Florence Earle Coates

“ Poetry belongs to the real things—to the realm of the ideal which is "the only real."
In education poetry is invaluable; the study of it cultivates the memory, the imagination, and the heart. To the old—even more than to the young—poetry is a source of perpetual interest, solace, refreshment and delight. I know a man eighty years of age who is never lonely, or dull, or depressed, because in his cultivated mind there is stored much of the great poetry of the world. ”

“ The poet creates by the pure effort of his imagination, having no material to work with, such as paint, clay or marble: having no instructor, and in the present day no school. In his case it is peculiarly true that "the artist is conditioned on the man; that the source of the limitations of a man's art will be found, as a rule, in his character and life."
Despite the many different views as to what constitutes poetry, it is still true that poetry in some form is necessary to all—save, perhaps, to those who are content to live upon bread alone. ”