“Poetry is a vocal art for me - but not necessarily a performative one....” — Robert Pinsky Quote

Poetry is a vocal art for me - but not necessarily a performative one. It might be reading to oneself or recalling some lines by memory.

I delight sometimes in saying to - as when I'm a teacher, I love saying, 'This is really important, so don't write it down.' To me, what you retain is a very important filter.

To me, writing is a matter of voice. I think like that. The expression I sometimes use to myself is 'actual song.' That what I do is somewhere on the line between speaking to you as I am now and actual song. And the things I love when I say one of those poems to myself - it's a little bit like singing, it's a little bit like speaking.

If what you want to do is make good art, decide what's good and try to imitate it.

Success is something that other people always point out. I don't think one ever thinks of oneself as successful, because if you do, you're going to immediately lose whatever it is that's driving you, aren't you?

A value is valuable when the value of value is valuable to oneself.

Everyone writes in Tolstoy's shadow, whether one feels oneself to be Tolstoyan or not.

Fashion in the past meant conforming and losing oneself. Fashion in the present means being individual and finding oneself.

Politeness is a desire to be treated politely, and to be esteemed polite oneself.