Robert Graves Quotes about Writing

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There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.

There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.

Robert Graves

Writing, Rewriting, Good Writing

There's no money in poetry, but then there's no poetry in money, either.

Robert Graves

Money, Writing, Poetry

Robert Graves, Frank L. Kersnowski (1989). “Conversations with Robert Graves”, p.71, Univ. Press of Mississippi

There should be two main objectives in ordinary prose writing: to convey a message and to include in it nothing that will distract the reader's attention or check his habitual pace of reading - he should feel that he is seated at ease in a taxi, not riding a temperamental horse through traffic.

Robert Graves

Horse, Reading, Writing

Robert Graves (2006). “The Long Weekend : a Social History of Great Britain 1918-1939: And, The Reader Over Your Shoulder : a Handbook for Writers of English Prose”, Carcanet Press

Never use the word 'audience.' The very idea of a public, unless the poet is writing for money, seems wrong to me. Poets don't have an 'audience'. They're talking to a single person all the time.

Robert Graves

Writing, Ideas, Talking

The poet's first rule must be never to bore his readers; and his best way of keeping this rule is never to bore himself-which, of course, means to write only when he has something urgent to say.

Robert Graves

Writing, Mean, Way

Robert Graves, Paul O'Prey (1995). “Collected writings on poetry”, Carcanet Pr

A banker warned the British poet Robert Graves that one could not grow rich writing poetry. He replied that if there was no money in poetry, there was certainly no poetry in money, and so it was all even.

Robert Graves

Writing, Bankers, Rich