There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.
Rita DoveRead
Being Poet Laureate made me realize I was capable of a larger voice. There is a more public utterance I can make as a poet.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the expanded potential of a poet's voice when given the title of Poet Laureate.
Rita Dove reflects on her experience as Poet Laureate, expressing how this prestigious role has revealed to her the capability to engage with a broader audience through poetry. It highlights the responsibility and opportunity that comes with such recognition, allowing her to use her art for more impactful and public communication.
Themes
PoetryVoicePublicExpressionCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of art in society, one might refer to Dove's quote to highlight how artists can influence the public discourse.
More from Rita Dove
All quotes →Without imagination we can go nowhere. And imagination is not restricted to the arts. Every scientist I have met who has been a success has had to imagine.
Rita DoveRead
As an African-American, as a woman, I think that I've been sensitized to the way in which history privileges the white male and the way in which certain aspects of history, the things that we are taught in school, the things that are handed down, never, never entered the picture though they might have been very important.
Rita DoveRead
If our children are unable to voice what they mean, no one will know how they feel. If they can’t imagine a different world, they are stumbling through a darkness made all the more sinister by its lack of reference points. For a young person growing up in America’s alienated neighborhoods, there can be no greater empowerment than to dare to speak from the heart — and then to discover that one is not alone in ones feelings.
Rita DoveRead
All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first time. And we go back to those moments and think, This is when I became myself.
Rita DoveRead
Don't be so fast, you're all you've got.
Rita DoveRead
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