Roger McGough Quotes

• This is the mother who one day chose to smother the child with kisses, and blows and blows and blows.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Do people who wave at trains Wave at the driver, or at the train itself? Or, do people who wave at trains Wave at the passengers? Those hurtling strangers, The unidentifiable flying faces?

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

• I could never begin a poem: ‘When I am dead’ In case it tempted Fate, and Fate gave way.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

• By thus keeping one pace ahead of myself I need never catch up with the truth.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Discretion is the better part of Valerie (though all of her is nice).

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Let me die a young man’s death not a clean and in-between-the-sheets, holy-water death.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

• I’m terrified of switching the computer on because there are so many poems.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Computer

  Tags in Poems

• If I do a poetry reading I want people to walk out and say they feel better for having been there – not because you’ve done a comedy performance but because you’re talking about your father dying or having young children, things that touch your soul.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Children, Father

• We shouldn’t have got married, really. Shouldn’t have got married. Too young. Not ready for it.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Young, Married

• You will put on a dress of guilt and shoes with broken high ideals.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Broken, High

• I was put off by people at school – my cabbage wasn’t as good as other people’s, you know, so that put me off.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in School

• People can put their best poems straight onto the web.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Straight

• I wish the word whimsical wasn’t used now.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Wish

• If I decide to be indecisive, that’s my decision.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Decision

• Whereas with poetry no one has to show anybody really, and you don’t have to tell anyone you’re doing it.

   

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Show

• Yes, you can feel very alone as a poet and you sometimes think, is it worth it? Is it worth carrying on? But because there were other poets, you became part of a scene. Even though they were very different writers, it made it easier because you were together.

  Roger McGough

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Different

Roger McGough (16)

Birth:	9th November, 1937
Nationality:	British
Profession:	Broadcaster, Poet, Writer

About

Roger Joseph McGough CBE FRSL is an English performance poet, broadcaster, children's author and playwright. He presents the BBC Radio 4 programme Poetry Please, as well as performing his own poetry. He is a Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University and President of the Poetry Society.

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Today's Anniversary - 13th May

Births

• 1947 - Stephen R. Donaldson
• 1901 - Witold Pilecki
• 1930 - Mike Gravel
• 1978 - Barry Zito
• 1857 - Ronald Ross

Deaths

• 1916 - Sholem Aleichem
• 1809 - Beilby Porteus
• 1878 - Joseph Henry
• 1999 - Meg Greenfield
• 1965 - Martin Buber