"Everything is discursive opinion instead of direct experience." ― A. R. Ammons Topic(s): Experience More From A. R. Ammons "Probably all the attention to poetry results in some value, though the attention is more often directed to lesser than to greater values." "I am grateful for – though I can’t keep up with – the flood of articles, theses, and textbooks that mean to share insight concerning the nature of poetry." "Even if you walk exactly the same route each time – as with a sonnet – the events along the route cannot be imagined to be the same from day to day, as the poet’s health, sight, his anticipations, moods, fears, thoughts cannot be the same." More In Experience "Women always excel men in that sort of wisdom which comes from experience. To be a woman is in itself a terrible experience."― H. L. Mencken "About astrology and palmistry: they are good because they make people vivid and full of possibilities. They are communism at its best. Everybody has a birthday and almost everybody has a palm."― Kurt Vonnegut "Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to."― Greg Anderson