Everybody is a poet (Croce)

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"Si suole comunemente concepire la poesia come una sorta di sesso intellettuale. Poeta nascitur. Niente di più falso. La produzione poetica proviene da un stato dello spirito eccitato da certe condizione ed occasioni: Stato a cui chi è disposto molto, che poco, e chi quasi nulla ma non mai nulla. Sìcche tutti gli uomini hanno la possibilità di trovarsi in uno stato poetico, e nessuno ci si può provare sempre. La parola 'poeta' del linguaggio comune ha valore semplicemente quantitativo: Chiamiamo poeta chi nella la vita è più specialmente noto perché compone poesia. Intendente sanamente." -- Pensieri sull'arte (1885), XXIII

The common conception of poetry is as a kind of intellectual sex. Poets are born. Nothing could be more false. Poetical production comes from a state of spirit excited by certain conditions and occasions: A state to which some are much disposed, others little, and others almost not at all, but never not at all. So that all people have the possibility of finding themselves in a poetic state, and no one finds themselves in it always. The word "poet" in common speech has a quantitative value: We call poets one who in life is especially known for composing poetry. Intended wholesomely.

NOTE: "e chi quasi nulla ma non mai nulla" was very hard to phrase in English. What I have now is still awkward, but the best I could do so far.

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