27 Quotes by Richard Hugo

Don’t write love poems when you’re in love. Write them when you’re not in love.

A creative writing class may be one of the last places you can go where your life still matters.

If you want to communicate, use the telephone.

There are those usual people who try desperately to appear unusual and there are unusual people who try to appear usual.

An act of imagination is an act of self-acceptance.

To write a poem you must have a streak of arrogance – not in real life I hope. In real life try to be nice. It will save you a hell of a lot of trouble and give you more time to write.

Don’t start arguments. They are futile and take us away from our purpose. As Yeats noted, your important arguments are with yourself. If you don’t agree with me, don’t listen. Think about something else.

Never want to say anything so strongly that you give up the option of finding something better. If you have to say it, you will.

I think it’s better if you write poems that look like you.