Joseph Brodsky quotes - page 2

The formula for prison is a lack of space counterbalanced by a surplus of time. (Joseph Brodsky)
It would be enough for me to have the system of a jury of twelve versus the system of one judge as a basis for preferring the U.S. to the Soviet Union. I would prefer the country you can leave to the country you cannot. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
Every individual ought to know at least one poet from cover to cover: if not as a guide through the world, then as a yardstick for the language. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
I belong to the Russian language. As to the state, from my point of view, the measure of a writer's patriotism is not oaths from a high platform, but how he writes in the language of the people among whom he lives. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
This is the generation whose first cry of life was the Hungarian uprising. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
The poetic notion of infinity is far greater than that which is sponsored by any creed. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
For the poet the credo or doctrine is not the point of arrival but is, on the contrary, the point of departure for the metaphysical journey. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
Who included me among the ranks of the human race? View quote
Joseph Brodsky
Bad literature is a form of treason. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
For boredom speaks the language of time, and it is to teach you the most valuable lesson of your life - the lesson of your utter insignificance. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
I always adhered to the idea that God is time, or at least that His spirit is. (Joseph Brodsky)
A language is a more ancient and inevitable thing than any state. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
The formula for prison is a lack of space counterbalanced by a surplus of time. This is what really bothers you, that you can't win. Prison is lack of alternatives, and the telescopic predictability of the future is what drives you crazy. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
My poems getting published in Russia doesn't make me feel in any fashion, to tell you the truth. I'm not trying to be coy, but it doesn't tickle my ego. View quote
Joseph Brodsky
As failures go, attempting to recall the past is like trying to grasp the meaning of existence. Both make one feel like a baby clutching at a basketball: one's palms keep sliding off. View quote
Joseph Brodsky