The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.
Muriel RukeyserRead
The sources of poetry are in the spirit seeking completeness.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that poetry originates from a deep inner desire for wholeness and fulfillment.
Muriel Rukeyser suggests that the essence of poetry comes from a profound inner yearning for completeness. It reflects the idea that poetry is not merely an art form but a manifestation of the human spirit striving for connection, understanding, and a sense of entirety in life.
In practice
A speaker at a poetry reading could use this quote to highlight the emotional depth of the works being presented.
The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.
A work of art is one through which the consciousness of the artist is able to give its emotions to anyone who is prepared to receive them.
In our period, they say there is free speech. They say there is no penalty for poets, There is no penalty for writing poems. They say this. This is the penalty.
Nourish beginnings, let us nourish beginnings. Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest. The blessing is in the seed.
The town of Gauley Bridge stands as a pattern for all those places where people are linked even in the middle of their suffering, where people fight against an evil condition so that other people need not go through the same fight.
Always our wars have been our confessions of weakness
What I've learned over the years is that the craft of songwriting is trying to take the personal and make it universal - or in the case of telling a story, taking the universal and making it personal.
She didn't even have to smile, and she rarely did outside her house--it was the eyes, her dancer's carriage, the way she seemed to deliberate over the smallest movement of her body.
When I land in a country and they ask for 'occupation,' I always just put 'artist.' I think that covers all of it.
What I want to see is more mixed casts. We need it. People need to be brave - in the real world, everyone and anyone is around. So if people get to see themselves on the stage, they'll want to come.
For me, purity of movement wasn't enough. I needed expression, more intensity, more mind.
Drink wine, drink poetry, drink virtue.
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