Louise Glück

Louise Glück (1943–2023) was an American poet, Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature. Her work is noted for clarity, personal voice and formal rigor; the quote reflects her emphasis on discipline and the transformation of intention into artistic practice.

Quotes by Louise Glück

Quotes: 1

Turn intention into habit, and habit into art. — Louise Glück

Turning Intentions into Habits, Habits into Art

Finally, the arc from intention to art carries an ethical undertone. Aristotle’s notion of hexis (disposition) in the Nicomachean Ethics suggests character is shaped by repeated acts; Will Durant’s 1926 summary—“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit”—captures the resonance. Habits thus form not only skills but selves. By aligning daily routines with our highest aims, we let identity and artistry converge. In that convergence, Glück’s counsel becomes a life practice: make a vow, make it daily, and let the daily become luminous. [...]

Created on: 8/10/2025