Poets are being pursued by the philosophers today, out of the poverty of philosophy. God damn it, you might think a man had no business to be writing, to be a poet unless some philosophic stinker gave him permission.
William Carlos WilliamsRead
It is almost impossible to state what one in fact believes, because it is almost impossible to hold a belief and to define it at the same time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that articulating one's beliefs is challenging because beliefs are often complex and not easily defined.
William Carlos Williams highlights the inherent difficulty in expressing our beliefs accurately. The complexity of personal belief systems makes it nearly impossible to not only hold a belief but to also articulate it with precision and clarity, as beliefs can be subjective and multifaceted, often leading to contradiction when attempting to define them explicitly.
Themes
BeliefPhilosophyDefinitionComplexityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of belief.
More from William Carlos Williams
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It was the love of love, the love of swallows up all else, a grateful love, a love of natural, of people, of animals, a love ingengering gentleness and goodness that moved meand that I saw in you
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O frost bitten blossoms, That are unfolding your wings From out the envious black branches. Bloom quickly and make much of the sunshine. The twigs conspire against you! Hear hem! They hold you from behind.
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No opinion can be trusted; even the facts may be nothing but a printer's error.
William Carlos WilliamsRead
Death will be too late to bring us aid.
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