Quotes by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

[in the true mad north] of introspection,where falcons of the inner eyedive and die, glimpsing in their dying fall, all lifes memory of existence.

I didn’t know that painters and writers retired. They’re like soldiers – they just fade away.

Decide if a poem is a question or a declaration, a meditation or an outcry.

Almost every truly creative being alienated & expatriated in his own country

Pity the nation whose people are sheep,and whose shepherds mislead them.Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced,and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.Pity the nation that raises not its voice,except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as heroand aims to rule the world with force and by torture.Pity the nation that knows no other language but its ownand no other culture but its own.Pity the nation whose breath is moneyand sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.Pity the nation — oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erodeand their freedoms to be washed away.My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty.

Dont bow down to critics who have not themselves written great masterpieces.

I once started outto walk around the worldbut ended up in Brooklyn,that Bridge was too much for me.

I think if theres a great depression there might be some hope.

Freedom of speech is always under attack by Fascist mentality, which exists in all parts of the world, unfortunately.

“We have seen the best minds of our generation destroyed by boredom at poetry readings.”

“Poetry is the shadow cast by our streetlight imaginations.”

“Dont patronize the chain bookstores. Every time I see some author scheduled to read and sign his books at a chain bookstore, I feel like telling him hes stabbing the independent bookstores in the back.”

“Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone.”

“Poetry is a naked woman, a naked man, and the distance between them.”

“Decide if a poem is a question or a declaration, a meditation or an outcry.”

“Think long thoughts in short sentences.”