The masters of information have forgotten about poetry, where words may have a meaning quite different from what the lexicon says, where the metaphoric spark is always one jump ahead of the decoding function, where another, unforeseen reading is always possible.

I said to myself, 'If you don't sit down to it today, when will you ever sit down to it?'

Was it serious? I don't know. It certainly had serious consequences.

Our lies reveal as much about us as our truths

When all else fails, philosophize.

There are works of literature whose influence is strong but indirect because it is mediated through the whole of the culture rather than immediately through imitation. Wordsworth is the case that comes to mind.

The gods, the immortals, were the inventors of death and corruption; yet with one or two notable exceptions they have lacked the courage to try their invention out on themselves.