“Most years I owe no money and I have no money.”
What It Means to Be a Poet in America (1926)
Context: Most years I owe no money and I have no money. Every university pays my way to the next town. That’s about all. No poet has ever made any money out of having his poetry published, and no poet ever will. If the fee is two hundred dollars, it is one hundred dollars for coming to town and one hundred for leaving inside of twenty-four hours. There has been no poetry in the history of the world that has made money for the poet. The New Poetry Movement began when Abel made a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain; but the sacrifice of Abel was not intended as a money-making idea. On the last great day, when Gabriel blows his trumpet, even if he blows it in sonnets, he will not do it for the money that is in it. If he does do it for the cash he will not be Gabriel and it will not be the last great day. It will be a second-rate Hollywood movie of the last great day, and business will continue as usual.
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Vachel Lindsay 15
American poet 1879–1931Related quotes
“Owe money at Easter and Lent will seem short to thee.”
Lexicon Tetraglotton (1660)
“I had killed a man, for money and a woman. I didn't have the money and I didn't have the woman.”
Source: Double Indemnity
"The Lost Son," ll. 107-111
The Lost Son and Other Poems (1948)
“True, I have lost money on many occasions. But I only play with money I can afford to lose.”
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!
Source: Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing (1997), p. 20
citation needed
Variant: I don’t pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages.