Obvious enough that generalities work to protect the mind from the great outdoors; is it possible that this was in fact their first purpose? – Howard Nemerov
Ive never read a political poem thats accomplished anything. Poetry makes things happen, but rarely what the poet wants. – Howard Nemerov
I never abandoned either forms or freedom. I imagine that most of what could be called free verse is in my first book. I got through that fairly early. – Howard Nemerov
The secrets of success are a good wife and a steady job. My wife told me. – Howard Nemerov
Generalization is necessary to the advancement of knowledge; but particularly is indispensable to the creations of the imagination. In proportion as men know more and think more they look less at individuals and more at classes. They therefore make better theories and worse poems. – Thomas Babington Macaulay