--- title: "Best Poetry Quotes by Joseph Brodsky" description: "58 Poetry quotes by Joseph Brodsky. Plus more from Joseph Brodsky and more Poetry sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/joseph-brodsky-1225_blue_this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-cro_1621111.png" --- > [This assumption that the blue collar crowd is not supposed to read it, or a farmer in his overalls is not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-crowd-is-not-supposed-to-read-it/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/joseph-brodsky-1225_blue_this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-cro_1621111.png) > [I haven't shifted language. I'm writing in English because I like it. I'm a sucker for the language, but the good old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/i-haven-t-shifted-language-i-m-writing-in-english-because-i-like-it-i/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/joseph-brodsky-1225_good_i-haven-t-shifted-language-i-m-writing-i_84941.png) > [Poetry is not only the most concise way of conveying the human experience; it also offers the highest possible standards for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/poetry-is-not-only-the-most-concise-way-of-conveying-the-human/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_poetry-is-not-only-the-most-concise-way_905102.jpg) > [Although I am losing my Soviet citizenship, I do not cease to be a Russian poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/although-i-am-losing-my-soviet-citizenship-i-do-not-cease-to-be-a/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/joseph-brodsky-1225_citizenship_although-i-am-losing-my-soviet-citizensh_545638.png) > [Good style in prose is always hostage to the precision, speed, and laconic intensity of poetic diction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to-the-precision-speed-and/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png) > [Anyone who regards poetry as an entertainment, as a 'read,' commits an anthropological crime, in the first place against himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/anyone-who-regards-poetry-as-an-entertainment-as-a-read-commits-an/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_anyone-who-regards-poetry-as-an-entertai_1096183.png) > [For some odd reason, the expression 'death of a poet' always sounds somewhat more concrete than 'life of a poet.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death-of-a-poet-always-sounds/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/joseph-brodsky-1225_death_for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death_28793.png) > [To translate poetry, one has to possess some art, at the very least the art of stylistic re-embodiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/to-translate-poetry-one-has-to-possess-some-art-at-the-very-least-the/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_to-translate-poetry-one-has-to-possess-s_2673326.png) > [In America, a metrical poem is likely to conjure up the idea of the sort of poet who wears ties and lunches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/in-america-a-metrical-poem-is-likely-to-conjure-up-the-idea-of-the/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/joseph-brodsky-1225_america_in-america-a-metrical-poem-is-likely-to_2223053.png) > [Poems, novels - these things belong to the nation, to the culture and the people. They've been stolen from the people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the-nation-to-the-culture-and-the-2/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_be-grateful_poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the_2583245.png) > [By failing to read or listen to poets, society dooms itself to inferior modes of articulation: those of the politician, the salesman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/by-failing-to-read-or-listen-to-poets-society-dooms-itself-to-2/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/joseph-brodsky-1225_poetry_by-failing-to-read-or-listen-to-poets-so_712198.jpg) > [By writing... in the language of his society, a poet takes a large step toward it. It is society's job to meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/by-writing-in-the-language-of-his-society-a-poet-takes-a-large-step/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_by-writing-in-the-language-of-his-societ_170131.png) > [A poet is a combination of an instrument and a human being in one person, with the former gradually taking over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/a-poet-is-a-combination-of-an-instrument-and-a-human-being-in-one/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/joseph-brodsky-1225_combination_a-poet-is-a-combination-of-an-instrument_75071.png) > [My idea is simply - is very simple - is that the books of poetry should be published in far greater volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/my-idea-is-simply-is-very-simple-is-that-the-books-of-poetry-should/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_my-idea-is-simply-is-very-simple-is-that_604748.png) > [With poets, the choice of words is invariably more telling than the story line; that's why the best of them dread the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/with-poets-the-choice-of-words-is-invariably-more-telling-than-the/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/joseph-brodsky-1225_best_with-poets-the-choice-of-words-is-invari_1048277.png) > [If a poet has any obligation toward society, it is to write well. Being in the minority, he has no other choice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/if-a-poet-has-any-obligation-toward-society-it-is-to-write-well-being-2/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/joseph-brodsky-1225_choices_if-a-poet-has-any-obligation-toward-soci_3002353.png) > [If what distinguishes us from other species is speech, then poetry, which is the supreme linguistic operation, is our anthropological - indeed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/if-what-distinguishes-us-from-other-species-is-speech-then-poetry/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/joseph-brodsky-1225_communication_if-what-distinguishes-us-from-other-spec_471077.png) > [Americans have been tremendously fortunate in poetry, regarding both the quantity and quality of poetry produced. Unfortunately, it remains in schools and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/americans-have-been-tremendously-fortunate-in-poetry-regarding-both/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/joseph-brodsky-1225_fortunate_americans-have-been-tremendously-fortuna_121507.jpg) ## Other authors on Poetry - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-melody-lee-1672.jpg) Melody Lee 207 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/melody-lee/) - [Ralph Waldo Emerson 146 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/ralph-waldo-emerson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-edward-hirsch-31825.jpg) Edward Hirsch 138 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/edward-hirsch/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-dejan-stojanovic-28518.jpg) Dejan