"It is absurd to think that the only way to tell if a poem is lasting is to wait and see if it lasts."

"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom."

"The greatest thing an education can give a man is the ability to think for himself."

"I'm not a politician, and I'm not a public speaker. I'm a poet, and I'm going to say what I think, and if you don't like it, you can lump it."

"I never ask of a pupil who has written a poem, 'What does it mean?' I always ask, 'How did you arrive at that?'"