Joseph Brodsky Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old Joseph Brodsky quotes, Joseph Brodsky sayings, and Joseph Brodsky proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.'

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. Joseph Brodsky
No matter under what circumstances you leave it, home does not cease to be home. No matter how you lived there-well or poorly. Joseph Brodsky
The fact that we are living does not mean we are not sick. Joseph Brodsky
Boredom is your window on the properties of time that one tends to ignore to the likely peril of one's mental equilibrium. It is your window on time's infinity. Once this window opens, don't try to shut it; on the contrary, throw it wide open. Joseph Brodsky
What I like about cities is that everything is king size, the beauty and the ugliness. Joseph Brodsky
Prison is essentially a shortage of space made up for by a surplus of time; to an inmate, both are palpable. Joseph Brodsky
The real history of consciousness starts with one's first lie. Joseph Brodsky
Tyranny will make an entire population into readers of poetry. Joseph Brodsky
Geography blended with time equals destiny. Joseph Brodsky
The moment that you place blame somewhere, you undermine your resolve to change anything. Joseph Brodsky
Translation is not original creation - that is what one must remember. In translation, some loss is inevitable. Joseph Brodsky
One always pulls the trigger out of self-interest and quotes history to avoid responsibility or pangs of conscience. Joseph Brodsky
How delightful to find a friend in everyone. Joseph Brodsky
Of all the parts of your body, be most vigilant over your index finger, for it is blame-thirsty. A pointed finger is a victim’s logo. Joseph Brodsky
There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. Joseph Brodsky
Perhaps the best proof of the Almighty's existence is that we never know when we are to die. Joseph Brodsky
Life is a game with many rules but no referee. One learns how to play it more by watching it than by consulting any book, including the holy book. Small wonder, then, that so many play dirty, that so few win, that so many lose. Joseph Brodsky
For darkness restores what light cannot repair. Joseph Brodsky
Every writing career starts as a personal quest for sainthood, for self-betterment. Sooner or later, and as a rule quite soon, a man discovers that his pen accomplishes a lot more than his soul. Joseph Brodsky
By itself reality per se isn't worth a damn. It's perception that promotes reality to meaning. Joseph Brodsky
No matter under what circumstances you leave it, home does not cease to be home. No matter how you lived there—well or poorly. Joseph Brodsky