The solitude of the poet is the uniqueness of his experience, and the particulaity of his sensitivity and imagination.

Art cannot progress by sticking to what is already familiar.

In the end, time is the best ally of poets. It clarifies their works and makes them accessible to an ever widening circle of readers.

The demand that poetry be immediately understandable to everyone is truly absurd.

The spirit of the age is not synonymous with what the public likes.

The public, regardless of its social origin, likes, above all, that which is easily accessible.

The age of sages is past; the age of specialists has come.

Talent--that is to say, the ability to see the world in a unique way--matures and grows in isolation.

Solitude is an essential element of poetry.

Environment grinds us, forces us to adjust, and--consciously or not--kills our most precious possession: that something which enables us to speak with ourselves and with God.

Tradition remains alive only when we struggle with it.

My feelings about myself have been terrible.

As far as my house, I have a ton of video games and three or four old consoles.

Consolation for unhappiness can often be found in a certain satisfaction we get from looking unhappy.

It's the only thing to do when you're in London - hang out in a taxi.

That nonviolence which only an individual can use is not of much use in terms of society.

It might be inevitable that we have to confront the idea that our destiny is to be one world with one language.

Our economy is on the move and we are creating thousands of new jobs, but we need to keep our foot on the gas pedal.

There have been times when you doubt yourself. You don't know if you're working on the right things.

Galleries are nice to me. I sign a lot of autographs.

I love books and going to bookstores. My favorite sound is the sound of the needle hitting the record.