"When I feel inclined to r,ead poetry I take down my Dictionary. The poetry of words is quite as beautiful as that of sentences. The author may arrange the gems effectively, but their shape and lustre have been given by the attrition of ages."
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. was an American physician, poet, and essayist associated with the Fireside Poets. He is known for poems such as Old Ironsides and for influential prose writing.