WIST Quotations

Adams, John -- Letter (1825-01-23) to Thomas Jefferson

Dave — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:23:27 +0000

The substance and essence of Christianity as I understand it is eternal and unchangeable and will bear examination forever but it has been mixed with extraneous ingredients which I think will not bear examination and they ought to be separated

John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797–1801)
Letter (1825-01-23) to Thomas Jefferson
(Source)

MacLeish, Archibald -- Poems, “Author’s Note” (1938)

Dave — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 19:27:51 +0000

The one man who should never attempt an explanation of a poem is its author. If the poem can be improved by the author’s explanations it never should have been published, and if the poem cannot be improved by its author’s explanations the explanations are scarcely worth reading.

Archibald MacLeish (1892–1982) American poet, writer, statesman
Poems, “Author’s Note” (1938)
(Source)