“Every war leaves behind the seeds of hatred which eventually lead to bitterer strife.”

Warning that armed conflict perpetuates resentment rather than resolving it · Prose introduction in Living the Years (1949)

• Despair
• Truth
• War

“And, Mr. Sneering Critic, you certainly cannot disturb my peace of mind with your gibes and taunts unless you have my co-operation.”

Arguing that criticism gains power only when one allows it to do so · Prose writing quoted in Outlook and Independent, 1930

• Criticism
• Independence
• Peace

“I am a newspaperman who writes verse.”

A modest description of his vocation that deliberately resists the grander title of poet · Statement quoted in Time, 1959

• Humility
• Identity
• Writing