Poetry lies its way to the truth.
John Ciardi

The day will happen whether or not you get up.
John Ciardi

Love is the word used to label the sexual excitement of the young, the habituation of the middle-aged, and the mutual dependence of the old.
John Ciardi

Intelligence recognizes what has happened. Genius recognizes what will happen.
John Ciardi

You don't have to suffer to be a poet; adolescence is enough suffering for anyone.
John Ciardi

A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in the students.
John Ciardi

Modern art is what happens when painters stop looking at girls and persuade themselves that they have a better idea.
John Ciardi