Ancient Quote by George Santayana

The function of poetry is religious invocation of the muse; its use is the experience of mixed exaltation and horror that her presence excites.

— Robert Graves

“For those who do not write and who never have been stirred by the creative urge, talk of muses seems a figure of speech,…

— Dan Simmons

“The Greeks were so committed to ideas as supernatural forces that they created an entire group of goddesses (not one but nine) to represent…

— Scott Berkun

I think there's probably always been visions and voices, and these were variously ascribed to the divine or demonic or the muses. I think…

— Oliver Sacks

Each of the Arts whose office is to refine, purify, adorn, embellish and grace life is under the patronage of a Muse, no god…

— Eliza Farnham

What I mean by the Muse is that unimpeded clearness of the intuitive powers, which a perfectly truthful adherence to every admonition of the…

— Margaret Fuller

“To become the love of a poet is to become both a muse and an immortal all at the same time.”

— Jennifer Megan Varnadore

Just as anyone who listens to the muse will hear, you can write out of your own intention or out of inspiration. There is…

— Joseph Campbell

I am uncomfortable with talking of poetry as a priestly profession, because I have little use for organized religions and priestly hierarchies. They have…

— Adrienne Rich

I do have a muse. I am not sure how to describe her. She can be very elusive. She was born in England but…

— Quentin S. Crisp

Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.

— Virginia Woolf

The ancient Greek oral poets all had this anxiety about the deficiencies of their memories and always began poems by praying to the Muse…

— David Antin