As human beings we’ve certainly suffered the loss of awe, the loss of sacredness, and the loss of the fact that we’re not here— we’re not put on earth— to shape it anyway we want... You want something to happen with poetry, but it doesn’t make anything happen. So then somebody says, “What’s the use of poetry?” Then you say, “Well, what’s the use of a cloud? What’s the use of a river? What’s the use of a tree?” They don’t make anything happen.

About This Quote

About Derek Walcott

Derek Walcott was a 20th-century saint lucian poet and playwright. Sir Derek Alton Walcott OM was a Saint Lucian poet and playwright. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Nature — Appreciation for the natural world and our place within it
  • Poetry — The art of language, rhythm, and emotional expression

More quotes by Derek Walcott

Related Quotes