hedge, almost too close to the fire. He reads my mind with one glance and is gone. All my poetry is now trotting around the bushes inside him, maybe some day to be partly eaten or left to rot. He understands being alive for as long as he can be, and does not worry about why, or what might happen afterwards."

Jay Woodman, British Motivational Speaker

Poetry, Life, Death, Nature

14

"People who walk across dark bridges, past saints,with dim, small lights.Clouds which move across gray skiespast churcheswith towers darkened in the dusk.One who leans against granite railinggazing into the evening waters,His hands resting on old stones."

"People who walk across dark bridges, past saints,with dim, small lights.Clouds which move across gray skiespast churcheswith towers darkened in the dusk.One who leans against granite railinggazing into the evening waters,His hands resting on old stones."

Franz Kafka, Austrian Novelist

Poetry, Imagery, Melancholy, Loneliness, Reflection

14

"I started off in England and very few people knew I was Australian. I mean, the clues were in the poems, but they didn't read them very carefully, and so for years and years I was considered completely part of the English poetry scene."

"I started off in England and very few people knew I was Australian. I mean, the clues were in the poems, but they didn't read them very carefully, and so for years and years I was considered completely part of the English poetry scene."

Peter Porter, American Soldier

Poetry, People, Englenglish, Poems

14

"The rudiment of verse may, possibly, be found in the spondee."

"The rudiment of verse may, possibly, be found in the spondee."

Edgar Allan Poe, American Poet

13

"You can't memorize poetry and stay a fake. Sooner or later, you start to understand what these poets are saying, and it makes you feel life has something quite special, with certain layers of meaning to it."

"You can't memorize poetry and stay a fake. Sooner or later, you start to understand what these poets are saying, and it makes you feel life has something quite special, with certain layers of meaning to it."

Donald Miller, American Author

Poetry, Authenticity, Meaning, Life

13

"One thing I do know is that poetry, to be understood, must be clear."

"One thing I do know is that poetry, to be understood, must be clear."

Mary Oliver, American Poet

Poetry, Clarity, Observation, Truth

13

"Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment."

"Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment."

Carl Sandburg, American Poet

13

"He was the ocean and I was the sand, i lived content in stillness and he washed a shore everytime, as a better man."

"He was the ocean and I was the sand, i lived content in stillness and he washed a shore everytime, as a better man."

Nikki Rowe, American Writer

Poetry, Metaphor, Love, Man, Nature

13

"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."

"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."

John F. Kennedy, American President

Poetry, Power, Arrogance, Concern

13

"Hence the sterile, uninspiring futility of a great many theoretical discussions of ethics, and the resentment which many people feel towards such discussions: moral principles remain in their minds as floating abstractions, offering them a goal they cannot grasp and demanding that they reshape their souls in its image, thus leaving them with a burden of undefinable moral guilt."

"Hence the sterile, uninspiring futility of a great many theoretical discussions of ethics, and the resentment which many people feel towards such discussions: moral principles remain in their minds as floating abstractions, offering them a goal they cannot grasp and demanding that they reshape their souls in its image, thus leaving them with a burden of undefinable moral guilt."

Ayn Rand, Russian Writer

Poetry, Nature, Beauty, Love, Stars

13

"Five syllables," Apollo said, counting them on his fingers. "That would be real bad."

"Five syllables," Apollo said, counting them on his fingers. "That would be real bad."

Rick Riordan, American Novelist

Poetry, Humor, Truth, Wisdom, Power

13

"Your window square a yellow kite, and the Moon a white balloon."

"Your window square a yellow kite, and the Moon a white balloon."

John Geddes, Canadian Author

Poetry, Imagination, Peace, Beauty, Nature

13

"Sometimes i wake upin the middleof the nightand findpoetry splatteredall over my bed."

"Sometimes i wake upin the middleof the nightand findpoetry splatteredall over my bed."

