PODCAST · arts
Quoetry
by Thom Jenkins
A curated daily pairing of a quotation and a poem - a quoem, if you will - providing Easter eggs of meaning in their combination.
Episodes
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Quoem 61: Mahatma Gandhi and Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt
"I am striving for the kingdom of heaven, which is within. For me, the only way to find God is to see Him in His creation and be one with it. This can only be done by service of all." Mahatma Gandhi in a 1926 letter reproduced in the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Volume 46, page 101.
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Quoem 60: Robert A Heinlein and Smile Again by Thom Jenkins
Robert A Heinlein from Stranger in a Strange Land: "Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."
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Quoem 59: Leo Tolstoy and Patience Taught by Nature by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
This episode of Quoetry explores the connection between Leo Tolstoy’s assertion—“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time”—and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem Patience Taught by Nature. The discussion delves into how both writers portray patience as an active force, not mere...
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Quoem 58: Henry Ford and Keep Going by Edgar A Guest
Detroit, Michigan links both our quotation and poem today. The quotation is from Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." The poem is by Edgar A Guest, and entitled "Keep Going" it shares sentiment even more than geography with Ford's quotation.
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Quoem 57: James P Carse and Parental Recollections by Charles Lamb
Today's quotation is from James P Carse: "Society is where we prove to parents qua audience that we are not what we thought they thought we were." Today's poem is Charles Lamb's "Parental Recollections".
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Quoem 56: Muriel Rukeyser and William Carlos William
Today's quotation is from Muriel Rukeyser: "The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." Muriel is pictured in the podcast thumbnail with credit to Imogen Cunningham (1945). Today's poem is "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams.
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Quoem 55: Samuel Johnson and Antonio Machado
Today's quotation is from Samuel Johnson: "It was the peculiar artifice of Habit not to suffer her power to be felt at first. Those whom she led, she had the address of appearing only to attend, but was continually doubling her chains upon her companions; which were so slender in themselves, and…
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Quoem 54: John Major and How the Leaves Came Down by Susan Coolidge
Today's quotation is from former Conservative Prime Minister, John Major: "When the curtain falls, it is time to get off the stage." Today's poem is "How the Leaves Came Down" by Susan Coolidge.
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Quoem 53: William Goldman and A Drinking Song by W B Yeats
Today's quotation is from William Goldman: "Nobody knows anything". Today's poem is "A Drinking Song" by W B Yeats.
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Quoem 52: Voltaire and Dorothy Wordsworth
Today's quotation is from "Candide" by Voltaire: "We must cultivate our garden." Today's poem is "When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path?" by Dorothy Wordsworth.
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Quoem 51: Amos Tversky and Song of the Open Road by Walt Whitman
Today's quotation is a gem from Amos Tversky: "You waste years by not being able to waste hours." And today's poem has you waste a little longer than usual with me today. It is "Song of the Open Road" by Walt Whitman.
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Quoem 50: Euripides and The Voice by Thomas Hardy
Today's quotation is taken from Euripides. Today's poem is Thomas Hardy's "The Voice".
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Quoem 49: Edgar Degas and The Artist by Frances Harper
Today's quotation is by Edgar Degas: "Painting is easy when you don't know how; very difficult when you do." Frances Harper provides today's poem, "The Artist".
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Quoem 48: Mark Twain and Science by Sarah Helen Whitman
Today quotation is from Mark Twain: "There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesome returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact." Sarah Helen Whitman's "Science" is our featured poem.
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Quoem 47: Misattributed to Lao Tzu and Exchanges by Ernest Dowson
Today's quotation is commonly attributed to Lao Tzu but the modernity of theme and language makes me think not. Nevertheless, here it is: "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." For our poem we turn to Ernest Downson's "Exchanges". For…
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Quoem 46: Nassim Taleb and Richard Corey by E A Robinson
Our quotation today is taken from Nassim Taleb: "[A]void the company of achievers and people in suits who don't read books." Our poem today is "Richard Corey" by Edwin Arlington Robinson.
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Quoem 45: Sir Francis Bacon and Revenge by Letitia Elizabeth Landon
Our quotation today is by Sir Francis Bacon. Today's poem is "Revenge" by L. E. L. (Letitia Elizabeth Landon).
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Quoem 44: Abraham Lincoln and Casabianca by Felicia Hemans
Our quotation today is from Abraham Lincoln: "I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the very end." Today's poem is "Casabianca" by Felicia Hemans. Sadly, it is based on a true story. Hemans provides the following note: 'Young Casabianca, a boy...
