MOTIVATING TIPS

David Wagoner

Born 1926 · American poet and editor

1 verified quote1 topicAll with editorial commentary

[ Life ]

A Pacific Northwest poet born in 1926 in Massillon, Ohio, Wagoner moved to Seattle in 1954 and spent nearly five decades there, teaching at the University of Washington while building one of American poetry's most sustained regional practices. He edited *Poetry Northwest* from 1966 to 1982, championing Northwest writers when the region had little literary infrastructure. His work bridged formalism and accessibility—he could write a villanelle or a narrative poem about logging with equal conviction.

[ Words & Works ]

Wagoner published 26 collections between *Dry Sun, Wet Snow* (1953) and *Traveling Light* (2006), earning a Pulitzer Prize nomination for *Sleeping in the Woods* (1974). His poems about wilderness, loss, and the natural world—"The Shooting of the Green" and "Lost" among his most anthologized—drew readers because they refused sentimentality. He wrote as if the forest and its creatures mattered more than clever wordplay. His lines endure because they're honest about attention: paying real notice to what's actually there.

Frequently asked

What are the best David Wagoner quotes?

David Wagoner is best known for quotes on On Anxiety & Quiet Days. Among the most cited: "Wherever you are is called Here,..." from Collected Poems 1956–1976.

How many David Wagoner quotes does MotivatingTips have?

MotivatingTips has 1 verified David Wagoner quote, each with editorial commentary and source verification. Quotes are organized across On Anxiety & Quiet Days.

What book are David Wagoner's quotes from?

Quotes on MotivatingTips are sourced from Collected Poems 1956–1976.

Are these David Wagoner quotes verified?

Every David Wagoner quote on MotivatingTips includes verified attribution with source, book, chapter, or speech reference where available.

Best David Wagoner Quotes

Hand-picked, verified, and explained.

Wherever you are is called Here, and you must treat it as a powerful stranger.

VerifiedCollected Poems 1956–1976, Poem "Lost," Indiana University Press, 1976
Why This Matters

The real gift here is Wagoner's refusal to let us treat the present moment as a mere waiting room. Most advice tells us to "be here now," as if presence were a moral obligation; Wagoner instead asks us to be *curious* about where we are, to approach it with the wariness and attention we'd give a stranger who might teach us something. When you sit in your mother's kitchen for what might be the last time, or find yourself in a job you never planned to stay in, this reframing changes everything—suddenly you're not just enduring a temporary arrangement, but studying it, learning from it. The word "powerful" is what does the work: it acknowledges that every location has shaped and will shape us, whether we're paying attention or not.

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David Wagoner quotes by topic

Works cited

  • Collected Poems 1956–19761 quote
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APA Style

David Wagoner Quotes. (n.d.). MotivatingTips. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/david-wagoner

Chicago Style

David Wagoner Quotes. MotivatingTips, DSS Media, 2026. https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/david-wagoner, accessed May 8, 2026.

MLA Style

"David Wagoner Quotes." MotivatingTips. DSS Media, 2026. 8 May 2026. https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/david-wagoner

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