Sanober Khan, Indian Businessman

Poetry, Night, Creativity, Expression

13

"France is not poetic; she even feels, in fact, a congenital horror of poetry. Among the writers who use verse, those whom she will always prefer are the most prosaic."

"France is not poetic; she even feels, in fact, a congenital horror of poetry. Among the writers who use verse, those whom she will always prefer are the most prosaic."

Charles Baudelaire, French Poet

Poetry, Fact, France, Horror

13

"Now came still evening on, and twilight grayHad in her sober livery all things clad;Silence accompany'd; for beast and bird,They to their grassy couch, these to their nests,Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale;She all night long her amorous descant sung;Silence was pleas'd. Now glow'd the firmamentWith living sapphires; Hesperus, that ledThe starry host, rode brightest, till the moon,Rising in clouded majesty, at lengthApparent queen unveil'd her peerless light,And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw."

"Now came still evening on, and twilight grayHad in her sober livery all things clad;Silence accompany'd; for beast and bird,They to their grassy couch, these to their nests,Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale;She all night long her amorous descant sung;Silence was pleas'd. Now glow'd the firmamentWith living sapphires; Hesperus, that ledThe starry host, rode brightest, till the moon,Rising in clouded majesty, at lengthApparent queen unveil'd her peerless light,And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw."

John Milton, English Poet

Poetry, Nature, Evening, Beauty, Silence

13

"The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;She shines on thieves on the garden wall,On streets and fields and harbour quays,And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees."

"The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;She shines on thieves on the garden wall,On streets and fields and harbour quays,And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees."

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish Writer

Poetry, Nature, Imagery, Observation

13

"For that you should read the original. In very great poetry the music often comes through even when one doesn't know language. I loved Dante passionately before I knew a word of Italian."

"For that you should read the original. In very great poetry the music often comes through even when one doesn't know language. I loved Dante passionately before I knew a word of Italian."

Donna Tartt, American Novelist

Poetry, Language, Music, Beauty

13

"Poppies in JulyLittle poppies, little hell flames,Do you do no harm?You flicker. I cannot touch you.I put my hands among the flames. Nothing burns.And it exhausts me to watch youFlickering like that, wrinkly and clear red, like the skin of a mouth.A mouth just bloodied.Little bloody skirts!There are fumes that I cannot touch.Where are your opiates, your nauseous capsules?If I could bleed, or sleep!If my mouth could marry a hurt like that!Or your liquors seep to me, in this glass capsule,Dulling and stilling.But colorless. Colorless."

"Poppies in JulyLittle poppies, little hell flames,Do you do no harm?You flicker. I cannot touch you.I put my hands among the flames. Nothing burns.And it exhausts me to watch youFlickering like that, wrinkly and clear red, like the skin of a mouth.A mouth just bloodied.Little bloody skirts!There are fumes that I cannot touch.Where are your opiates, your nauseous capsules?If I could bleed, or sleep!If my mouth could marry a hurt like that!Or your liquors seep to me, in this glass capsule,Dulling and stilling.But colorless. Colorless."

Sylvia Plath, American Poet

Poetry, Pain, Despair, Emotion

13

"Now begins to rise in me the familiar rhythm; words that have lain dormant now lift, now toss their crests, and fall and rise, and falls again. I am a poet, yes. Surely I am a great poet."

"Now begins to rise in me the familiar rhythm; words that have lain dormant now lift, now toss their crests, and fall and rise, and falls again. I am a poet, yes. Surely I am a great poet."

Virginia Woolf, British Author

Poetry, Creativity, Identity, Words

13

"At seventeen I tried to write poetry confining myself solely to Anglo-Saxon words - don't know if it helped, but it made me more concrete ..."

"At seventeen I tried to write poetry confining myself solely to Anglo-Saxon words - don't know if it helped, but it made me more concrete ..."

John Geddes, Canadian Author

Poetry, Language, Expression, Creativity

13

"Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph that liv'st unseenWithin thy airy shellBy slow Meander's margent green,And in the violet-imbroider'd valeWhere the love-lorn nightingaleNightly to thee her sad song mourneth well:Canst thou not tell me of a gentle pairThat likest thy Narcissus are?"

"Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph that liv'st unseenWithin thy airy shellBy slow Meander's margent green,And in the violet-imbroider'd valeWhere the love-lorn nightingaleNightly to thee her sad song mourneth well:Canst thou not tell me of a gentle pairThat likest thy Narcissus are?"

John Milton, English Poet

Poetry, Echo, Myth, Nature, Longing

13

"Deep down there is a rose in every heart."

"Deep down there is a rose in every heart."

Amit Ray, Indian Author

Poetry, Heart, Love, Beauty, Emotion

13

"Poetry is more than a form of art. It's a vibration and a pulsing heart. Whether it's sour or whether it's sweet. It can give you strength no one can defeat."

"Poetry is more than a form of art. It's a vibration and a pulsing heart. Whether it's sour or whether it's sweet. It can give you strength no one can defeat."

Stanley Victor Paskavich, American Politician

Poetry, Art, Strength, Emotion

13

"Rotating movement of the morning; in thy virgin heart, a piece of eternity breathed."

"Rotating movement of the morning; in thy virgin heart, a piece of eternity breathed."

Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann, British Musician

Poetry, Movement, Morning, Eternity, Heart

13

"The artistic methods of poetry, painting, photography, and writing share certain commonalities of deep composition: spirit, rhythm, thought, and scenery."

"The artistic methods of poetry, painting, photography, and writing share certain commonalities of deep composition: spirit, rhythm, thought, and scenery."

Kilroy J. Oldster, American Author

Poetry, Art, Painting, Photography

13

"Poetry is as precise a thing as geometry."

"Poetry is as precise a thing as geometry."

Gustave Flaubert, French Novelist

Poetry, Geometry

12

"A poem in the heart is worthmore than a million dollarsin the bank account."

"A poem in the heart is worthmore than a million dollarsin the bank account."

Sanober Khan, Indian Businessman

Poetry, Values, Heart, Art

12

"The world of light and starry grace;within your mind I live to trace.Your thought's speed in thunder's glory,lightening my being with dream's story.I embrace the tree carrying your nameYour unspoken wish : the heart of fame."

"The world of light and starry grace;within your mind I live to trace.Your thought's speed in thunder's glory,lightening my being with dream's story.I embrace the tree carrying your nameYour unspoken wish : the heart of fame."

Munia Khan, Bangladeshi Poet

Poetry, Light, Grace, Thought, Dream

12

"There is nothing at all that can be talked about adequately, and the whole art of poetry is to say what can't be said."

"There is nothing at all that can be talked about adequately, and the whole art of poetry is to say what can't be said."

Alan Watts, English Philosopher

Poetry, Expression, Language, Limitation

12

"Each drop that fell, had a story to tell.each smile that curved, said a million words.(Poem: Our Existence, Book: Ginger and Honey)"

"Each drop that fell, had a story to tell.each smile that curved, said a million words.(Poem: Our Existence, Book: Ginger and Honey)"

Jasleen Kaur Gumber, Indian Writer

Poetry, Life, Art, Emotion, Expression

12

"The American bards shall be marked for generosity and affection and for encouraging competitors. The great poets are also to be known by the absence in them of tricks and by the justification of perfect personal candor. How beautiful is candor! All faults may be forgiven of him who has perfect candor."

"The American bards shall be marked for generosity and affection and for encouraging competitors. The great poets are also to be known by the absence in them of tricks and by the justification of perfect personal candor. How beautiful is candor! All faults may be forgiven of him who has perfect candor."

Walt Whitman, American Poet

Poetry, Generosity, Candor, Creativity

12

"It costs me never a stab nor squirm / To tread by chance upon a worm. / Aha, my little dear, / I say, Your clan will pay me back one day."

