~ The poetry is all in the anticipation, for there is none in reality ~
~ Poetry is an art, and chief of the fine art; the easiest to dabble in, the hardest in which to reach true excellence ~
~ Poetry should help, not only to refine the language of the time, but to prevent it from changing too rapidly. ~
~ Poetry is simply the most beautiful, impressive, and widely effective mode of saying things ~
~ In poetry, you must love the words, the ideas and the images and rhythms with all your capacity to love anything at all ~
~ Poetry is adolescence fermented and thus preserved ~
~ Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during a moment ~
~ Poetry is the art of substantiating shadows, and of lending existence to nothing ~
~ All good poetry is forged slowly and patiently, link by link, with sweat and blood and tears ~
~ Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility ~
~ Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking ~
~ Poetry is an orphan of silence. The words never quite equal the experience behind them. ~