Charles Olson

I'm trying to climb up both walls at once.

Atlantis will rise again.

Fact is based upon vulgar matter.

Forgive me if I sleep until I wake up.

I'm sorry, but I was born with a towel on my head.

I am happy to have some friends here in the kitchen.

I defer to all these other American poets who, for some reason, I both envy and admire.

I hope you're representing the devil's advocate.

I remember way back when I was young, 10 years ago.

I sound like Homer. I mean Winslow Homer.

I was playing catch with the European audience.

I'm one of the cliches that has grown up.

The heroes of the present will retreat to the imitation they are anyhow.

The poem, for me, is simply the first sound realized in the modality of being.

There is a grace of life which is still yours, my dear Europe.

This country has been unconscious, and it's got to awake. That's my belief.

We all want what's been suddenly disallowed.

We're all moving, moving, moving. Isn't it nice?

When will government cease being a nuisance to everybody?

You can do anything, literally, right? That's one of the exciting possibilities of the present.

You can read everybody. It's not even interesting to tell the truth because to some extent it's false.

This morning of the small snow I count the blessings, the leak in the faucet which makes of the sink time, the drop of the water on water.

I don't live for poetry. I live far more than anybody else does.

You don't help people in your poems. I've been trying to help people all my life - that's my trouble.