I loved to read, but I always thought that the dream was too far away. The person who had written the book was a god, it wasn't a person. Rita Dove bookdreamgod Change image and share on social
Being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human spirit. Rita Dove complexityhumanmean Change image and share on social
The American Dream is a phrase we'll have to wrestle with all of our lives. It means a lot of things to different people. I think we're redefining it now. Rita Dove americandreamlive Change image and share on social
I grew up in Ohio, where civil-rights accomplishments had already begun to accelerate before Martin Luther King appeared. In hindsight, we know that many people, black and white, were instrumental in changing the Jim Crow status quo on all levels. Rita Dove accelerateaccomplishmentappear share on social
Under adversity, under oppression, the words begin to fail, the easy words begin to fail. In order to convey things accurately, the human being is almost forced to find the most precise words possible, which is a precondition for literature. Rita Dove accuratelyadversitybegin share on social
For years, I had heard about the lack of interest in literature in the U.S. and I had complained about it. I failed to understand how people could fail to be moved by art. Rita Dove artcomplainfail Change image and share on social
I try to show what it is about language and music that enthralls, because I think those are the two elements of poetry. Rita Dove elemententhralllanguage Change image and share on social
I loved to write when I was a child. I wrote, but I always thought it was something that you did as a child, then you put away childish things. Rita Dove childchildishlove Change image and share on social
The joy of working at something to find out what it means to me is what I grew up with. Rita Dove findgrowjoy Change image and share on social
I've always been intrigued by the way history works, the way we decide what is mentioned. Rita Dove decidehavehistory Change image and share on social
