“I always feel it's not wise to violate rules until you know how to observe them.”

Arguing that artistic freedom is strongest when grounded in knowledge of craft · Interview, The Art of Poetry, 1959

• Art
• Poetry

“Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum.”

Arguing that depth of understanding matters more than the sheer accumulation of information · Essay, Tradition and the Individual Talent

• Memory
• Poetry
• Truth

“The chief use of the 'meaning' of a poem may be to satisfy one habit of the reader, to keep his mind diverted and quiet, while the poem does its work upon him.”

Suggesting that a poem can act upon the reader beyond its explicit paraphrasable meaning · Lecture series, The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism

• Art
• Poetry