Need help with quotes about writers / writing poetry in secret...

[antigone]

I'm looking for a quote that has something to do with writing poetry in secret. A friend of mine / my 'extra parent', writes poetry but never shows it to anyone and he's happy with that. I've got a Moleskine notebook for him for Christmas and am going to stamp something into the cover using metal stamps.... and it would be great to say something about writing, since I thought he could use the notebook for his secret poetry. Any help would be great.

[lovelyxmalia]

Have you tried googling it?  I know there are a lot of good quotes online.  I found my brother some artist ones a few weeks ago and incorporated them in the visual journal I made him.  If not, you could take some actual poem pieces and incorporate those.

[antigone]

I've tried, didn't find anything really good... I'll try to be more specific and search again. Also, I don't really trust quotes I find on "collection" sites, especially when there are blatant errors in spelling etc

[cassette.]

these aren't so much about writing in secret... but I like them enough

"Don't be too harsh to these poems until they're typed. I always think typescript lends some sort of certainty: at least, if the things are bad then, they appear to be bad with conviction."
~Dylan Thomas, letter to Vernon Watkins, March 1938

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you."
~Ray Bradbury

"All my life I've looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time."
~Ernest Hemingway

let me know if that helps!
cassette.

[antigone]

wow, thanks! The second one is good - I'm actually thinking of using a quote from my friend's PhD thesis about reality and literature which didn't quite work - maybe they'll work together. I'll have to think some more.