black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

If a nation’s literature declines, the nation atrophies and decays.

Ezra Pound

Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear.
EZRA POUND

Accurate Clear Goodness Language Writing
A little light, like a rushlight to lead back to splendour.
EZRA POUND

Glamour Leadership Light
The modern artist must live by craft and violence. His gods are violent gods. Those artists, so called, whose work does not show this strife, are uninteresting.
EZRA POUND

Artist Craft Interest Live Modern Violence
Either move or be moved.
EZRA POUND

Choice Deep Move One Liner
A slave is one who waits for someone to come and free him.
EZRA POUND

Freedom Himself Slave
Genius is the capacity to see ten things where the ordinary man sees one, and the man of talent sees two or three, plus the ability to register that multiple perception in the material of his art.
EZRA POUND

Ability Art Genius Himself Man Material Ordinary Perception Talent
The real trouble with war (modern war) is that it gives no one a chance to kill the right people.
EZRA POUND

Chance Kill Oneself People Problem Reality Right War
A real building is one on which the eye can light and stay lit.
EZRA POUND

Build Eyes Light Reality Stay
The serious artist must be as open as nature. Nature does not give all of herself in a paragraph. She is rugged and not set apart into discreet categories.
EZRA POUND

Artist Category Herself Nature Paragraph Serious
Speak against unconscious oppression, Speak against the tyranny of the unimaginative, Speak against bonds.
EZRA POUND

Bond Imagination Oppression Talk
Poetry is a language pared down to its essentials.
EZRA POUND

Essential Language Poetry
To say that a state cannot pursue its aims because there is no money, is like saying that an engineer cannot build roads, because there are no kilometers.
EZRA POUND

Build Money Pursue State
When words cease to cling close to things, kingdoms fall, empires wane and diminish.
EZRA POUND

Close Diminish Empire Word
Religion I have defined as “Another of those numerous failures resulting from an attempt to popularize art”.
EZRA POUND

Art Definition Failure Myself Popular Religion
The technique of infamy is to start two lies at once and get people arguing heatedly over which is the truth.
EZRA POUND

Argument Oneself People Start Technique Truth
The sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language.
EZRA POUND

Human Language Sum Wisdom

If a nation’s literature declines, the nation atrophies and decays.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

If a nation’s literature declines, the nation atrophies and decays.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ezra Pound Quotes