Marianne Moore

"The greatest thing is to move willingly in the direction of beauty."

"Armor makes the man."

"I delight in precision."

"As for knowing myself, I feel I barely know myself."

"The function of precision is to delight us."

"We are not competent to palliate the pain of loss."

"One is not successful by accident."

"I have always felt that something is to be said for the old order."

"Every writer's abiding concern is to portray human nature truthfully."

"Ecstasy affords the occasion."

"The mind creates a special kind of knowing."

"I believe that a person must be capable of change."

"The greatest eloquence is often silence."

"A chasm separates devotion from dogma."

"The art of writing requires patience and perseverance."

"One's art should be an extension of one's life."

"I dream of horses with wings."

"The mind is the master power that molds our lives."

"Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance."

"We are all creatures of convention and habit."

"There is no substitute for the real thing."

"The most difficult thing is to be oneself."

"I would like to be made of iron."

"Aspiration is a virtue that we do not estimate at its value."

"Great effort springs great reward."

"We must have standards, otherwise how do we know what is good?"

"The rat is the concisest animal I know."

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

"To refuse awards is another way of accepting them."

"One must make a choice between being an artist and being moral."