399 Poet Quotes for You to Enjoy

There is no objection to the proposal: in order to learn to be a poet, I shall try to write a sonnet. But the thing you must try to write, when you do so, is a real sonnet, and not a practice sonnet. James Fenton

You Try Poet Practice Must Objection Shall Proposal Write Sonnet Learn Real Order Thing

Nobody really knows whether they are a poet. I knew I was interested from the age of 15. James Fenton

Age Poet Knew Nobody Knows Whether Interested Really

There is no doubt that Michael Symmons Roberts is a very good poet - you don't win a Whitbread award and get shortlisted for a TS Eliot prize for nothing. Few poets, though, have ever been good novelists, and vice-versa. James Hawes

Good You Win Poet Few Nothing Doubt Though No Doubt Poets Roberts Been Very Michael Prize Get Novelists Award Ever

I think there is a great difference, in that when the poet is reading you get the whole personality of the person, especially if he's a good reader. Whereas a person just sitting gets what he puts into it. James Laughlin

Good Great You Personality Poet Reading Think He Puts Reader Person Get Sitting Gets Just Difference Whereas Whole

Of course a poem is a two-way street. No poem is any good if it doesn't suggest to the reader things from his own mind and recollection that he will read into it, and will add to what the poet has suggested. But I do think poetry readings are very important. James Laughlin

Good Mind Will Poet Important Own Think Two-Way Two-Way Street Add Recollection Poem Poetry He Read Reader Course Readings His Very Any Street Things Suggest Suggested

Then, of course, there are those sad occasions when a poet or a writer has not grown, and one has to let them go because they're just not making headway. But we have a very clear personal relationship with the authors. James Laughlin

It has often struck me that the relation of two important members of the social body to one another has never been sufficiently considered, or treated of, so far as I know, either by the philosopher or the poet. James Payn

It's important to immerse myself in one thing at a time to do it well, but I could never do one thing only. I will always be a poet and a singer, because I'm interested in bending genres and pushing boundaries of what is considered a poem, what is considered a song. Jamila Woods

Time Myself Song Will Poet Important Bending Considered Immerse One Thing Poem Only Could Never Pushing Boundaries Singer Well Genres Because Always Interested Thing

I like bringing my poet brain and sensibility to lyrics I write. Jamila Woods

Poet Lyrics Write Like Brain Sensibility Bringing

Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones. It is not fair. He has fame and profit enough as a poet, and should not be taking the bread out of the mouths of other people. Jane Austen

I began as a journalist for my pocketbook and a poet for my soul. Jane Yolen

Soul Poet Journalist Pocketbook My Soul Began

A novelist can get by on story, but the poet has nothing but the words. Janet Fitch

Words Poet Nothing Get Story Novelist

I wanted to be a poet. I fell in love with poetry around eight years old, but not through literature. Instead, it came through hip-hop lyrics and my obsession with reading liner notes. Queen Latifah's 'Black Reign' is the album that stands out the most. Jason Reynolds

Love Queen Old Black Poet Reading Lyrics Out Poetry Through Instead Obsession Most Fell Around Hip-Hop Came Years Eight Wanted Literature Notes Stands Reign Album

Take a commonplace, clean it and polish it, light it so that it produces the same effect of youth and freshness and originality and spontaneity as it did originally, and you have done a poet's job. The rest is literature. Jean Cocteau

The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be believed. Jean Cocteau

Poet Admiration Never He Wants Ask Believed

The poet doesn't invent. He listens. Jean Cocteau

Invent Poet Poetry He Listens

'Alphabet' by the late Danish poet Inger Christensen. It's a book-length abecedarian poem. It's an activist text but also a portal to wonder. Jenny Zhang

Poet Late Danish Poem Alphabet Also Text Wonder Activist

'Empire of Self' is a loving portrait of a very difficult man. Jay Parini, himself a gifted novelist, poet and biographer, has gone very deep into the 'black energy' of Gore Vidal's relentless narcissism and megalomania. Parini envisions an epic battle between Vidal's angelic and demonic sides, yet there's very little of the angel in Vidal. Jerome Charyn

Man Battle Black Angel Poet Narcissism Energy Gone Difficult Sides Relentless Gifted Angelic Self Between Empire Gore Himself Demonic Very Loving Little Epic Jay Deep Novelist Portrait

I'm a poet first and foremost, before the modelling. Jessica White

Poet First Before Foremost Modelling

I do believe that a poet would possess a stronger intuitive sense of phrasing with a rock song. There is a way to tap into the emotions of an audience simply by the cross of a certain phrase, even a single word, against a certain chord. Jim Carroll

Song Emotions Word Stronger Poet Single Sense Believe Way Possess Would Phrase Intuitive Cross Simply Audience Rock Single Word Tap Against Certain Chord Even

I once said a poet has the right to sing as loudly and vocally as he wants to. Most poets should face a rock n' roll audience for one night to keep them honest. Jim Carroll

Rock and roll kind of screwed up my voice poetically. I found myself having this 'Beat' voice in my poems. It was like this self-fulfilled prophecy because everybody was calling me this rock poet, this Beat poet. Jim Carroll

Poet Quotes

No more poet quotes