He who is best prepared can best serve his moment of inspiration.

The wise only possess ideas; the greater part of mankind are possessed by them.

Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests

Poetry: the best words in the best order.

I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry; that is, prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in the best order

If a man could pass through Paradise in a dream, and have a flower presented to him as a pledge that his soul had really been there, and if he found that flower in his hand when he awake - Aye, what then?