John Ashbery Quotes

Living through times of rapid change can be exhilarating, but it also can be very difficult.

You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

Take the time to make some sense for what you wanna say, And cast your words away upon the waves. Sail them home with acquiesce on a ship of hope today, And as they land upon the shore, Tell them not to fear no more. I'm not saying right is wrong, It's up to us to make the best of all the things that come our way. Cos' everything that's been has past, The answers in the looking glass. There's four and twenty million doors On life's endless corridor, So say it loud and sing it proud today.

Progress everywhere today does seem to come so very heavily disguised as Chaos.

There's chaos out there, and chaos means opportunity.

I accepted a change in my life. I didn't choose that change and those are the best changes to make.

Change is always tough. Even for those who see themselves as agents of change, the process of starting a new thing can cause times of disorientation, uncertainty and insecurity.

If my ship sails from sight, it doesn't mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.

The interval between the decay of the old and the formation and establishment of the new constitutes a period of transition which must always necessarily be one of uncertainty, confusion, error, and wild and fierce fanaticism.

I have come to terms with a lot of things, because, when all's said and done, there's really very little one can do about a lot of things. You just accept them. The point is you just have to keep on working and you just have to keep on living.

Everyone is flailing through this life without an owner's manual, with whatever modicum of grace and good humor we can manage.

I think frankly when it comes to chaos you ain't seen nothing yet.

In chaos there is opportunity

Human beings have to adapt to it, and accept total change.

It is not new and it is not order.

I spent so many years shuffled around. I'm used to it and can deal with it.

It's a funny thing, life... as much as you don't want the sun to come up, it comes up the next day. Life continues on and you have to make a choice in how you handle it.

Things in life just happen and then you make the best of the situation and you keep moving.

But stories don't end. They continue as long as you're alive. You just have to get on with things. Turn the page, start a new chapter, find out what's in store for you next, and keep your fingers crossed that it's not too awful. Even if you know in your heart and soul that it most probably will be.

Just because we cannot see clearly the end of the road, that is no reason for not setting out on the essential journey. On the contrary, great change dominates the world, and unless we move with change we will become its victims.

Out there things can happen, and frequently do, To people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew. Just go right along, you'll start happening too!

And loss of control is always the source of fear. It is also, however, always the source of change.

So what if right now everything is wrong?

Life is just a series of peaks and troughs. And you don't know whether you're in a trough until you're climbing out, or on a peak until you're coming down. And that's it you know, you never know what's round the corner. But it's all good. "If you want the rainbow, you've gotta put up with the rain." Do you know which "philosopher" said that? Dolly Parton. And people say she's just a big pair of tits.

One must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation.