“A letter from you stands in the place of all these.”

Written after saying he lacked company, pleasure and spirits, revealing how much he valued a friend's correspondence · Letter to William Mason, 13 January 1758

• Communication
• Friendship
• Solitude

“Our poetry, on the contrary, has a language peculiar to itself, to which almost every one that has written has added something.”

Presenting poetic language as a tradition continually enriched by individual writers · Letter to Richard West, 8 April 1742

• Language
• Poetry
• Tradition

“If the sentiment must stand, twirl it a little into an apophegm, stick a flower in it, gild it with a costly expression, let it strike the fancy, the ear, or the heart.”

Witty practical advice on turning an ordinary sentiment into memorable poetry · Letter to William Mason, 24 March 1758

• Poetry
• Wit
• Writing