--- title: "1 Great poetry Quotes By James Tate" description: "1 Great poetry quotes by James Tate. Plus more from James Tate and more Great poetry sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/james-tate-31013_editing_poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editi_2190658.jpg" --- > [Poetry is everywhere; it just needs editing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editing/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/james-tate-31013_editing_poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editi_2190658.jpg) ## More by James Tate > [“When one is highly alert to language, then nearly everything begs to be a poem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/when-one-is-highly-alert-to-language-then-nearly-everything-begs-to/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [William Waltz will take me through 'the buzz and clamor in a forest of hearts.' Adventures in the Lost Interiors of America is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/william-waltz-will-take-me-through-the-buzz-and-clamor-in-a-forest-of/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“He is being nibbled to death by ducks. --More Later, Less the Same”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/he-is-being-nibbled-to-death-by-ducks-more-later-less-the-same/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“I couldn’t even picture Mavis’s face anymore. It was sad. She was being erased. I wanted to put my finger on her forehead, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/i-couldn-t-even-picture-mavis-s-face-anymore-it-was-sad-she-was-being/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“They didn't have much trouble teaching the ape to write poems: first they strapped him into a chair, then tied the pencil around his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/they-didn-t-have-much-trouble-teaching-the-ape-to-write-poems-first/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“I was outside St. Cecelia's Rectory smoking a cigarette when a goat appeared beside me. It was mostly black and white, with a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/i-was-outside-st-cecelia-s-rectory-smoking-a-cigarette-when-a-goat/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“for my father, 1922-1944 Your face did not rot like the others--the co-pilot, for example, I saw him yesterday. His face is corn- mush:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/for-my-father-1922-1944-your-face-did-not-rot-like-the-others-the-co/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“almost exquisite, the slight madness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/almost-exquisite-the-slight-madness/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“Having gray hair doesn't matter but having gray matter matters. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/having-gray-hair-doesn-t-matter-but-having-gray-matter-matters/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“I am not a part of this home any longer. I am a tiny thing created by indifferent scientists. I am an experiment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/i-am-not-a-part-of-this-home-any-longer-i-am-a-tiny-thing-created-by/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [Poetry is everywhere; it just needs editing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editing/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“Everybody who was anybody seemed to be going to a meeting, the glowworm, who was a solipsist, the lemur who was not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/everybody-who-was-anybody-seemed-to-be-going-to-a-meeting-the/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [The challenge is always to find the ultimate in the ordinary horseshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/the-challenge-is-always-to-find-the-ultimate-in-the-ordinary-horseshit/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [“Jesus got up one day a little later than usual. He had been dreaming so deep there was nothing left in his head. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/jesus-got-up-one-day-a-little-later-than-usual-he-had-been-dreaming/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) > [In You Are Not Dead Wendy Xu breaks all the old rules that have never done us any favors anyway. She writes beautifully, noticing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/in-you-are-not-dead-wendy-xu-breaks-all-the-old-rules-that-have-never/) [James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-poetry/james-tate/#itemlist", "name": "1 Great poetry Quotes By James Tate", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poetry is everywhere; it just needs editing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Tate" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editing/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/james-tate-31013_editing_poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editi_2190658.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/james-tate-31013_editing_poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editi_2190658.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/james-tate-31013_editing_poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editi_2190658.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poetry is everywhere; it just needs editing.” — James Tate", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-poetry/james-tate/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-poetry/james-tate/", "name": "Great poetry Quotes by James Tate", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-poetry/james-tate/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/james-tate-31013_editing_poetry-is-everywhere-it-just-needs-editi_2190658.jpg" }, "description": "1 Great poetry quotes by James Tate. 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