William Stafford
William Stafford
Prolific American poet and 1970 U.S. Poet Laureate who won the National Book Award for Traveling Through the Dark. His numerous other works include In the Clock of Reason, Brother Wind, Passwords, and Wyoming Circuit.
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth17 January 1914
CountryUnited States of America
rain home winning
One way to find your place is like the rain, a million requests for lodging, one that wins, finds your cheek: you find your home.
writing mind pieces
A student comes to me with a piece of writing, holds it out, says, 'Is this good?' A whole sequence of emergencies goes off in my mind. That's not a question to ask anyone but yourself.
journey snakes decided
When the snake decided to go straight, he didn't get anywhere.
world purpose birth
You were aimed from birth: you will never be alone... The whole wide world pours down.
writing assessment differences
You shouldn't have standards that inhibit you from writing It really doesn't make any difference if you are good or bad today. The assessment of the product is something that happens after you've done it.
bird earth sound
The earth says have a place, be what that place requires; hear the sound the birds imply and see as deep as ridges go behind each other.
stars home missing
If you don't know the kind of person I am and I don't know the kind of person you are a pattern that others made may prevail in the world and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
beach ocean believe
Even the upper end of the river believes in the ocean.
serious crafts jokes
A poem is a serious joke, a truth that has learned jujitsu.
ownership glances
The greatest ownership of all is to glance around and understand.
letting-go hurt people
The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding. You don’t ever let go of the thread. ~ William Stafford ~
process found new-things
A writer is not so much someone who has something to say as he is someone who has found a process that will bring about new things he would not have thought of if he had not started to say them.