When times are tough constant conflict may be good politics but in the real world cooperation works better. After all nobody's right all the time and a broken clock is right twice a day.

The 'democracy gap' in our politics and elections spells a deep sense of powerlessness by people who drop out do not vote or listlessly vote for the 'least worst' every four years and then wonder why after every cycle the 'least worst' gets worse.

Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow next week next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.

After much prayerful consideration I feel that I must say I have climbed my last political mountain.

And after I make a lot of money I'll be able to afford running for office.

A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead.

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

I didn't want to deal in poetry. I got rid of that after a few months.

You don't go after poetry you take what comes. Maybe the gods do it through me but I certainly do a hell of a lot of the work.

Literature is a state of culture poetry is a state of grace before and after culture.