Quotes by Joseph Brodsky

About Joseph Brodsky:

Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky was a Russian poet and essayist.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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.

Joseph Brodsky

The poetic notion of infinity is far greater than that which is sponsored by any creed.

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.

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.

Joseph Brodsky

Snobbery? But it's only a form of despair.

Joseph Brodsky

When hit by boredom, let yourself be crushed by it; submerge, hit bottom. In general, with things unpleasant, the rule is: The sooner you hit bottom, the faster you surface. The idea here is to exact a full look at the worst. The reason boredom deser...

Joseph Brodsky

Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse

Joseph Brodsky

[T]he longer you stay skeptical, doubtful, intellectually uncomfortable, the better it is for you.

Joseph Brodsky

Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those--in the official capacity as well as the self-appointed. Suffer them if you can’t escape them, but once you have steered clear of them, give...

Joseph Brodsky

Of all the parts of your body, be most vigilant over your index finger, for it is blame-thirsty. A pointed finger is a victim’s logo.

Joseph Brodsky

[T]he accumulation of things not spelled out, not properly articulated, may result in neurosis.

Joseph Brodsky

The Last Judgement is the Last Judgement, but a human being who spent his life in Russia, has to be, without any hesitation, placed into Paradise.

Joseph Brodsky

For darkness restores what light cannot repair.

Joseph Brodsky

Author Bio

  • NameJoseph Brodsky
  • DescriptionRussian and American poet and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate
  • BornMay 24, 1940
  • DiedJanuary 28, 1996
  • CountryRussia; United States Of America
  • ProfessionPoet; Translator; Essayist; Writer
  • AwardsNobel Prize In Literature; Guggenheim Fellowship; MacArthur Fellows Program; Rome Prize