Carl Sandburg Quotes


The past is a bucket of ashes, so live not in your yesterdays, nor just for tomorrow, but in the here and now. Keep moving and forget the post-mortems. And remember, no one can get the jump on the future. Carl Sandburg Past 377
Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the sky. Carl Sandburg Poetry 213
Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away. Carl Sandburg Poetry 130
To be a good loser is to learn how to win. Carl Sandburg Motivation 128
A baby is God's opinion that life should go on. Carl Sandburg Life 111
Not often in the story of mankind does a man arrive on earth who is both steel and velvet, who is as hard as rock and soft as drifting fog, who holds in his heart and mind the paradox of terrible storm and peace unspeakable and perfect. Carl Sandburg America 108
Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep. Carl Sandburg Time 108
Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me. Carl Sandburg Life 102
When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along. Carl Sandburg Society 94
To work hard, to live hard, to die hard, and then go to hell after all would be too damn hard. Carl Sandburg Work 92
Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you. Carl Sandburg Time 88
We read Robert Browning's poetry. Here we needed no guidance from the professor: the poems themselves were enough. Carl Sandburg Poetry 87
A politician should have three hats. One for throwing into the ring, one for talking through, and one for pulling rabbits out of if elected. Carl Sandburg Elected 85
Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance. Carl Sandburg Poetry 85
Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. Carl Sandburg Time 81
I have become infected, now that I see how beautifully a book is coming out of all this. Carl Sandburg Beautifully 80
I can remember only a few of the strange and curious words now dead but living and spoken by the English people a thousand years ago. Carl Sandburg Curious 79
When I was writing pretty poor poetry, this girl with midnight black hair told me to go on. Carl Sandburg Poetry 79
I've written some poetry I don't understand myself. Carl Sandburg Poetry 78
I have often wondered what it is an old building can do to you when you happen to know a little about things that went on long ago in that building. Carl Sandburg Building 77
Poetry is the achievement of the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits. Carl Sandburg Poetry 76
I had been keeping an off eye on the advertising field, thinking I might become an idea man and a copywriter. Carl Sandburg Advertising 76
I took to wearing a black tie known as the Ascot, with long drooping ends. I had seen pictures of painters, sculptors, poets, wearing this style of tie. Carl Sandburg Black 75
I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it. Carl Sandburg Grammar 71
I stayed away from mathematics not so much because I knew it would be hard work as because of the amount of time I knew it would take, hours spent in a field where I was not a natural. Carl Sandburg Amount 71
Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment. Carl Sandburg Poetry 70
Anger is the most impotent of passions. It effects nothing it goes about, and hurts the one who is possessed by it more than the one against whom it is directed. Carl Sandburg Anger 69
One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude. Carl Sandburg Creativity 69
Not often in the story of mankind does a man arrive on earth who is both steel and velvet, who is as hard as rock and soft as drifting fog, who holds in his heart and mind the paradox of terrible storm and peace unspeakable and perfect. Carl Sandburg 67
Always the path of American destiny has been into the unknown. Always there arose enough reserves of strength, balances of sanity, portions of wisdom to carry the nation through to a fresh start with ever-renewing vitality. Carl Sandburg America 67
I make it clear why I write as I do and why other poets write as they do. After hundreds of experiments I decided to go my own way in style and see what would happen. Carl Sandburg Clear 67
The scholars and poets of an earlier time can be read only with a dictionary to help. Carl Sandburg Dictionary 66
Often I look back and see that I had been many kinds of a fool-and that I had been happy in being this or that kind of fool. Carl Sandburg Being 65
Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it runs by. Carl Sandburg Joy 64
Sometime theyll give a war and nobody will come. Carl Sandburg 64
I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way. Carl Sandburg Funny 63
Let the gentle bush dig its root deep and spread upward to split the boulder. Carl Sandburg Nature 62
Arithmetic is where the answer is right and everything is nice and you can look out of the window and see the blue sky -- or the answer is wrong and you have to start over and try again and see how it comes out this time. Carl Sandburg Mathematics 61
The sea speaks a language polite people never repeat. It is a colossal scavenger slang and has no respect. Carl Sandburg Oceans 61
I knew I would read all kinds of books and try to get at what it is that makes good writers good. But I made no promises that I would write books a lot of people would like to read. Carl Sandburg Books 61
Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air. Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable. Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away. Carl Sandburg Uncategorized 60
Back of every mistaken venture and defeat is the laughter of wisdom, if you listen. Carl Sandburg Wisdom 60
By night the skyscraper looms in the smoke and the stars and has a soul. Carl Sandburg Night 60
I doubt if you can have a truly wild party without liquor. Carl Sandburg Years 59
Revolt and terror pay a price. Order and law have a cost. Carl Sandburg Laws 57
There have been as many varieties of socialists as there are wild birds that fly in the woods and sometimes go up and on through the clouds. Carl Sandburg Birds 56
Im either going to be a writer or a bum. Carl Sandburg Ambition 54
Look out how you use proud words; when you let proud words go, it is not easy to call them back. Carl Sandburg Pride 53
I learned you can't trust the judgment of good friends. Carl Sandburg Trust 53
Where was I going? I puzzled and wondered about it til I actually enjoyed the puzzlement and wondering. Carl Sandburg Enjoyed 51

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Carl Sandburg Quotes

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