Quotes About Language

The idea that language can be recombined to create new forms, new things, is of course very old in poetry.

I really came to literature through poetry.

I think fiction goes to poetry for the intensity of its use of language.

Prose-it might be speculated-is discourse; poetry ellipsis. Prose is spoken aloud; poetry overheard.

I thought it was irrelevant to talk about what a wonderful thing poetry was if you didn't teach people to read.

I keep trying to define poetry, but its so difficult.

Profound thoughts and profound experiences get revealed to be tricks that we play on ourselves, and poetry gets revealed to be just, like, some dumb words that somebody put in an interesting order.

Poetry is one of the essential structures of civilization - carrying myth, ritual, 'tales of the tribe' and the essence of language.

Memory and poetry go together, absolutely. It is a matter of preserving and of remembering things.

I feel my poetry has contributed through all these languages that I needed to learn leading up to English.

All poetry is an ordered voice, one which tries to tell you about a vision in the un-visionary language of farm, city, and love.

There IS a difference between poetry and prose! Poems should be sonically charged and new to the ear.

In poetic thought, the role of the subconscious is played by euphony.

Poetry is a subject as precise as geometry.

It seems more than likely that the translating of poetry is going to rub off on the translator if he or she is a poet.

Prose exists to convey meaning, and no meaning such as prose conveys can be expressed as well in poetry. That's not poetry's purpose.

Has it ever occurred to you, ' he said, 'that the whole history of English poetry has been de-termined by the fact that the English language lacks rhymes?

Language is fossil poetry

We live longerbut less preciselyand in shorter sentences.

In the shade of words sits life itself.

I love writing poetry because it's pretty. I love writing pretty.

I am a hoarder of words, a giver of them, too

All that is not prose passes for poetry.

Poetry the eldest sister of all arts and parent of most.