"Pain is filtered in a poem so that it becomes finally, in the end, pleasure." ― Mark Strand Topic(s): Success More From Mark Strand "It’s very hard to write humor." "I would say that American poetry has always been a poetry of personal testimony." "I certainly can’t speak for all cultures or all societies, but it’s clear that in America, poetry serves a very marginal purpose. It’s not part of the cultural mainstream." More In Success "The only thing I can say about having this type of success is that you can get yourself in trouble because basically the world is set open for you. People will say yes to anything you ask, so it’s basically down to you and what you want or need."― Bruce Springsteen "My first attempt at a kiss was in fifth grade, but it didn’t go so well. Later, I used Boyz II Men and Jodeci songs to come on to girls. I had more success."― John Legend "The Clean Michigan Initiative has been and continues to be a success."― John Engler