All imperfection is easier to tolerate if served up in small doses.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
I'm fighting against the bad poet who is prone to using too many words.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote criticizes writers who overcomplicate their poetry by using excessive language.
Wislawa Szymborska highlights the importance of clarity and precision in poetry, suggesting that good poetry should communicate its message effectively without unnecessary verbosity. By criticizing the 'bad poet,' she underscores the value of simplicity and the art of using just the right number of words to evoke emotion and meaning.
Themes
PoetrySimplicityClarityLanguageCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a writing workshop to encourage participants to focus on clarity in their poetry.
More from Wislawa Szymborska
All quotes βI started earning a living as a poet rather early on.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
But they know about us, they know, the four corners, and the chairs nearby us. Discerning shadows also know, and even the table keeps quiet.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
I've reached the age of self-knowledge, so I don't know anything. People who claim that they know something are responsible for most of the fuss in the world.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
Every beginning is only a sequel, after all, and the book of events is always open halfway through.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
Similar quotes
Poe was the first writer to write about main characters who were bad guys or who were mad guys, and those are some of my favorite stories.
Stephen KingRead
We were trained as writers with the idea that literature is something that can change reality, that it's not just a very sophisticated entertainment but a way to act.
Mario Vargas LlosaRead
As Faulkner says, all of us have the capacity in us for great good and for great evil, for love but also for hate. I wanted to write those kinds of complex character in a fantasy, and not just have all the good people get together to fight the bad guy.
George R. R. MartinRead
Literature takes a habit of mind that has disappeared. It requires silence, some form of isolation, and sustained concentration in the presence of an enigmatic thing.
Philip RothRead
The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book.
Mickey SpillaneRead
It was a joy! Words weren't dull, words were things that could make your mind hum. If you read them and let yourself feel the magic, you could live without pain, with hope, no matter what happened to you.
Charles BukowskiRead