Marianne Moore

"Invention desecrates as well as glorifies."

"There is no greater reward than that of knowing one has been useful."

"Self-respect is a discipline; a habit of mind that can be developed."

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation."

"One does not have to come down on the side of fire or water."

"A little simplification would be the first step toward civilization."

"I would rather be a single sycamore among the willow trees."

"We are not made happy by possessions but by purpose."

"Fear is the parent of cruelty."

"Truthfulness is the foundation of all that is good."

"To see the world as it is requires removing rose-colored lenses."

"There is another loneliness that comes from being understood too well."

"Precision is the essence of poetic expression."

"One can live with uncertainty better than with false certainty."

"The greatest thing is to have clarity about one's own limitations."

"A determined spirit can weather any storm."

"Imagination is more powerful than knowledge, but it must be disciplined."

"History judges us not by our intentions but by our actions."

"Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice."

"To create is to participate in the ongoing work of the universe."

"Affectation and simplicity cannot coexist in the same soul."

"The real is only that which cannot be otherwise."

"Beauty without purpose is decoration; beauty with purpose is art."

"One need not understand things in order to appreciate them."

"The strongest argument for freedom is the inability to silence truth."

"Kindness is an act of power, not weakness."

"No growth occurs in the comfort zone."

"Death has a way of clarifying what matters."

"The unexamined life is not worth living, but the over-examined life is exhausting."

"Success without humility becomes arrogance."