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Quoem 43: Golda Meir and The Deserter by John Philpot Curran
Today's quotation is from Golda Meir: "Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you're aboard there's nothing you can do." Our poem today is "The Deserter" by John Philpot Curran.
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Quoem 42: Andrew Jackson and Emily Dickinson
Today's quotation is from Andrew Jackson: "I was born for a storm, and a calm does not suit me". Today's poem is yet another by Emily Dickinson, "There came a wind like a bugle"
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Quoem 41: Walt Disney and How Doth the Little Busy Bee by Isaac Watts
Today's quotation is one from Walt Disney: "Sometimes I think myself a little bee. I go from one area of the studio to another and gather pollen and sort of stimulate everybody." Today's poem is "How Doth the Little Busy Bee" by Isaac Watts.
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Quoem 40: John Kenneth Galbraith and On Merit by Thom Jenkins
Our quotation today is from Ken Galbraith, who served FDR, Truman, JFK, and LBJ: "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." Today's poem is one of my own, "On Merit". And while…
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Quoem 39: Alonso of Aragon and The Listeners by Walter de la Mare
At times I am inclined to agree with Alonso de Aragón that "The best counselors are the dead / Optimi consiliari mortui". That is, perhaps, because they are such good listeners. Our poem today is "The Listeners" by Walter de la Mare.
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Quoem 38: Wilbur Wright and Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats
Our quotation today is by Wilbur Wright: "After I get hold of a truth I hate to lose it again, and I like to sift all the truth out before I give up on an error." Our poem is by John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn". Keats's penultimate line underscores our combination: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty".
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Quoem 37: Henry Flagler and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Today's quotation is courtesy of J D Rockefeller's business partner, Henry Flagler: "I have always been contented, but I have never been satisfied." Today's poem is another from another Henry - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with "A Psalm of Life".
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Quoem 36: Danish proverb and The Crystal Gazer by Sara Teasdale
Today's quotation has been attributed to everyone from Yogi Berra and Mark Twain to Niels Bohr and Nostradamus. Let's agree to call it simply a Danish proverb. Our poem today is "The Crystal Gazer" by Sara Teasdale.
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Quoem 35: Sir Francis Bacon and The Tables Turned - William Wordsworth
Today's quotation is another from Sir Francis Bacon: "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed." These words always put me in mind of the king in "The Little Prince" who will never give his subjects an order that they wouldn't want to obey. Our poem today is "The Tables Turned" by William Wordsworth.
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Quoem 34: Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I believe today's quotation was said to Madeleine Albright by Zbigniew Brzezinski: "Be careful not to define yourself out of an interesting job." Today's poem is "The Village Blacksmith" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
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Quoem 33: Solon and When I Was One-and-Twenty by A E Housman
Today's quotation is from the Athenian statesman, Solon (known for his efforts in reversing literally Draconian legislation): "I grow old learning something new every day." Today's poem is A E Housman's second contribution to the Quoetry podcast, this time with "When I Was One-and-Twenty".
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Quoem 32: Thomas Murphy and Sonnet 30 by William Shakespeare
Our quotation today was a remark made by Thomas Murphy to Warren Buffett: "you can tell a guy to go to hell tomorrow. You don't give up the right. So just keep your mouth shut today and see if you feel the same way tomorrow." Today's poem is the first by William Shakespeare to be featured on this...
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Quoem 31: Voltaire and The Lie by Sir Walter Raleigh
Today's quotation is from Voltaire: "Cherish those who seek the truth but beware those who find it." Today's poem is "The Lie" by Sir Walter Raleigh. By "give the lie" I take Sir Walter to mean expose the truth.
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Quoem 30: Thomas Henry Huxley and Alfred, Lord Tennyson
My eldest son owes his name to the originator of today's quotation, the great paleobiologist, Thomas Henry Huxley: "Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not." Today's poem is...
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Quoem 29: Madeleine Albright and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
A little late with today's episode due to a technical glitch resulting in the original recording being lost. So, I have taken this road twice now. Not to worry, I hope you'll agree it's pleasant enough to justify a redo. We start with some words from Madeleine Albright, and go on to Robert…
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Quoem 28: Jake the Dog and It Couldn't Be Done by Edgar Albert Guest
Today's quotation is taken from Jake the Dog: "Dude, sucking at something is the first step towards being sort of good at something." Dorothy Parker was said to have been rather uncharitable towards today's poet, saying: "I'd rather flunk my Wassermann test than read a poem by Edgar Guest." At...
