A language is a more ancient and inevitable thing than any state.

I don't have principles. I have nerves.

For the poet the credo or doctrine is not the point of arrival but is, on the contrary, the point of departure for the metaphysical journey.

Every writing career starts as a personal quest for sainthood, for self-betterment. Sooner or later, and as a rule quite soon, a man discovers that his pen accomplishes a lot more than his soul.

Poetry is what is gained in translation.

I don't want to dive into that mud slide, which is what I consider the literary process.

I don't believe in that country any longer. I'm not interested. I'm writing in the language, and I like the language.