Dedication Quote by Derek Walcott

And when you are entering into poetry, whatever stage you're at, you are participating in something with a very long and noble tradition.

— Edward Hirsch

I always thought that poetry is the verdict that others give to a certain kind of writing. So to call yourself a poet is…

— Leonard Cohen

The art of poetry is to touch the passions, and its duty to lead them on the side of virtue.

— William Cowper

The idea that a poem was a made thing stayed with me, and I decided then that I wanted to be an artist, not…

— Edward Hirsch

I wish I'd been better able to resist the sense of obligation to write some of the poems I did. It's in the nature…

— Andrew Motion

I am an ordinary human being who is impelled to write poetry. ... I still do feel that a poet has a duty to…

— Gwendolyn Brooks

It's absolutely crucial to maintain my life as a poet.

— Edward Hirsch

It is funny, and also a bit sad, that poets are so often asked to justify our vocation. There seems to be something vaguely…

— Matthew Zapruder

I am a poet in deeds--not often in words.

— Ian Fleming

I really enjoy doing my poems. So that's it; I'm condemned in some way to be a poet.

— Tim Key

Being a poet is not a job or a profession but a way of life.

— Kathleen Raine

I try to avoid calling myself a poet because I think that's something someone else has to call you. It's like bragging.

— Dorianne Laux