"Poetry isn't a profession, it's a way..." - Quote by Mary Oliver
Poetry isn't a profession, it's a way of life. It's an empty basket; you put your life into it and make something out of that.
More by Mary Oliver
“I saw that worrying had come to nothing and gave it up. And took my old body and went out into the morning, and sang.”
“Every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight, that leaves me like a needle in the haystack of light.”
“I have trouble with some books because I'm so much in agreement with them I'd rather just sit in the grass myself.”
More on Poetry
“The meaning of poetry has no sureness of direction; is like the sling, it is not under control.”
“I like to go back and read poems that I wrote fifty years ago, twenty years ago, and sometimes they surprise me - I didn't know I knew that then. Or maybe I didn't know it then, and I know more now.”
“My favourite poem is the one that starts 'Thirty days hath September' because it actually tells you something.”
More on Life
“Life is meant to be a celebration! It shouldn't be necessary to set aside special times to remind us of this fact. Wise is the person who finds a reason to make every day a special one.”
“The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow-creatures as meaningless is not merely unfortunate but almost disqualified for life.”
“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”