The American Dream is a phrase we'll have to wrestle with all of our lives. It means a lot of things to… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
The joy of working at something to find out what it means to me is what I grew up with. — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
By making us stop for a moment, poetry gives us an opportunity to think about ourselves as human beings on this planet… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
If I begin writing a poem that means I'm intrigued in some way by whatever it's about and that if I'm not… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
If our children are unable to voice what they mean, no one will know how they feel. If they can’t imagine a… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
I always loved science. And in fact, I got a science award in high school. I mean, I loved science, but I… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
Being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human spirit. — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
I believe people may have a predisposition for artistic creativity. It doesn't mean they're going to make it. — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
I never think of my audience when I write a poem. I try to write out of whatever is haunting me; in… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
If the poem is so moving that even if you have no experience in that particular setting be it 1920's Harlem let's… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them. — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
My inspiration comes from everywhere, just walking down the street and I never know where it's going to come from, so I keep a… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
To write for PC reasons, because you think you ought to be dealing with this subject, is never going to yield anything that is… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first time. And we go back to those moments and… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
The First Book: Go ahead, it won't bite. Well... maybe a little. More a nip, like. A tingle. It's pleasurable, really. You see, it… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
Sometimes a word is found so right it trembles at the slightest explanation. — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
Listen how they say your name. If they can't say that right, there's no way they're going to know how to treat you proper,… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
