"Pound's crazy. All poets are. They have to be. You don't put a poet like Pound in the loony bin"
- Ernest Hemingway
About this Quote
Ernest Hemingway's quote is a commentary on the nature of poets and their innovative process. He suggests that poets, such as Ezra Pound, are "insane" in the sense that they are driven by their imaginative impulses and enthusiasms. Hemingway implies that this "madness" is needed for poets to develop their art, which it needs to not be viewed as a negative characteristic. He goes on to recommend that Pound ought to not be put in a "loony bin" for his innovative eccentricities, as this would be an injustice to his art. Hemingway's quote is a testimony to the power of creativity and the value of enabling poets to express themselves freely. It also acts as a pointer that creativity ought to be commemorated, not condemned.
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