Love, love, love, says Percy. And hurry as fast as you can along the shining beach, or the rubble, or the dust. Then, go to sleep. Give up your body heat, your beating heart. Then, trust.

It is better for the heart to break, than not to break.

One thing I do know is that poetry, to be understood, must be clear.

The world is: fun, and familiar, and healthful, and unbelievably refreshing, and lovely. And it is the theater of the spiritual; it is the multiform utterly obedient to a mystery.

Rhythm is one of the most powerful of pleasures, and when we feel a pleasurable rhythm we hope it will continue. When it does, it grows sweeter.

You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.

People want poetry. They need poetry. They get it. They don't want fancy work.