Stephen Spender

“Great poetry is always written by somebody straining to go beyond what he can do.”
― Stephen Spender

“I'm struggling at the end to get out of the valley of hectoring youth, journalistic middle age, imposture, moneymaking, public relations, bad writing, mental confusion.”
― Stephen Spender

“Although Poets are vain and ambitious, their vanity and ambition are of the purest kind attainable in this world. They are ambitious to be accepted for what they ultimately are as revealed in their poetry.”
― Stephen Spender

“All that you can imagine you already know.”
― Stephen Spender

“When you read and understand a poem, then you master chaos a little.”
― Stephen Spender