Joseph Brodsky Quotes

Joseph Brodsky
Joseph Brodsky
American Poet
Born: May 24, 1940
Died: Jan 28, 1996
About Language Life Poet Time You
Related authors: Edgar Allan Poe Emily Dickinson Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Maya Angelou Ralph Waldo Emerson Robert Frost T. S. Eliot Walt Whitman
The poetic notion of infinity is far greater than that which is sponsored by any creed. Joseph Brodsky
Poetic Sponsored Greater Than Infinity Any Which Far Notion Creed
For the poet the credo or doctrine is not the point of arrival but is, on the contrary, the point of departure for the metaphysical journey. Joseph Brodsky
Journey Poet On The Contrary Point Doctrine Metaphysical Arrival Contrary Departure
I don't suppose that I know more about life than anyone of my age, but it seems to me that, in the capacity of an interlocutor, a book is more reliable than a friend or a beloved. Joseph Brodsky
Life Me Age Book Reliable About Seems More Suppose Know Friend Than Anyone Capacity Beloved
For some odd reason, the expression 'death of a poet' always sounds somewhat more concrete than 'life of a poet.' Joseph Brodsky
Life Death Poet Some More Somewhat Always Concrete Sounds Odd Than Reason Expression
After the last line of a poem, nothing follows except literary criticism. Joseph Brodsky
Criticism Nothing Follows Poem Except Line Literary After Literary Criticism Last
It is almost a rule that the more complex a man is, the simpler his billing. A person with a retrospective ability gone rampant often would be called an historian. Similarly, one to whom reality doesn't seem to make sense gets dubbed a philosopher. Joseph Brodsky
Man Reality Sense Gone Philosopher Rampant Rule Complex Would Would-Be Ability Seem Similarly More Simpler Almost Make Retrospective His Historian Person Gets Often Billing Whom
To put it mildly, nothing can be turned and worn inside out with greater ease than one's notion of social justice, public conscience, a better future, etc. Joseph Brodsky
Future Justice Better Nothing Worn Ease Out Inside Inside-Out Better Future Put Greater Than Etc Public Social Turned Notion Social Justice Conscience
Contrary to popular belief, the outskirts are not where the world ends - they are precisely where it begins to unfurl. Joseph Brodsky
World Contrary Begins Precisely Ends Where Popular Belief
With poets, the choice of words is invariably more telling than the story line; that's why the best of them dread the thought of their biographies being written. Joseph Brodsky
Best Words Thought Dread Telling Invariably More Poets Written Line Than Being Story Them Choice Why Biographies
Unlike life, a work of art never gets taken for granted: it is always viewed against its precursors and predecessors. Joseph Brodsky
Life Work Art Unlike Never Taken Taken For Granted Always Gets Predecessors Against Viewed Granted
It is not just shameful for a contemporary American poet to use rhymes, it is unthinkable. It seems banal to him; he fears banality worse than anything, and therefore, he uses free verse - though free verse is no guarantee against banality. Joseph Brodsky
Free Fears Poet Worse Though No Guarantee Seems Shameful Free Verse He Unthinkable Contemporary Him Verse Banal Banality Than American Just Anything Rhymes Against Use Uses Therefore Guarantee
On the whole, books are indeed less finite than ourselves. Even the worst among them outlast their authors - mainly because they occupy a smaller amount of physical space than those who penned them. Often they sit on the shelves absorbing dust long after the writer himself has turned into a handful of dust. Joseph Brodsky
Space Long Sit Dust Books Indeed Those Worst Ourselves Physical Outlast Finite Writer Absorb Smaller Mainly Himself Because Occupy Shelves Handful Than Authors Often After Them Turned Less Who Whole Even Among Amount
Of course there is no denying the possible pleasure of holing up with a fat, slow-moving, mediocre novel; still, we all know that we can indulge ourselves in that fashion only so much. In the end, we read not for reading's sake, but to learn. Joseph Brodsky
Fashion Reading Pleasure Ourselves Possible Only Indulge Know Learn Read Course Still Sake End Up Denying In The End Much Novel Fat Mediocre
Life has a great deal up its sleeve. Joseph Brodsky
Life Great Great Deal Sleeve Deal Up
I'm the happiest combination you can think of. I'm a Russian poet, an English essayist, and a citizen of the United States. Joseph Brodsky
You Citizen Poet Think States Russian Combination Essayist Happiest English United United States
My intention is to write poems. That's what I've been doing most of my life. Joseph Brodsky
Life My Life Poems Write Most Doing Been Intention
My idea is simply - is very simple - is that the books of poetry should be published in far greater volume and be distributed in far greater volume, in far more substantial manner. You can sell in supermarkets very cheaply. In paperbacks. You can sell in drugstores. Joseph Brodsky
You Simple Books Distributed More Poetry Volume Simply Cheaply Idea Greater Sell Very Substantial Far Manner Should Published
Prison is essentially a shortage of space made up for by a surplus of time; to an inmate, both are palpable. Joseph Brodsky
Time Space Made Prison Both Surplus Up Essentially Shortage Inmate Palpable
By and large, prisons are survivable, though hope is indeed what you need least upon entering here; a lump of sugar would be more useful. Joseph Brodsky
Hope You Sugar Indeed Though Entering Would Would-Be More Least Prisons Useful Large Lump Here Need
No man-made system is perfect, and the system of oppression is no exception. It is subject to fatigue, to cracks, which you are the likelier to discover the longer your term. Joseph Brodsky
You Oppression Fatigue System No Exception Perfect Exception Longer Term Discover Subject Man-Made Cracks Which Your
What your foes do derives its significance or consequence from the way you react. Joseph Brodsky
You Way Significance Foes React Your Derives Consequence
It's a maddening thing in itself to look at an old poem of yours. To translate it is even more maddening. Joseph Brodsky
Old Maddening Poem More Look Itself Translate Yours Even Thing
Poetry is not an art or a branch of art: it's something more. Joseph Brodsky
Art Something More Poetry Branch
American poetry to me is a sort of relentless, nonstop sermon on human autonomy. Joseph Brodsky
Me Relentless Poetry Sort Nonstop American Human Autonomy Sermon
One who writes a poem writes it because the language prompts, or simply dictates, the next line. Joseph Brodsky
Language Poem Writes Simply Because Line Dictates Next Who
American poetry is this country's greatest patrimony. It takes a stranger to see some things clearly. This is one of them, and I am that stranger. Joseph Brodsky
Country See Some Some Things Poetry Takes Clearly Greatest Am American Them Stranger Things
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