Quotes About Expression

Poetry is the mathematics of writing and closely kin to music.

Poetry has become the higher algebra of metaphors.

For even bad poetry has relevance for what it does not say for what it leaves out.

Poetry has been the guardian angel of humanity in all ages.

Poetry is the morning dream of great minds.

My verses are my diary. My poetry is a poetry of proper names.

I believe that the short story is as different a form from the novel as poetry is, and the best stories seem to me to be perhaps closer in spirit to poetry than to novels.

One cannot simply decide to write apolitical poetry, in the way one decides to drink lemonade instead of tea, it's far more subliminal than that.

Poetry is a kinetic arrangement of static syllables.

Without painting, sculpture, music, poetry, and the emotions produced by natural beauty of every kind, life would lose half its charm.

Poetry teaches the enormous force of a few words, and, in proportion to the inspiration, checks loquacity.

An English poet writes, I think, just for people who are interested in poetry. An American poet writes, and feels that everyone ought to appreciate this. Then he has a deep sense of grievance . . .

Poetry, like love, is something we never truly say goodbye to.

One of the most important differences I see between prose and poetry is the music of the language.

When I really want to be soothed and reminded of why people bother to fiddle with sentences, I often read poetry.

If we are moved by a poem, it has meant something, perhaps something important, to us; if we are not moved, then it is, as poetry, meaningless.

If I could get that girl [Courtney Love] to publish her poetry, the world would change.

Poetry is the capture of a picture, a song, or a flair, in a deliberate prism of words.

We always cut our poetical theories to suit our talent.

Nos beaux sentiments ne sont-ils pas les poe sies de la volonte ? Aren't our best feelings poetry of the will?

To read a poem with no thought in mind but to paraphrase it into a single, simple and usually high-minded prose statement is the destruction of poetry.

The things I like to find in a story are punch and poetry.

Prose is a photography, poetry is a painting in oil-colors.

It is not a waste to write beautiful prose or poetry for one person's eyes alone!