Poem Quotes
On language, form, and what a poem holds.
This collection gathers quotes about poems, including the claim that a poem is bound by language while a poetics is not. See also our Art quotes.
Ginsberg's Collected Poems contains a wonderful poem about making it with Neal Cassady.
Popular Quotes Topics for You.
About Quotes
Always Quotes
However, if a poem can be reduced to a prose sentence, there can't be much to it.
I do not usually revise much, though I often cut, particularly the end or toward the end of a poem.
What we call a poem is mostly what is not there on the page. The strength of any poem is the poems that it has managed to exclude.
Any Quotes
Art Quotes
You may also like
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this poem quotes collection about?
This page gathers quotes reflecting on what a poem is, how it's made, and what separates it from other kinds of writing.
Why do people search for poem quotes?
Readers look for these quotes when writing about poetry itself, studying literature, or wanting a striking line about language and form.
Do these quotes define what a poem is?
Yes, one quote states that a poem is bound by language, while a poetics, the theory behind it, is not bound in the same way.
Do any quotes compare a poem to a nation or place?
Yes, one quote calls the United States themselves essentially the greatest poem, treating the country as a kind of literary work.
How do these quotes compare poems to novels?
One quote contrasts the two directly, saying the novel is born of disillusionment while the poem is born of despair. See our Art quotes for related themes.
Other quotes compare the poem's origins in despair to the novel's origins in disillusionment. For more on writing, browse our About quotes.
