Mary Oliver

Quotes

• “To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.”

• “Every word is a messenger. Some have wings; some are filled with fire; some are filled with death.”

• “I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in singing, especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.”

Books by Mary Oliver in order

Books by Mary Oliver in the order they were published, from Twelve Moons (1979) to Felicity (2017).

1. 1Twelve MoonsTwelve Moons1979
2. 2American PrimitiveAmerican Primitive1983
3. 3Dream WorkDream Work1986
4. 4House of LightHouse of Light1990
5. 5New and Selected PoemsNew and Selected Poems1992
6. 6A Poetry HandbookA Poetry Handbook1994
7. 7White PineWhite Pine1994
8. 8Blue PasturesBlue Pastures1995
9. 9West WindWest Wind1997
10. 10Rules For The DanceRules For The Dance1998
    What's in it (19)

    • The Rules
    • Breath
    • Patterns
    • More About Patterns
    • Design : Traditional Forms
    • Release of Energy Along the Line
    • Words on a String
    • Mutes and Other Sounds
    • The Use of Meter in Non-metric Verse
    • Ohs and the Ahs
    • Image-making
    • The Dancers One by One
    • Style
    • Scansion : Reading the Metrical Poem
    • Yourself Dancing : The Actual Work
    • A Universal Music
    • Then and Now
    • Envoi
    • An Anthology of Metrical Poems
11. 11Winter HoursWinter Hours1999
12. 12The Leaf and the CloudThe Leaf and the Cloud2000
13. 13What Do We KnowWhat Do We Know2002
14. 14Owls and Other FantasiesOwls and Other Fantasies2003
15. 15Why I Wake EarlyWhy I Wake Early2004
16. 16ThirstThirst2006
17. 17Red BirdRed Bird2008
18. 18EvidenceEvidence2009
19. 19A Thousand MorningsA Thousand Mornings2012
20. 20Dog SongsDog Songs2013
21. 21Blue HorsesBlue Horses2014
22. 22UpstreamUpstream2016
23. 23DevotionsDevotions2017
24. 24FelicityFelicity2017