76 Quotes by Kenneth Koch

A basso sings, and a soprano answers him.Then there is thunder in a clear blue sky,And, from the earth, a sigh: “This song is finished.

What I want you to do for me is this: I want to understand certain things and tell them to others.To do it, I have to get them right, so they are hard to resist.Stay with me until I can do this.Afterwards, you can go where you want.

AESTHETICS OF INTEGRITYFor every star in the skySomeone is holding his ground.

I thought, 'There are a lot of poets who have the courage to look into the abyss, but there are very few who have the courage to look happiness in the face and write about it,' which is what I wanted to be able to do.

AESTHETICS OF OPERADon’t sing an ariaTo someone who can’tSing one back.

The uniform of the gladdest malt is its sureness.

AESTHETICS OF THE AESTHETICIANWhat is the aestheticianBut a mule hitched to the times?

AESTHETICS OF AVANT-GARDE THEATREMake the stage an actorMake an actor the stage.

AESTHETICS OF COMEDY ASLEEPDon’t wake the clownOr he may knock you down.