---
title: "1 Actuality Quotes By William Stafford"
description: "1 Actuality quotes by William Stafford. Plus more from William Stafford and more Actuality sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/william-stafford-8165_activity_writing-itself-is-one-of-the-great-free_1415571.jpg"
---

> [Writing itself is one of the great, free human activities. There is scope for individuality, and elation, and discovery. In writing, for the person who follows with trust and forgiveness what occurs to him, the world remains always ready and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/writing-itself-is-one-of-the-great-free-human-activities-there-is/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/william-stafford-8165_activity_writing-itself-is-one-of-the-great-free_1415571.jpg)

## More by William Stafford

> [People wander about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/people-wander-about-what-you-are-pursuing-you-have-to-explain-about/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [Anyone who breathes is in the rhythm business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/anyone-who-breathes-is-in-the-rhythm-business/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [I don't see writing as a communication of something already discovered, as "truths" already known. Rather, I see writing as a job of experiment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-don-t-see-writing-as-a-communication-of-something-already/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [An owl sound wandered along the road with me. I didn't hear it--I breathed it into my ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/an-owl-sound-wandered-along-the-road-with-me-i-didn-t-hear-it-i/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/the-way-it-is-there-s-a-thread-you-follow-it-goes-among-things-that/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [It's love,' they say. You touch the right one and a whole half of the universe wakes up, a new half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/it-s-love-they-say-you-touch-the-right-one-and-a-whole-half-of-the/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [“We think it is calm here, or that our storm is the right size.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/we-think-it-is-calm-here-or-that-our-storm-is-the-right-size/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [“There may be losses too great to understand That rove after you and--faint and terrible-- rip unknown through your hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/there-may-be-losses-too-great-to-understand-that-rove-after-you-and/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [It is as if the ordinary language we use every day has a hidden set of signals, a kind of secret code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/it-is-as-if-the-ordinary-language-we-use-every-day-has-a-hidden-set/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [My question is "when did other people give up the idea of being a poet?" You know, when we are kids we make up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/my-question-is-when-did-other-people-give-up-the-idea-of-being-a-poet/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [The things you do not have to say make you rich. Saying the things you do not have to say weakens your talk. Hearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/the-things-you-do-not-have-to-say-make-you-rich-saying-the-things-you/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [“I am your own way of looking at things," she said. "When you allow me to live with you, every glance at the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-am-your-own-way-of-looking-at-things-she-said-when-you-allow-me-to/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [I heard a bird congratulating itself all day for being a jay. Nobody cared. But it was glad all over again, and said so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-heard-a-bird-congratulating-itself-all-day-for-being-a-jay-nobody/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [The earth says have a place, be what that place requires; hear the sound the birds imply and see as deep as ridges go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/the-earth-says-have-a-place-be-what-that-place-requires-hear-the/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [You can lie at a banquet but you have to be honest in the kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/you-can-lie-at-a-banquet-but-you-have-to-be-honest-in-the-kitchen/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

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