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Quoem 27: Audre Lorde and Caterpillar by Christina Rossetti
Today's quotation is provided by one of my favorite poets, Audre Lorde. Today's poet is, once again, Christina Rossetti - this time with "Caterpillar". Podcast thumbnail credit: K. Kendall, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Quoem 26: Rembrandt and Anne Bradstreet
Our quotation today is from Rembrandt, which I believe I discovered via Joan Miró: "I find rubies and emeralds in the dung heap." Today's poem is "Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666" by Anne Bradstreet.
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Quoem 25: Sir Francis Bacon and Life by Charlotte Brontë
Today's quotation is taken from the "Essays" of Sir Francis Bacon: "The virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of adversity is fortitude… Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and adversity is not without comforts and hopes… prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity...
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Quoem 24: Samuel Johnson and Up-Hill by Christina Rossetti
Today's quotation is itself taken from a poem - "London" by Samuel Johnson: "Slow rises worth, by poverty deprest". Today's poem is "Up-Hill" by Christina Rossetti.
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Quoem 23: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Double-You by Thom Jenkins
Today's quotation is from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: "Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction." And today's poem is one that I wrote on the occasion of my eldest sister's wedding, "Double-You".
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Quoem 22: Thomas Sowell and Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Today's quotation is from Thomas Sowell: "Perfect justice... means perfect tyranny." Our poem today is another from Percy Bysshe Shelley - "Ozymandias". I hope you enjoy the pairing.
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Quoem 21: Charlie Munger and Invictus by William Ernest Henley
Our quotation today is from Charlie Munger: "You simply can't count on your other handicaps to hold you back if you persist in being reliable." Today's poem is "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley.
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Quoem 20: The Columbian Orator and If by Rudyard Kipling
Our quotation today is taken from "The Columbian Orator", edited by Caleb Bingham. I was first introduced to "The Columbian Orator" via the writings of Frederick Douglass. The quotation is: "Why, in the present day, a man's preparing himself for usefulness, is like carrying coals to Newcastle.…
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Quoem 19: Thomas Jefferson and A Poison Tree by William Blake
Today's quotation is from Thomas Jefferson: "Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances." Our poem today is "A Poison Tree" by William Blake.
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Quoem 18: Warren Buffett and Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer
Today's quotation is from Warren Buffett: "I call investing the greatest business in the world because you never have to swing. You can stand at the plate, the pitcher throws you General Motors at 47! US Steel at 39! And nobody calls a strike on you... All day you wait for the pitch you like"....
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Quoem 17: Plato and On Virtue by Phillis Wheatley
Today's quotation is from Plato: "Virtue owns no master: he who honors her shall have more of her, and he who slights her, less." Today's poem is by Phillis Wheatley - who was herself the subject of a poem by Jupiter Hammon, a poem I fear I might find too sad to recite - this instead is one of…
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Quoem 16: John Muir and No Man is an Island by John Donne
Today's quotation is from John Muir: "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." Today's poem is from another John, John Donne, with "No Man is an Island" - I learned this one by heart as a boy.
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Quoem 15: Gustave Flaubert and Jupiter Hammon
Today's quotation is by Gustave Flaubert: "Just when the gods had ceased to be and the Christ had not yet come, there was a unique moment in history, between Cicero and Marcus Aurelius, when man stood alone." Our poem today is by Jupiter Hammon: "A Poem for Children with Thoughts on Death".
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Quoem 14: Eleanor Roosevelt and Emily Dickinson
Today's quotation is from Eleanor Roosevelt: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." For the second time in less than a week, today's poet is Emily Dickinson with "I'm nobody, who are you?"
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Quoem 13: Max Planck and Ode by A W E O'Shaughnessy
Today's quotation is a little sad but perhaps a little more than a little true from Max Planck. Today's poem is "Ode" by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy. You may be more familiar with the 3 stanza version sometimes called "We are the music-makers". But there are, in fact, 9 stanzas, which I…
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Quoem 12: Will Durant and Love's Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Today's quotation is from William Durant. Today's poem is "Love's Philosophy" by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Quoetry have?
Quoetry currently has 58 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Quoetry about?
A curated daily pairing of a quotation and a poem - a quoem, if you will - providing Easter eggs of meaning in their combination.
How often does Quoetry release new episodes?
Quoetry has 58 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Quoetry?
You can listen to Quoetry on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Quoetry?
Quoetry is created and hosted by Thom Jenkins.
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