Exhaust the little moment / Soon it dies.

I like the concentration, the crush; I like working with language, as others like working with clay, or notes.

Be careful what you swallow. Chew!

I don't want people running around saying Gwen Brooks's work is intellectual. That makes people think instantly about obscurity. It shouldn't have to mean that, but it often seems to.

When I start writing a poem, I don't think about models or about what anybody else in the world has done.

Abortions will not let you forget. You remember the children you got that you did not get.

I felt that I had to write. Even if I had never been published, I knew that I would go on writing, enjoying it and experiencing the challenge.