Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by M. C. Richards (American Poet)

Mary Caroline Richards (1916–99,) known as M. C. Richards, was an American poet, potter, and educator celebrated for her interdisciplinary approach to art and philosophy.

Born in Weiser, Idaho, she studied literature at Reed College and earned a PhD in English from the University of California-Berkeley, in 1942. She gained recognition with Centering in Pottery, Poetry, & Person (1964,) a classic that blends art, creativity, and spirituality while emphasizing the connection between personal growth and creative expression.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Richards taught writing and pottery at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, collaborating with influential figures such as John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg. Her time there profoundly shaped her philosophy of integrating disciplines and fostering collaboration.

She also wrote The Crossing Point: Easter Letters on Education (1973,) which explores themes of community, creativity, and spiritual renewal. Her poetry collections, including Imagine Inventing Yellow (1991,) showcase her lyrical and philosophical depth.

Her work extended to pottery and teaching, embodying her belief in art as a transformative force. Influenced by Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy, she later worked with Camphill communities, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by M. C. Richards

Truth is reality.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Truth

Inhabit ourselves that we may indeed do what we want to do.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Choice

We have to believe that a creative being lives within ourselves, whether we like it or not, and that we must get out of its way, for it will give us no peace until we do.
—M. C. Richards

It is for each of us freely to choose whom we shall serve, and find in that obedience our freedom.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Freedom

Let no one be deluded that a knowledge of the path can substitute for putting one foot in front of the other.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Action

It is part of our pedagogy to teach the operations of thinking, feeling, and willing so that they may be made conscious. For if we do not know the difference between an emotion and a thought, we will know very little. We need to understand the components (of emotions) at work… in order to free their hold.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Identity, Self-Knowledge

Our works and our play. All our pleasures experienced as the pleasure of love. What could be better that? To feel in one’s work the tender and flushed substance of one’s dearest concern.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Enjoyment

To have character is to be big enough to take life on.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Character

Who are enemies? Those who oppose each others will.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Enemy, Enemies

Am I willing to give up what I have in order to be what I am not yet? Am I able to follow the spirit of love into the desert? It is a frightening and sacred moment. There is no return. One’s life is charged forever. It is the fire that gives us our shape.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Adversity

The imagination equips us to perceive reality when it is not fully materialized.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Imagination

Compassion is an alternate perception
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Kindness

It helps, I think, to consider ourselves on a very long journey: the main thing is to keep to the faith, to endure, to help each other when we stumble or tire, to weep and press on.
—M. C. Richards
Topics: Perseverance, Persistence

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