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

Love is a universal migraine. A bright stain on the vision, Blotting out reason.

There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.

There's no money in poetry, but then there's no poetry in money, either.

Every English poet should master the rules of grammar before he attempts to bend or break them.

The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he really is very good, in spite of all the people who say he is very good.

Kill if you must, but never hate: Man is but grass and hate is blight, The sun will scorch you soon or late, Die wholesome then, since you must fight

I was last in Rome in AD 540 when it was full of Goths and their heavy horses. It has changed a great deal since then.

New beginnings and new shoots Spring again from hidden roots Pull or stab or cut or burn, Love must ever yet return.

What we now call "finance" is, I hold, an intellectual perversion of what began as warm human love.

I was thinking, "So, I’m Emperor, am I? What nonsense! But at least I'll be able to make people read my books now.

Blues is not a dream, blues is truth.

I do not believe there ever was a man who was his own master, but that every man has a master of some kind or other.

He went through a non-existant gap.

When I made the decision - when my team-mates made that decision, when the whole peloton made that decision - it was a bad decision and an imperfect time. But it happened.

Reagan's half a disciple of Benjamin Franklin. He believes in early to bed.

I believe that whatever your religious preference, there has to be a commitment to family because everything really does start there.

Those who still believe the Brahmins should take a serious note of the changing times and start leading an awakened life.

I do take a lot of pride in my look and I work out - do work out a lot.

Public faith means going public with what’s in your heart, with humility and respect for others, as we speak of the truth of the gospel.

Pentagon records show that at least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. Army have deserted since the Iraq war began. Hey, at least somebody has an exit strategy.