To write for PC reasons, because you think you ought to be dealing with this subject, is never going to yield anything that is really going to matter to anyone else. It has to matter to you. Rita Dove dealmatterreason Change image and share on social
Being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human spirit. Rita Dove complexityhumanmean Change image and share on social
The American Dream is a phrase we'll have to wrestle with all of our lives. It means a lot of things to different people. I think we're redefining it now. Rita Dove americandreamlive Change image and share on social
Under adversity, under oppression, the words begin to fail, the easy words begin to fail. In order to convey things accurately, the human being is almost forced to find the most precise words possible, which is a precondition for literature. Rita Dove accuratelyadversitybegin share on social
It makes me furious to hear haters of all skin colors - especially Christian, Jewish, and Muslim fundamentalists - deride other people because of their different beliefs and lifestyles. Rita Dove beliefchristiancolor Change image and share on social
I try to show what it is about language and music that enthralls, because I think those are the two elements of poetry. Rita Dove elemententhralllanguage Change image and share on social
I loved to write when I was a child. I wrote, but I always thought it was something that you did as a child, then you put away childish things. Rita Dove childchildishlove Change image and share on social
The joy of working at something to find out what it means to me is what I grew up with. Rita Dove findgrowjoy Change image and share on social
I didn't know writers could be real live people, because I never knew any writers. Rita Dove knowlivepeople Change image and share on social
I loved to read, but I always thought that the dream was too far away. The person who had written the book was a god, it wasn't a person. Rita Dove bookdreamgod Change image and share on social
