Under adversity, under oppression, the words begin to fail, the easy words begin to fail. In order to convey things accurately, the human being is almost forced to find the most precise words possible, which is a precondition for literature.
Tags: things, literature, words, adversity

Other Quotes by "Rita Dove"

I write short stories, and I wrote a play.
Tags: i-write, write, short, play
It really wasn't until I was in college when I began to write more and more, and I realized I was scheduling my entire life around my writing.
Tags: writing, college, more, life
To practice your scales, so to speak, in order play the symphony, is what you have to do as a young poet.
Tags: your, speak, practice, you
In working on a poem, I love to revise. Lots of younger poets don't enjoy this, but in the process of revision I discover things.
Tags: things, process, enjoy, love
Without imagination we can go nowhere. And imagination is not restricted to the arts. Every scientist I have met who has been a success has had to imagine.
Tags: who, go, imagination, success
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