Charles Olson famous quotes

of rhythm is image / of image is knowing / of knowing there is / a construct
-- Charles Olson

#Knowing #Rhythm #Constructs

I have had to learn the simplest things last. Which made for difficulties.
-- Charles Olson

#Lasts #Made #Difficulty

one loves only form, and form only comes into existence when the thing is born.
-- Charles Olson

#One Love #Form #Born

O.K. I'm running out of appetite. Let this swirl- a bit like Crab Nebula- do for now.
-- Charles Olson

#Running #Nebula #Swirls

An American is a complex of occasions, themselves a geometry of spatial nature.
-- Charles Olson

#Spatial #Geometry #Occasions

There are no hierarchies, no infinite, no such many as mass, there are only/ eyes in all heads,/ to be looked out of.
-- Charles Olson

#Eye #Hierarchy #Infinite

ONE PERCEPTION MUST IMMEDIATELY AND DIRECTLY LEAD TO A FURTHER PERCEPTION
-- Charles Olson

#Perception

You don't help people in your poems. I've been trying to help people all my life - that's my trouble
-- Charles Olson

#People #Trying #Helping

The poem, for me, is simply the first sound realized in the modality of being.
-- Charles Olson

#Poetry #Sound #Firsts

Atlantis will rise again.
-- Charles Olson

#Future #Atlantis

Fact is based upon vulgar matter.
-- Charles Olson

#Matter #Facts #Vulgar

I sound like Homer. I mean Winslow Homer.
-- Charles Olson

#Mean #Sound #Imitation

The heroes of the present will retreat to the imitation they are anyhow.
-- Charles Olson

#Hero #Retreat #Imitation

Is it not the play of the mind we are after? Is it not that that shows a mind is there at all?
-- Charles Olson

#Play #Mind #Shows

The Canadian voice is still too rustic.
-- Charles Olson

#Voice #Rustic #Critics

When will government cease being a nuisance to everybody?
-- Charles Olson

#Government #Nuisance #Politics

You can read everybody. It's not even interesting to tell the truth because to some extent it's false.
-- Charles Olson

#Interesting #Telling The Truth #Truth Is

We all want what's been suddenly disallowed.
-- Charles Olson

#Desire #Want

There is a grace of life which is still yours, my dear Europe.
-- Charles Olson

#Europe #Grace #Dear

I take space to be the central fact to man born in America. I spell it large because it comes large here. Large and without mercy.
-- Charles Olson

#Men #America #Space

All that matters is that the thing be the thing of the thing.
-- Charles Olson

#Matter

You can do anything, literally, right? That's one of the exciting possibilities of the present.
-- Charles Olson

#Umpires #Possibility #Exciting

Whatever you have to say, leave The roots on, let them Dangle And the dirt Just to make clear Where they come from.
-- Charles Olson

#Roots #Dirt #Clear

A poem is energy transferred from where the poet got it (he will have some several causations), by way of the poem itself to, all the way over to, the reader.
-- Charles Olson

#Energy #Way #Poet

I defer to all these other American poets who, for some reason, I both envy and admire.
-- Charles Olson

#Envy #Poet #Reason

I don't live for poetry. I live far more than anybody else does.
-- Charles Olson

#Doe

I'm one of the cliches that has grown up.
-- Charles Olson

#Cliche

I was playing catch with the European audience.
-- Charles Olson

#Audience

I'm sorry, but I was born with a towel on my head.
-- Charles Olson

#Sorry #Towels #Born

Were all moving, moving, moving. Isnt it nice?
-- Charles Olson

#Nice #Moving

I hope you're representing the devil's advocate.
-- Charles Olson

#Devil

This morning of the small snow I count the blessings, the leak in the faucet which makes of the sink time, the drop of the water on water.
-- Charles Olson

#Morning #Blessing #Snow

Forgive me if I sleep until I wake up.
-- Charles Olson

#Sleep #Forgive Me #Forgiving

I'm trying to climb up both walls at once.
-- Charles Olson

#Wall #Hiking #Trying

Knowledge is the harvest of attention
-- Charles Olson

#Attention #Harvest