Every individual ought to know at least one poet from cover to cover: if not as a guide through the world, then as a yardstick for the language.

I do not believe in political movements. I believe in personal movement, that movement of the soul when a man who looks at himself is so ashamed that he tries to make some sort of change - within himself, not on the outside.

In general, with things unpleasant, the rule is: The sooner you hit bottom, the faster you surface.

After all, it is hard to master both life and work equally well. So if you are bound to fake one of them, it had better be life.

It would be enough for me to have the system of a jury of twelve versus the system of one judge as a basis for preferring the U.S. to the Soviet Union. I would prefer the country you can leave to the country you cannot.

The poetic notion of infinity is far greater than that which is sponsored by any creed.

As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of state.