John Ashbery

The first year was like icing. Then the cake started to show through …

— John Ashbery

Things can harden meaningfully in the moment of indecision

— John Ashbery

There is the view that poetry should improve your life. I think people confuse it with the .

— John Ashbery

It didn’t pay very much, but it enabled me to get other jobs doing art criticism, which I didn’t want to do very much, but as so often when you exhibit reluctance to do something, people think you must be very good at it. If I had set out to be an art critic, I might never have succeeded.

— John Ashbery

When I originally started writing, I expected that probably very few people would read my poetry because in those days people didn’t read poetry much anyway.

— John Ashbery

Well, there are certain stock words that I have found myself using a great deal. When I become aware of them, it is an alarm signal meaning I am falling back on something that has served in the past—it is a sign of not thinking at the present moment, not that there is anything intrinsically bad about certain words or phrases.

— John Ashbery

In the beginning there are those who don't quite fit inCutting the blue cloak of a prince.

— John Ashbery

These two guys in the front yard--Are they here to help?

— John Ashbery

How many people came and stayed a certain time,

— John Ashbery