“The one hope of literature lies in the fact that if a poet writes obscurely, he nevertheless has some meaning, though it may be ill expressed.”

Distinguishing difficult expression from the absence of genuine meaning · Essay, Some Thoughts on Modern Poetry (1891)

• Hope
• Poetry
• Truth

“It is impossible for a poet to live in more than a selection of his works.”

Suggesting that literary survival ultimately depends on a poet's strongest work · Essay, Some Thoughts on Modern Poetry (1891)

• Fame
• Poetry
• Time

“The only way to make a long poem palatable to modern tastes is to break it up into a number of brief connected episodes.”

Advocating manageable structure for extended poetic narratives · Essay, Some Thoughts on Modern Poetry (1891)

• Art
• Poetry