Who said “Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else…”?

Verified

Wallace Stevens. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter (December 19, 1935); in Letters of Wallace Stevens, no. 336

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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“Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.”
VerifiedLetter (December 19, 1935); in Letters of Wallace Stevens, no. 336 · evidenceComplexity

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter (December 19, 1935); in Letters of Wallace Stevens, no. 336.

APA

Stevens, W. (n.d.). Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10631-everything-is-complicated-if-that-were-not-so/

MLA

Stevens, Wallace. “Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10631-everything-is-complicated-if-that-were-not-so/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Stevens, Wallace. “Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10631-everything-is-complicated-if-that-were-not-so/.