Top Lucille Clifton Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Lucille Clifton Biography

Lucille Clifton

Lucille Clifton (June 27, 1936 in Depew, New York – February 13, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland) was an American poet, writer, and educator from Buffalo, New York. From 1979 to 1985 she was Poet Laureate of Maryland. Clifton was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

Read about Lucille Clifton in Wikipedia

Random Authors

Lucille Clifton Quotes

I write from my knowledge not my lack, from my strength not my weakness. I am not interested if anyone knows whether or not I am familiar with big words, I am interested in trying to render big ideas in a simple way. I am interested in being understood not admired.

Ideas, Lack, Simple, Way, Writing

You cannot play for safety and make art.

Art, Make, Play, Safety

Come celebrate with me that every day something has tried to kill me and has failed.

Celebrate, Day, Failed, Kill Me, Tried

I am a black woman poet and I sound like one.

Black, Black Women, Like, Sound, Woman

Tell the truth. . . maybe just to see clearly, as clearly as possible.

Healing, Maybe, Possible, Tell, Telling The Truth, Truth

My Mama Moved Among the Days My Mama moved among the days like a dreamwalker in a field; seemed like what she touched was here seemed like what touched her couldn't hold, she got us almost through the high grass then seemed like she turned around and ran right back in right back on in

Days, Dream, Fields, Mama, Ran, Turned

the lesson of the falling leaves the leaves believe such letting go is love such love is faith such faith is grace such grace is god i agree with the leaves

Agree, Believe, Fall, God, Leaves, Letting Go

wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no 7-11. i wish them one week early and wearing a white skirt. i wish them one week late. later i wish them hot flashes and clots like you wouldn't believe. let the flashes come when they meet someone special. let the clots come when they want to. let them think they have accepted arrogance in the universe, then bring them to gynecologists not unlike themselves.

Accepted, Arrogance, Believe, Son, Thinking, Week

I keep hearing tree talk water words and i keep knowing what they mean.

Hearing, Knowing, Mean, Talk, Water, Words

they ask me to remember but they want me to remember their memories and I keep on remembering mine

Ask, Memories, Remember, Remembering, Want

People wish to be poets more than they wish to write poetry, and that's a mistake. One should wish to celebrate more than one wishes to be celebrated.

Celebrated, Hymns, Mistake, Poetry, Poets, Writing

Things don't fall apart. Things hold. Lines connect in thin ways that last and last and lives become generations made out of pictures and words just kept.

Fall, Generations, Inspirational, Life, Ways

Poetry is a matter of life, not just a matter of language.

Language, Life, Matter, Poetry Is

The end of a thing, is never the end, something is always being born like a year of a baby.

Baby, Ends, Thing, Year, Years

I am running into a new year and the old years blow back like a wind that I catch in my hair like strong fingers like all my old promises and it will be hard to let go of what I said to myself about myself when I was sixteen and twenty-six and thirty-six but I am running into a new year and I beg what i love and I leave to forgive me.

Letting Go, New Year, Promises, Running, Strong

Say it clear, and it will be beautiful.

Beautiful, Clear, Say

telling the truth about children's lives is radical.

Children, Life Is, Lives, Telling, Telling The Truth, Truth

blessing the boats (at saint mary’s) may the tide that is entering even now the lip of our understanding carry you out beyond the face of fear may you kiss the wind then turn from it certain that it will love your back may you open your eyes to water water waving forever and may you in your innocence sail through this to that

Blessing, Entering, Eye, Fear, Kissing, Wind

these hips have never been enslaved, they go where they want to go they do what they want to do. these hips are mighty hips. these hips are magic hips

Black, Enslaved, Magic, Mighty, Want

Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.

Endure, Eye, Eyes, Facing, Pairs

1