Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular. —Aristotle

It is the job of poetry to clean up our word-clogged reality by creating silences around things. —Stephane Mallarme

Poetry can be dangerous, especially beautiful poetry, because it gives the illusion of having had the experience without actually going through it. —Rumi

The only true writing that came through during the war was in poetry. —Ernest Hemingway

The aim of art is almost divine: to bring to life again if it is writing history, to create if it is writing poetry. —Victor Hugo