Stojanovic 133 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/dejan-stojanovic/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-henry-david-thoreau-41473.jpg) Henry David Thoreau 111 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/henry-david-thoreau/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b002/author-alfa-h-4410.jpg) Alfa H 105 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/alfa-h/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-mary-oliver-65135.jpg) Mary Oliver 99 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/mary-oliver/) - [Atticus Poetry 92 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/atticus-poetry/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-charles-bukowski-22166.jpg) Charles Bukowski 89 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/charles-bukowski/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-walt-whitman-94308.jpg) Walt Whitman 82 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/walt-whitman/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b019/author-oscar-wilde-72846.jpg) Oscar Wilde 78 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/oscar-wilde/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b005/author-billy-collins-18123.jpg) Billy Collins 77 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/billy-collins/) ## More by Joseph Brodsky > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [For some odd reason, the expression 'death of a poet' always sounds somewhat more concrete than 'life of a poet.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death-of-a-poet-always-sounds/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [A poet is a combination of an instrument and a human being in one person, with the former gradually taking over the latter. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/a-poet-is-a-combination-of-an-instrument-and-a-human-being-in-one/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [On the whole, love comes with the speed of light; separation, with that of sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/on-the-whole-love-comes-with-the-speed-of-light-separation-with-that/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“In the business of writing, what one accumulates is not experience but uncertainties.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/in-the-business-of-writing-what-one-accumulates-is-not-experience-but/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [I haven't shifted language. I'm writing in English because I like it. I'm a sucker for the language, but the good old poems I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/i-haven-t-shifted-language-i-m-writing-in-english-because-i-like-it-i/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Perhaps the best proof of the Almighty's existence is that we never know when we are to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/perhaps-the-best-proof-of-the-almighty-s-existence-is-that-we-never/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [I grew up in the sort of cultural milieu that always regarded conversations about the political discourse as tremendously low-brow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/i-grew-up-in-the-sort-of-cultural-milieu-that-always-regarded/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“What gets left of a man amounts to a part. To his spoken part. To a part of speech”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/what-gets-left-of-a-man-amounts-to-a-part-to-his-spoken-part-to-a/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“secrecy is a hotbed of vanity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/secrecy-is-a-hotbed-of-vanity/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“The instinctive preference was to read rather than to act. No wonder our actual lives were more or less a shambles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/the-instinctive-preference-was-to-read-rather-than-to-act-no-wonder/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Americans have been tremendously fortunate in poetry, regarding both the quantity and quality of poetry produced. Unfortunately, it remains in schools and universities; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/americans-have-been-tremendously-fortunate-in-poetry-regarding-both/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/life-the-way-it-really-is-is-a-battle-not-between-good-and-bad-but/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Poems, novels - these things belong to the nation, to the culture, and the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the-nation-to-the-culture-and-the/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“If there is any substitute for love, it is memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/if-there-is-any-substitute-for-love-it-is-memory/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/joseph-brodsky/#itemlist", "name": "Best Poetry Quotes by Joseph Brodsky", "numberOfItems": 18, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This assumption that the blue collar crowd is not supposed to read it, or a farmer in his overalls is not to read poetry, seems to be dangerous if not tragic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-crowd-is-not-supposed-to-read-it/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/joseph-brodsky-1225_blue_this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-cro_1621111.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/joseph-brodsky-1225_blue_this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-cro_1621111.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/joseph-brodsky-1225_blue_this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-cro_1621111.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This assumption that the blue collar crowd is not supposed to read it, or a farmer in his overalls is not to…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I haven't shifted language. I'm writing in English because I like it. I'm a sucker for the language, but the good old poems I'm still writing in Russian.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/i-haven-t-shifted-language-i-m-writing-in-english-because-i-like-it-i/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/joseph-brodsky-1225_good_i-haven-t-shifted-language-i-m-writing-i_84941.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/joseph-brodsky-1225_good_i-haven-t-shifted-language-i-m-writing-i_84941.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/joseph-brodsky-1225_good_i-haven-t-shifted-language-i-m-writing-i_84941.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I haven't shifted language. I'm writing in English because I like it. I'm a sucker for the language, but the…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poetry is not only the most concise way of conveying the human experience; it also offers the highest possible standards for any linguistic operation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/poetry-is-not-only-the-most-concise-way-of-conveying-the-human/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_poetry-is-not-only-the-most-concise-way_905102.