The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.
Muriel RukeyserRead
In our period, they say there is free speech. They say there is no penalty for poets, There is no penalty for writing poems. They say this. This is the penalty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the paradox of free speech in society, particularly for poets and writers who often face societal repercussions despite the assertion of freedom.
Muriel Rukeyser's quote addresses the concept of free speech in an ironic manner, suggesting that while society professes to uphold the freedom for poets and writers to express themselves without fear of punishment, the reality is that expressing certain truths or emotions can lead to significant consequences. The statement serves as a somber reminder that the freedom to create art and poetry often comes with inherent risks, reflecting the tensions between creative expression and societal norms.
Themes
Free SpeechPoetryExpressionSocietyConsequences
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a speech about the importance of artistic expression in a democratic society.
More from Muriel Rukeyser
All quotes →A work of art is one through which the consciousness of the artist is able to give its emotions to anyone who is prepared to receive them.
Muriel RukeyserRead
Nourish beginnings, let us nourish beginnings. Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest. The blessing is in the seed.
Muriel RukeyserRead
The town of Gauley Bridge stands as a pattern for all those places where people are linked even in the middle of their suffering, where people fight against an evil condition so that other people need not go through the same fight.
Muriel RukeyserRead
Always our wars have been our confessions of weakness
Muriel RukeyserRead
A work of art is one through which the consciousness of the artist is able to give its emotions to anyone who is prepared to receive them. There is no such thing as bad art.
Muriel RukeyserRead
Similar quotes
I will tell you something about stories . . . They aren't just entertainment. Don't be fooled. They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death.
Leslie Marmon SilkoRead
Life, after all, was a secret with the self. The more one gave out, the less there remained for the center--that center which she coveted for herself and recognized instantly in others. Fruits had it, the very heart of, say, a cherry, where the true worth and flavor lay. Some of course were flawed or hollow in there. Many, in fact.
Edna O'BrienRead
We say that Christ so died that He infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number, who through Christ's death not only may be saved, but are saved, must be saved, and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved.
Charles SpurgeonRead
Absolute truth is not dependent upon public opinion or popularity. Now what is this truth? It is His gospel. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Dieter F. UchtdorfRead
Dear young people, always be missionaries of the Gospel, every day and in every place.
Pope FrancisRead
The visionary is the only realist.
Federico FelliniRead