“No aspect of a poem is more singular, more unique, than its rhythm.”

“The rhythm of a poem ceases the moment the feeling loses its intensity.”

“Poetry's only crucial attribute is rhythm. This is its heartbeat. This makes it memorable. If the rhythm falters, then the poem dies of heart failure.”

“The major abstraction is the idea of man
And major man is its exponent, abler
In the abstract than in his singular,
More fecund as principle than particle”

“There neither exists nor can exist any work more thoroughly dignified — more supremely noble than this very poem — this poem per se — this poem which is a poem and nothing more — this poem written solely for the poem's sake.”

“An uneasy rhythm of life
is more life like than an easy death.”

“Even more than in a poem, it is the aphorism that the word is god.”

“The person who wrote the poem can tell you more about the poem than anyone else.”

“The poem is important, but
not more than the people
whose survival it serves…”

“The more you understand a poem and its complexities and depth, the more you will be able to do when reading it aloud.”