John Ashbery quotes

John Ashbery was an American poet widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in contemporary literature. His innovative and complex poetry challenged traditional forms and expanded the boundaries of language. He remains celebrated for his originality and lasting impact on modern poetry. Here are 29 of his quotes:

There is the view that poetry should improve your life. I think people confuse it with the Salvation Army. (John Ashbery)
I write with experiences in mind, but I don't write about them, I write out of them. View quote
John Ashbery
The poem is sad because it wants to be yours, and cannot be. View quote
John Ashbery
Somewhere someone is traveling furiously toward you, At incredible speed, traveling day and night, Through blizzards and desert heat, across torrents, through narrow passes. But will he know where to find you, Recognize you when he sees you, Give you the thing he has for you? View quote
John Ashbery
Things can harden meaningfully in the moment of indecision. View quote
John Ashbery
In the increasingly convincing darkness The words become palpable, like a fruit That is too beautiful to eat. View quote
John Ashbery
In the beginning there are those who don't quite fit in But are somehow okay. And then some morning There are places that suddenly seem wonderful: Weather and water seem wonderful, And the peaceful night sky that arrives In time to protect us, like a sword Cutting the blue cloak of a prince. View quote
John Ashbery
The summer demands and takes away too much. /But night, the reserved, the reticent, gives more than it takes. View quote
John Ashbery
I like poems you can tack all over with a hammer and there are no hollow places. View quote
John Ashbery
I don't look on poetry as closed works. I feel they're going on all the time in my head and I occasionally snip off a length. View quote
John Ashbery
Most reckless things are beautiful in some way, and recklessness is what makes experimental art beautiful, just as religions are beautiful because of the strong possibilities that they are founded on nothing. (John Ashbery)
until only infinity remained of beauty. View quote
John Ashbery
How many people came and stayed a certain time, Uttered light or dark speech that became part of you Like light behind windblown fog and sand Filtered and influenced by it, until no part Remains that is surely you. View quote
John Ashbery
It didn't pay very much, but it enabled me to get other jobs doing art criticism, which I didn't want to do very much, but as so often when you exhibit reluctance to do something, people think you must be very good at it. If I had set out to be an art critic, I might never have succeeded. View quote
John Ashbery
When I originally started writing, I expected that probably very few people would read my poetry because in those days people didn't read poetry much anyway. View quote
John Ashbery
Did I say that? One says so many things, and the problem is they all get written down. View quote
John Ashbery
These two guys in the front yard-- Are they here to help? View quote
John Ashbery
Well, there are certain stock words that I have found myself using a great deal. When I become aware of them, it is an alarm signal meaning I am falling back on something that has served in the past-it is a sign of not thinking at the present moment, not that there is anything intrinsically bad about certain words or phrases. View quote
John Ashbery
I think that in the process of writing, all kinds of unexpected things happen that shift the poet away from his plan and that these accidents are really what we mean when we talk about poetry. View quote
John Ashbery
The mind Is so hospitable, taking in everything Like boarders, and you don't see until It's all over how little there was to learn Once the stench of knowledge has dissipated. View quote
John Ashbery
Once you've lived in France, you don't want to live anywhere else, including France. (John Ashbery)
Expecting rain, the profile of a day Wears its soul like a hat. View quote
John Ashbery
I often wonder if I am suffering from some mental dysfunction because of how weird and baffling my poetry seems to so many people and sometimes to me too. View quote
John Ashbery
I lost my ridiculous accent without acquiring another. View quote
John Ashbery
The gray glaze of the past attacks all know-how... View quote
John Ashbery