Quotes by : Ben Lerner

Our contempt for any particular poem must be perfect, be total, because only a ruthless reading that....

And when you are foolish enough to identify yourself as a poet, your interlocutors will often ask: A....

I formed several possible stories out of her speech, formed them at once, so it was less like I failed....

Since the world is ending,” Peter quoted from behind us, “why not let the children touch the paintings?....

I believe she imbued my body thus, finding every touch enhanced by ambiguity of intention, as if it too....

I could displace the mystery of my speech onto writing, the latter perhaps recharging the former

Each member of this shadowy network resented the others, who were irritating reminders that nothing was....

I tended to find lines of poetry beautiful only when I encountered them quoted in prose, in the essays....

The fatal problem with poetry: poems.

I had the endless day, months and months of endless days, and yet my return date bounded this sense of....