“Child dear, I'm obsessed by one feeling only.” Written the day after Britain entered the war · Letter to Alida Klementaski, 5 August 1914 Emotion Letters War
“The first principles of our Futurism are: to forget God, Heaven, Hell, Personal Immortality, and to remember, always, the earth.” Turns his hope for new verse toward earthly attention rather than afterlife · Essay developing The Future of Poetry, Poetry and Drama period Earth Modernity Religion
“Perhaps I'm not (metrically speaking at any rate) a poet.” Self-doubt after reviewers said his verse would have been better as prose · Letter to Maurice Browne, after criticism of Cophetua Criticism Doubt Poets
“I am always regretting that there are so many periodicals. I think the public is rather tired of them at present.” A veteran editor weary of the little-magazine flood · Letter to Alfred Kreymborg, 1921 Editors Journalism Readers
“I became morose and developed the surly attitude I have kept ever since towards people who interrupt me at work.” A dry self-portrait of the writer defending his desk · Autobiographical recollection of early writing habits Solitude Work Writers
“I suddenly became conscious of myself as a solitary and wayward person.” Marks the moment he first claimed a poet's isolation · Recollection of beginning to write in France, 1896 Identity Solitude Youth
“To follow on Tennyson, Browning and Swinburne is perhaps a more difficult task than the poets of any age had to face.” Names the Victorian shadow under which his generation wrote · Letter, May 1908 Difficulty Poets Tradition
“Nothing will be accomplished by mad long rushes, but all by gradual steady striving.” Early counsel of patience against impulsive ambition · Letter to Maurice Browne, 27 May 1902 Advice Effort Patience
“War monopolises the brain.” A wartime editor admitting that public catastrophe crowds out criticism · Editorial apology, Poetry and Drama, September 1914 Editors Mind War
“Great poetry could only emerge after indefatigable discussion, unending fearless experiment.” Makes argument and risk the conditions of a living art · Editorial, The Poetry Review, August 1912 Conversation Innovation Poetry
“We are expecting a new dawn, converging towards some vital exuberance, a rushing, untameable new creative impulse in English poetry.” Utopian confidence before the war altered the climate · Editorial, The Poetry Review, September 1912 Future Hope Poetry
“The paper is to be the cry of young blood.” His hope for The Poetry Review at its founding · Letter to Maurice Browne, November 1911 Beginning Editors Youth
“Sincerity, as a primal quality, holds, in general, a lower place than might be expected among the essential characteristics that form the standard of the average group.” Notes how schools prize manner over candour · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Convention Poets Sincerity
“The group is a support to individuals not strong enough to stand alone. It is at the same time a useful school for young poets.” Sees coteries as both crutch and apprenticeship · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Community Learning Poets
“The Group will pass remarks on books it has not read, of which he will pick out the cleverest for his own use.” A comic anatomy of clique talk in literary London · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Criticism Hypocrisy Society
“Intellect is the servant of poetry, but a dangerous servant, apt to interfere.” Grants intelligence a place while fearing its over-management · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Intelligence Mind Poetry
“In poetry, a new idea, or an individual method of thought, creates its own new form, style or cadence.” Form, for him, should grow from thinking rather than from fashion · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Form Poetry Thought
“Unsuccessful experiment is far more interesting than successful imitation.” Prefers risk to safe derivation · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Innovation Originality Poetry
“It is an axiom that emotion must flow spontaneously into appropriate language.” Restates a romantic law of diction against calculated style · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Emotion Language Poetry
“Manufactured poetry seldom withstands the test of analysis.” A critic's warning against verse assembled for effect · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Criticism Poetry Sincerity
“He dreams of the impression his poem will make on the public mind, until that dream becomes more absorbing than the creation of the poem itself.” Shows how audience-hunger can replace making · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Creation Readers Self Deception
“He desires to grasp and to enjoy immortality while yet mortal.” On the impatience of writers who want fame in advance of the work · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Ambition Fame Immortality
“The desire to be thought a poet is stronger than his love of poetry.” His sharpest verdict on literary vanity · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Poetry Self Vanity
“It is charming to be a well-known young poet: besides, it is of professional value.” Dryly notes how celebrity becomes part of the job · Book, Some Contemporary Poets, 1920 Fame Work Youth
