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Joseph Brodsky Quotes

American - Poet | May 24, 1940 - January 28, 1996

Because civilizations are finite, in the life of each of them there comes a moment when the center ceases to hold. What keeps them at such times from disintegration is not legions but language.

Life Moment Language Hold Center

I do not believe in political movements. I believe in personal movement, that movement of the soul when a man who looks at himself is so ashamed that he tries to make some sort of change - within himself, not on the outside.

Change Soul Man Believe Political

For a writer only one form of patriotism exists: his attitude toward language.

Communication Attitude Patriotism His

Poetry is rather an approach to things, to life, than it is typographical production.

Life Poetry Production Things Rather

Who included me among the ranks of the human race?

Funny Me Race Human Human Race Who

This is the generation whose first cry of life was the Hungarian uprising.

Life Generation Cry First Whose

A language is a more ancient and inevitable thing than any state.

Language Inevitable More Ancient Any

Bad literature is a form of treason.

Literature Bad Treason Form

It would be enough for me to have the system of a jury of twelve versus the system of one judge as a basis for preferring the U.S. to the Soviet Union. I would prefer the country you can leave to the country you cannot.

Me Judge Enough You Country Jury

The poetic notion of infinity is far greater than that which is sponsored by any creed.

Greater Infinity Far Than Notion

After all, it is hard to master both life and work equally well. So if you are bound to fake one of them, it had better be life.

Life Work Fake Better You Hard

Every individual ought to know at least one poet from cover to cover: if not as a guide through the world, then as a yardstick for the language.

World Language Know Individual Poet

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