What matters Death, if Freedom be not dead? No flags are fair, if Freedom's flag be furled. Who fights for Freedom, goes with joyful tread To meet the fires of Hell against him hurled.

I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.

The air is like a butterfly With frail blue wings. The happy earth looks at the sky And sings.

Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree

The only reason a road is good as every wanderer knows / Is just because of the homes, the homes, the homes to which one goes

The fairy poet takes a sheet Of moonbeam, silver white; His ink is dew from daisies sweet, His pen a point of light.

I suppose I passed it a hundred times, But I always stop for a minute. And look at the house, the tragic house, The house with nobody in it.

There is no place in which to hide when Age comes seeking for his bride.

There is no peace to be taken With poets who are young, For they worry about the wars to be fought and the songs that must be sung.

For nothing keeps a poet In his high singing mood Like unappeasable hunger For unattainable food.

Things have a terrible permanence when people die.

I believe in solving social ills with business skills.

I don't care whose son he is. I won't go belly-up like a timid pup. If he's fool enough to take a poke at me, I'll snap the finger clean off that does the poking.

One of my biggest challenges is figuring out how to shoehorn my newfound knowledge into conversations.

Happiness is understanding that friendship is more precious than mere things, more precious than getting your own way, more precious than being in situations where true principles are not at stake.

Comedy - particularly the frothy and frivolous - is notoriously neglected by festivals and awards. But it's bloody hard to get right.

I wanted to produce Nancy LaMott's albums, so I created my own record company.

The ignorant ever shun and dread the gifted and enlightened.

Poetry is much more important than the truth, and, if you don't believe that, try using the two methods to get laid.

They [Afghans] understand the difficult truth that their best hope of freedom lies in a temporary experience of imperial rule.

I have never been part of a scene. I've always been a bit of an island really, but I am fine with that.