“It was his decision that his life had to be lived off-stage, behind the scenes, out of view.”

Expressing his lifelong preference for privacy over literary celebrity · Autobiographical essay, Ushant (1952)

• Fame
• Solitude

“To give the lowdown on himself, and through himself on humanity.”

Defining the poet's task as candid self-examination that reveals something universal · Letter, quoted by Malcolm Cowley

• Humanity
• Poetry
• Truth

“I'm afraid I wasn't much of a student, but my casual reading was enormous.”

Distinguishing wide independent reading from formal academic achievement · Interview, The Paris Review (1968)

• Knowledge
• Learning