You don't have to suffer to be a poet adolescence is enough suffering for anyone. John Ciardi
I sometimes talk about the making of a poem within the poem. Howard Nemerov
Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn. Thomas Gray
If you read quickly to get through a poem to what it means, you have missed the body of the poem. M. H. Abrams
The poem is a little myth of man's capacity of making life meaningful. And in the end, the poem is not a thing we see-it is, rather, a light by which we may see-and what we see is life. Robert Penn Warren
The poet may be used as a barometer, but let us not forget that he is also part of the weather. Lionel Trilling
Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads. Marianne Moore
The novel is born of disillusionment the poem, of despair. Jose Bergamin
Everyone thinks they're going to write one book of poems or one novel. Marilyn Hacker
Sometimes poetry is inspired by the conversation entered into by reading other poems. John Barton
I still read Donne, particularly his love poems. Carol Ann Duffy