David Lehman Quotes

A collection of quotes by David Lehman.

David Lehman is an American poet, editor, and literary critic. He was born on June 11, 1948, in New York City. Lehman has authored numerous poetry collections, including "The Daily Mirror" and "When a Woman Loves a Man." He is known for his ability to blend humor and emotion in his work. Lehman has also edited several influential anthologies, such as "The Best American Poetry" series. He has received several awards for his contributions to literature and continues to be an influential figure in the contemporary poetry scene.

Words can have no single fixed meaning. Like wayward electro

Words can have no single fixed meaning. Like wayward electrons, they can spin away from their initial orbit and enter a wider magnetic field. No one owns them or has a proprietary right to dictate how they will be used.

Obscurantism is the academic theorist's revenge on society f

Obscurantism is the academic theorist's revenge on society for having consigned him or her to relative obscurity -- a way of proclaiming one's superiority in the face of one's diminished influence.

Jargon is the verbal sleight of hand that makes the old hat

Jargon is the verbal sleight of hand that makes the old hat seem newly fashionable; it gives an air of novelty and specious profundity to ideas that, if stated directly, would seem superficial, stale, frivolous, or false. The line between serious and spurious scholarship is an easy one to blur, with jargon on your side.

There is an air of last things, a brooding sense of impendin

There is an air of last things, a brooding sense of impending annihilation, about so much deconstructive activity, in so many of its guises; it is not merely postmodernist but preapocalyptic.

Poetry criticism at its worst today is mean in spirit and sp

Poetry criticism at its worst today is mean in spirit and spiteful in intent, as if determined to inflict the wound that will spur the artist to new heights if it does not cripple him or her.