"It costs me never a stab nor squirm / To tread by chance upon a worm. / Aha, my little dear, / I say, Your clan will pay me back one day."

Dorothy Parker, American Poet

Poetry, Humor, Life, Observation

12

"Written soul is called poetry."

"Written soul is called poetry."

Munia Khan, Bangladeshi Poet

Poetry, Soul, Writing, Expression

12

"The poet knows that he speaks adequately, then, only when he speaks somewhat wildly."

"The poet knows that he speaks adequately, then, only when he speaks somewhat wildly."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Poet

Poetry, Expression

12

"She was a Phantom of delightWhen first she gleam'd upon my sight;A lovely Apparition, sentTo be a moment's ornament:Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;Like twilight's, too, her dusky hair;But all things else about her drawnFrom May-time and the cheerful dawn;A dancing shape, an image gay,To haunt, to startle, and waylay."

"She was a Phantom of delightWhen first she gleam'd upon my sight;A lovely Apparition, sentTo be a moment's ornament:Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;Like twilight's, too, her dusky hair;But all things else about her drawnFrom May-time and the cheerful dawn;A dancing shape, an image gay,To haunt, to startle, and waylay."

William Wordsworth, English Poet

Poetry, Beauty, Romance, Imagery

12

"A dark horse riderless, bolts like a phantom past the winning post, his mane moonflowing, his eyeballs stars."

"A dark horse riderless, bolts like a phantom past the winning post, his mane moonflowing, his eyeballs stars."

James Joyce, Irish Novelist

Poetry, Imagination, Power, Beauty, Vision

12

"Always learn poems by heart. They have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they'll make your soul impervious to the world's soft decay."

"Always learn poems by heart. They have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they'll make your soul impervious to the world's soft decay."

Janet Fitch, American Author

Poetry, Memory, Learning, Art

12

"Poetry does not consist of words alone; there must be sentiment and fancy, combination and arrangement."

"Poetry does not consist of words alone; there must be sentiment and fancy, combination and arrangement."

Samuel Prout, English Artist

Poetry, Fancy, Sentiment, Words

12

"Poetry, she thought, wasn't written to be analyzed; it was meant to inspire without reason, to touch without understanding."

"Poetry, she thought, wasn't written to be analyzed; it was meant to inspire without reason, to touch without understanding."

Nicholas Sparks, American Author

Poetry, Inspirational, Emotion, Art

12

"In the grueling light that passed for day..."

"In the grueling light that passed for day..."

Cormac McCarthy, American Writer

Poetry, Light, Life, Description

12

"Some poems frothand foam and rise...out of my morning cup ofmist-sweetened coffee."

"Some poems frothand foam and rise...out of my morning cup ofmist-sweetened coffee."

Sanober Khan, Indian Businessman

Poetry, Morning, Beauty, Nature

12

"For there is a sound reasoning upon all flowers. For flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ."

"For there is a sound reasoning upon all flowers. For flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ."

Christopher Smart, English Poet

Poetry, Christ, Flowers, Sound

12

"In a real poem a sound does not swallow a letter, but a letter swallows a sound."

"In a real poem a sound does not swallow a letter, but a letter swallows a sound."

Dejan Stojanovic, Serbian Philosopher

Poetry, Sound, Art, Expression, Creativity

12

"Inside my head / or in a distant / Galaxy / Soft I hear it / Calling me." from the song "In the Blackness" in the poetry collection "Terra Affirmative"."

"Inside my head / or in a distant / Galaxy / Soft I hear it / Calling me." from the song "In the Blackness" in the poetry collection "Terra Affirmative"."

Jay Woodman, British Motivational Speaker

Poetry, Calling, Sound, Inspirational

12

"One could do worse than be a swinger of birches."

"One could do worse than be a swinger of birches."

Robert Frost, American Poet

Poetry, Nature, Metaphor, Life

12

"Poetry is a mug's game."

"Poetry is a mug's game."

T. S. Eliot, American Poet

Poetry, Art, Expression, Difficulty

12

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