"There is no scientific discoverer, no poet, no painter, no musician, who will not tell you that he found ready made his discovery or poem or picture - that it came to him from outside, and that he did not consciously create it from within"
- William Kingdon Clifford
About this Quote
This quote by William Kingdon Clifford speaks to the idea that creativity and discovery are not exclusively the item of one's own conscious effort. Rather, these innovative endeavors are often motivated by something outside of ourselves. This could be an individual, a location, an experience, or even a sensation. It is this external influence that helps to shape and form the imaginative work. Clifford is suggesting that the innovative procedure is not a simply internal one, however rather a combination of both internal and external forces. He is stressing the significance of looking beyond ourselves for motivation and assistance in order to produce something really special and meaningful. By acknowledging the role of external impacts in the imaginative process, we can better comprehend and value the work of those who have actually come prior to us.
"With the question of the effect of a poem, the topic of investigation shifts from that of textual autonomy to textual reception - to the issue of what we actually look for or find in reading a poem"
"The heart of the matter seems to me to be the direct interaction between one's making a poem in English and a poem in the language that one understands and values. I don't see how you can do it otherwise"
"A revolutionary poem will not tell you who or when to kill, what and when to burn, or even how to theorize. It reminds you... where and when and how you are living and might live, it is a wick of desire"
