In History, stagnant waters, whether they be the stagnant waters of custom or those of despotism, harbour no life; life is dependent on the ripples created by a few eccentric individuals. In homage to that life & vitality, the community has to brave certain perils and must countenance a measure of heresy. One must live dangerously if one wants to live at all.

To realize that new world we must prefer the values of freedom and equality above all other values - above personal wealth, technical power and nationalism.

A man of personality can formulate ideals, but only a man of character can achieve them.

These are the sensations and feelings that are gradually blunted by education, staled by custom, rejected in favor of social conformity.

The modern poet has no essential alliance with regular schemes of any sorts.He reserves the right to adapt his rhythm to his mood, to modulate his metre as he progresses. Far from seeking freedom and irresponsibility (implied by the unfortunate term free verse) he seeks a stricter discipline of exact concord of thought and feeling.

I call religion a natural authority, but it has usually been conceived as a supernatural authority.

The modern work of art, as I have said, is a symbol.