Dont teach my boy poetry, an English mother recently wrote the Provost of Harrow. Dont teach my boy poetry; he is going to stand for Parliament. Well, perhaps she was rightbut if more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place to live on this Commencement Day of 1956.

Aggressive conduct, if allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately leads to war.

To each of us is entrusted the heavy responsibility of guiding the affairs of a democratic nation founded on Christian ideals.

Acting on our own, by ourselves, we cannot establish justice throughout the world, but joined with other free nations, we can ... assist the developing nations to throw off the yoke of poverty.

Peace need not be impracticable, and war need not be inevitable.

Art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstones of our judgement. The artist... faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an offensive state.

All my life Ive known better than to depend on the experts. How could I have been so stupid, to let them go ahead?