There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.
Rita DoveRead
By making us stop for a moment, poetry gives us an opportunity to think about ourselves as human beings on this planet and what we mean to each other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poetry encourages self-reflection and connection with others.
In this quote, Rita Dove highlights the reflective nature of poetry, suggesting that it prompts us to take a pause and consider our humanity and the relationships we share with others. It serves as a reminder of our interconnectedness and the importance of understanding our place in the world.
Themes
PoetryHumanityReflectionConnectionSelf-Awareness
In practice
Example use cases
During a spoken word event, this quote can be used to describe the transformative power of poetry.
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
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.
Rita DoveRead
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