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_poetry-is-not-only-the-most-concise-way_905102.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_poetry-is-not-only-the-most-concise-way_905102.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poetry is not only the most concise way of conveying the human experience; it also offers the highest…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Although I am losing my Soviet citizenship, I do not cease to be a Russian poet.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/although-i-am-losing-my-soviet-citizenship-i-do-not-cease-to-be-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/joseph-brodsky-1225_citizenship_although-i-am-losing-my-soviet-citizensh_545638.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/joseph-brodsky-1225_citizenship_although-i-am-losing-my-soviet-citizensh_545638.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/joseph-brodsky-1225_citizenship_although-i-am-losing-my-soviet-citizensh_545638.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Although I am losing my Soviet citizenship, I do not cease to be a Russian poet.” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Good style in prose is always hostage to the precision, speed, and laconic intensity of poetic diction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to-the-precision-speed-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/joseph-brodsky-1225_always_good-style-in-prose-is-always-hostage-to_2832620.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Good style in prose is always hostage to the precision, speed, and laconic intensity of poetic diction.” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anyone who regards poetry as an entertainment, as a 'read,' commits an anthropological crime, in the first place against himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/anyone-who-regards-poetry-as-an-entertainment-as-a-read-commits-an/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_anyone-who-regards-poetry-as-an-entertai_1096183.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_anyone-who-regards-poetry-as-an-entertai_1096183.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_anyone-who-regards-poetry-as-an-entertai_1096183.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Anyone who regards poetry as an entertainment, as a 'read,' commits an anthropological crime, in the first…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For some odd reason, the expression 'death of a poet' always sounds somewhat more concrete than 'life of a poet.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death-of-a-poet-always-sounds/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/joseph-brodsky-1225_death_for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death_28793.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/joseph-brodsky-1225_death_for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death_28793.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/joseph-brodsky-1225_death_for-some-odd-reason-the-expression-death_28793.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For some odd reason, the expression 'death of a poet' always sounds somewhat more concrete than 'life of a…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To translate poetry, one has to possess some art, at the very least the art of stylistic re-embodiment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/to-translate-poetry-one-has-to-possess-some-art-at-the-very-least-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_to-translate-poetry-one-has-to-possess-s_2673326.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_to-translate-poetry-one-has-to-possess-s_2673326.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/joseph-brodsky-1225_art_to-translate-poetry-one-has-to-possess-s_2673326.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To translate poetry, one has to possess some art, at the very least the art of stylistic re-embodiment.” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In America, a metrical poem is likely to conjure up the idea of the sort of poet who wears ties and lunches at the faculty club. In Russia it suggests the moral force of an art practiced against the greatest personal odds, as a discipline, solitary and intense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/in-america-a-metrical-poem-is-likely-to-conjure-up-the-idea-of-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/joseph-brodsky-1225_america_in-america-a-metrical-poem-is-likely-to_2223053.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/joseph-brodsky-1225_america_in-america-a-metrical-poem-is-likely-to_2223053.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/joseph-brodsky-1225_america_in-america-a-metrical-poem-is-likely-to_2223053.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In America, a metrical poem is likely to conjure up the idea of the sort of poet who wears ties and lunches…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poems, novels - these things belong to the nation, to the culture and the people. They've been stolen from the people and now the stolen things are being returned to their owners, but I don't think their owners should be grateful to receive them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the-nation-to-the-culture-and-the-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_be-grateful_poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the_2583245.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_be-grateful_poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the_2583245.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/joseph-brodsky-1225_be-grateful_poems-novels-these-things-belong-to-the_2583245.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poems, novels - these things belong to the nation, to the culture and the people. They've been stolen from…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "By failing to read or listen to poets, society dooms itself to inferior modes of articulation: those of the politician, the salesman or the charlatan... In other words, it forfeits its own evolutionary potential.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/by-failing-to-read-or-listen-to-poets-society-dooms-itself-to-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/joseph-brodsky-1225_poetry_by-failing-to-read-or-listen-to-poets-so_712198.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/joseph-brodsky-1225_poetry_by-failing-to-read-or-listen-to-poets-so_712198.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/joseph-brodsky-1225_poetry_by-failing-to-read-or-listen-to-poets-so_712198.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By failing to read or listen to poets, society dooms itself to inferior modes of articulation: those of the…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "By writing... in the language of his society, a poet takes a large step toward it. It is society's job to meet him halfway, that is, to open his book and read it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/by-writing-in-the-language-of-his-society-a-poet-takes-a-large-step/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_by-writing-in-the-language-of-his-societ_170131.