Be tough in the way a blade of grass is: rooted, willing to lean, and at peace with what is around it.

keep your hand moving

Great lovers realize that they are what they are in love with.

As writers we need to crack open language.

And we can't avoid an inch of our own experience; if we do it causes a blur, a bleep, a puffy unreality. Our job is to wake up to everything, because if we slow down enough, we see that we are everything.

When you write, don't say, "I'm going to write a poem." That attitude will freeze you right away. Sit down with the least expectation of yourself; say, "I am free to write the worst junk in the world."

I think talent is like a water table under the earth—you tap it with your effort and it comes through you.