20 Robert Pinsky Quotes for You to Enjoy

Robert Pinsky

American Poet

Born: Oct 20, 1940

Art Love Me People Think You

Related authors: Edgar Allan Poe Emily Dickinson Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Maya Angelou Ralph Waldo Emerson Robert Frost T. S. Eliot Walt Whitman

Poetry is not easy. Or should I say, real poetry is not easy. Robert Pinsky

Say Easy Poetry Real Should

I think art is not an ornament or refinement at the fringes of human intelligence, I think it's at the center. It's at the core. Robert Pinsky

Art Intelligence Think Refinement Human Center Human Intelligence Ornament Core

I think my first experience of art, or the joy in making art, was playing the horn at some high-school dance or bar mitzvah or wedding, looking at a roomful of people moving their bodies around in time to what I was doing. There was a piano player, a bass player, a drummer, and my breath making the melody. Robert Pinsky

Art Time Experience People Joy Dance First Looking Breath Think Bass Bass Player Melody Horn Some Wedding Piano Piano Player Drummer Around Making Doing Mitzvah Bar Bar Mitzvah Moving Roomful Bodies Player Playing

For an American, there's no automatic place where people love the art of poetry. There's not a social class that considers poetry its property the way in some countries there's a snob value to the art. Robert Pinsky

Love Art Class Property People Value Way Considers Some Poetry Countries Snob American Where Automatic Place Social Social Class

To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that. The expression I sometimes use to myself is 'actual song.' That what I do is somewhere on the line between speaking to you as I am now and actual song. And the things I love when I say one of those poems to myself - it's a little bit like singing, it's a little bit like speaking. Robert Pinsky

Love Myself Me You Song Writing Sometimes Matter Somewhere Singing Think Say Bit Those Poems Voice Between Like Am Line Little Little Bit Use Speaking Expression Now Actual Things

I'm far from immune to the American, perhaps historically male, prejudice toward practical and physical competence; I hope I've also considered that prejudice enough to have some distance from it. Robert Pinsky

Hope Enough Distance Considered Immune Physical Some Toward Perhaps Also Practical Male Historically American Far Prejudice Competence

'Write' is almost the wrong verb for what I do. I think 'compose' is more accurate because you're trying to make the sounds in your mind and in your voice. So I compose while I'm driving or in the shower. Robert Pinsky

You Mind Think Compose More Voice Write Driving Wrong Almost Make Because Verb Sounds Accurate Trying While Your Shower

For a lot of people, well-meaning teaching has made poetry seem arcane, difficult, a kind of brown-knotting medicine that might be good for you but doesn't taste so good. So I tried to make a collection of poetry that would be fun. And that would bring out poetry as an art, rather than the challenge to say smart things. Robert Pinsky

Art Good You People Smart Challenge Made Difficult Medicine Say Out Kind Collection Would Would-Be Tried Arcane Seem Rather Poetry Make Well-Meaning Lot Than Taste Might Teaching Fun Things Bring

Autobiography is a genre notorious for falsehood. Robert Pinsky

Genre Falsehood Autobiography Notorious

I don't like to have a calm, orderly, quiet place to work. I often compose while driving, compose in my head. It is true that I wrote my little book, 'The Sounds of Poetry, A Brief Guide,' almost entirely in airplanes and airport departure lounges. Robert Pinsky

Work Book Calm Guide Airplane Airport Compose Entirely Poetry Driving Head True Almost Like Wrote Sounds Quiet Departure Often Orderly Place While Little Brief

The wonderful 17th Century poet, Robert Herrick, wrote a poem entitled, 'To Live Merrily and to Trust to Good Verses.' Easy to say, Robert Herrick; not always easy to do. But it's a good slogan, I think. Robert Pinsky

Good Trust Wonderful Entitled Poet Live Think Say Slogan Easy Poem Robert Wrote Always Verses Century

The last thing a young artist should do in poetry or any other field is think about what's in style, what's current, what are the trends. Think instead of what you like to read, what do you admire, what you like to listen to in music. What do you like to look at in architecture? Try to make a poem that has some of those qualities. Robert Pinsky

Music You Architecture Try Style Young Field Think Other Trends Those Admire Some About Poem Poetry Instead Like Look Qualities Make Read Current Any Artist Listen Young Artist Should Thing Last

If you want to make films, you'll watch Kurosawa. If you want to play a violin, you listen to Seghetti. Same with somebody who has the ambition to play in the NBA. I watch a basketball game; I enjoy it. Somebody who really wants to learn to play is studying whatever is most magnificent that's going on out there. Robert Pinsky

You Game Somebody Ambition Whatever Enjoy Films Out Magnificent Studying Most Make Learn Kurosawa Same Going Listen Want Wants Really Who NBA Play Watch Basketball Violin

When I was a teenager, just about the only thing I could do right was play music. In my graduating class, I was certainly not voted 'Most Literary Boy.' I can assure you I was not voted 'Mostly Likely to Succeed.' I was voted 'Most Musical Boy.' And the music led to the poetry. Robert Pinsky

Music You Class Assure Teenager Musical About Only Poetry Could Voted Most Likely Mostly Boy Led Just Graduating The Only Thing Literary Succeed Certainly Play Right Thing Play Music

If I live near a dancer or a painter, or a clarinet player comes from my neighborhood, I take some pleasure in that, feel a little more as if I come from someplace in particular. Robert Pinsky

Live Dancer Pleasure Neighborhood Clarinet Some Someplace More Take Feel Particular Come Little Painter Near Player

New Jersey is the most poetic state: close enough to New York to be urban and cosmopolitan, far enough to be desirous and unsure; densely populated, but full of farms and woods, with the most deer of any state. Robert Pinsky

Enough State Cosmopolitan Poetic New Unsure Most New Jersey Close York Any New York Woods Urban Far Full Farms Jersey Deer

When I was a kid, there was unhappiness in my family - was dealt with partly by escaping to television. And from a very early age, for whatever reason, I became scornful and resistant to and angry about that. And some other time in my life, I realized that there's a lot I loved in television. Robert Pinsky

Life Time Angry Family Age My Life Whatever Other Kid Television Some About Partly Became Dealt Lot Scornful Very Very Early Age Escaping Loved Unhappiness Realized Reason Early Resistant Early Age

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