One demands two things of a poem. Firstly, it must be a well-made verbal object that does honor to the language in which it is written. Secondly, it must say something significant about a reality common to us all, but perceived from a unique perspective. What the poet says has never been said before, but, once he has said it, his readers recognize its validity for themselves.

The countenances of children, like those of animals, are masks, not faces, for they have not yet developed a significant profile of their own.

To be happy means to be free, not from pain or fear, but from care or anxiety.

We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die.

Had Greek civilization never existed ... we would never have become fully conscious.

Why doesn't the United States take over the monarchy and unite with England? England does have important assets. Naturally the longer you wait, the more they will dwindle. At least you could use it for a summer resort instead of Maine.

To have a sense of sin means to feel guilty at there being an ethical choice to make, a guilt which, however "good" I may become, remains unchanged.