Allen Ginsberg

Irwin Allen Ginsberg (June 3, 1926 – April 5 1997) was an American Beat poet born in Paterson, New Jersey. He formed a bridge between the Beat movement of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s, befriending, among others, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, William S. Burroughs, Timothy Leary, Gregory Corso, Bob Kaufman, Herbert Huncke, Rod McKuen, and Bob Dylan.

Quotes

• "Our goal was to save the planet and alter human consciousness. That will take a long time, if it happens at all."
• "Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does."
• "Pot is fun."
• "The only thing that can save the world is the reclaiming of the awareness of the world. That's what poetry does."
• "Master thyself and others will follow."