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_by-writing-in-the-language-of-his-societ_170131.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_by-writing-in-the-language-of-his-societ_170131.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By writing... in the language of his society, a poet takes a large step toward it. It is society's job to…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A poet is a combination of an instrument and a human being in one person, with the former gradually taking over the latter. The sensation of this takeover is responsible for timbre; the realization of it, for destiny.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/a-poet-is-a-combination-of-an-instrument-and-a-human-being-in-one/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/joseph-brodsky-1225_combination_a-poet-is-a-combination-of-an-instrument_75071.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/joseph-brodsky-1225_combination_a-poet-is-a-combination-of-an-instrument_75071.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/joseph-brodsky-1225_combination_a-poet-is-a-combination-of-an-instrument_75071.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A poet is a combination of an instrument and a human being in one person, with the former gradually taking…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My idea is simply - is very simple - is that the books of poetry should be published in far greater volume and be distributed in far greater volume, in far more substantial manner. You can sell in supermarkets very cheaply. In paperbacks. You can sell in drugstores.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/my-idea-is-simply-is-very-simple-is-that-the-books-of-poetry-should/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_my-idea-is-simply-is-very-simple-is-that_604748.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_my-idea-is-simply-is-very-simple-is-that_604748.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/joseph-brodsky-1225_books_my-idea-is-simply-is-very-simple-is-that_604748.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My idea is simply - is very simple - is that the books of poetry should be published in far greater volume…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 15, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With poets, the choice of words is invariably more telling than the story line; that's why the best of them dread the thought of their biographies being written.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/with-poets-the-choice-of-words-is-invariably-more-telling-than-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/joseph-brodsky-1225_best_with-poets-the-choice-of-words-is-invari_1048277.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/joseph-brodsky-1225_best_with-poets-the-choice-of-words-is-invari_1048277.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/joseph-brodsky-1225_best_with-poets-the-choice-of-words-is-invari_1048277.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With poets, the choice of words is invariably more telling than the story line; that's why the best of them…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 16, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a poet has any obligation toward society, it is to write well. Being in the minority, he has no other choice. Failing this duty, he sinks into oblivion. Society, on the other hand, has no obligation toward the poet.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/if-a-poet-has-any-obligation-toward-society-it-is-to-write-well-being-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/joseph-brodsky-1225_choices_if-a-poet-has-any-obligation-toward-soci_3002353.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/joseph-brodsky-1225_choices_if-a-poet-has-any-obligation-toward-soci_3002353.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/joseph-brodsky-1225_choices_if-a-poet-has-any-obligation-toward-soci_3002353.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a poet has any obligation toward society, it is to write well. Being in the minority, he has no other…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 17, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If what distinguishes us from other species is speech, then poetry, which is the supreme linguistic operation, is our anthropological - indeed, genetic - goal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/if-what-distinguishes-us-from-other-species-is-speech-then-poetry/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/joseph-brodsky-1225_communication_if-what-distinguishes-us-from-other-spec_471077.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/joseph-brodsky-1225_communication_if-what-distinguishes-us-from-other-spec_471077.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/joseph-brodsky-1225_communication_if-what-distinguishes-us-from-other-spec_471077.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If what distinguishes us from other species is speech, then poetry, which is the supreme linguistic…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 18, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans have been tremendously fortunate in poetry, regarding both the quantity and quality of poetry produced. Unfortunately, it remains in schools and universities; it is not widely distributed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Brodsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/americans-have-been-tremendously-fortunate-in-poetry-regarding-both/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/joseph-brodsky-1225_fortunate_americans-have-been-tremendously-fortuna_121507.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/joseph-brodsky-1225_fortunate_americans-have-been-tremendously-fortuna_121507.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/joseph-brodsky-1225_fortunate_americans-have-been-tremendously-fortuna_121507.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Americans have been tremendously fortunate in poetry, regarding both the quantity and quality of poetry…” — Joseph Brodsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/joseph-brodsky/page/2/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/joseph-brodsky/page/2/", "name": "Poetry Quotes by Joseph Brodsky · Page 2", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/joseph-brodsky/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/joseph-brodsky-1225_blue_this-assumption-that-the-blue-collar-cro_1621111.png" }, "description": "58 Poetry quotes by Joseph Brodsky. Plus more from Joseph Brodsky and more Poetry sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/joseph-brodsky/page/2/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/joseph-brodsky/page/2/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Poetry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Joseph Brodsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/joseph-brodsky/page/2/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```