Born March 31 (1914-1998). He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990. Poet, writer, diplomat. A Mexican, he is recognized as one of the major literary figures in Latin America after World War II. Another favorite author/poet is Nathaniel Tarn, who managed a number of translations of works by Paz.

"Man does not speak because he thinks; he thinks because he speaks. Or rather, speaking is no different than thinking: to speak is to think."

"Art" is an invention of aesthetics, which in turn is an invention of philosophers. . . . What we call art is a game."

"Deserve your dream."

"What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions; life is plurality, death is uniformity."

"Poetry is governed by the twofold principle of variety within unity. In the short poem, variety is sacrificed to unity; in the long poem, it attains fullness of being without destroying unity. Thus in the long poem we find not only extension, which is a relative dimension, but also maximum variety. The extensive poem moreover, satisfies another twofold requirement, one that is closely related to the rule of variety within unity: repetition and surprise." (transl. by Helen Lane)

"What distinguishes modern art from the art of other ages is criticism."

"Social criticism begins with grammar and the re-establishing of meanings."

"Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone."

Paz's Nobel acceptance speech had a number of points about love. He is an author/poet worth reading. Some very good translations by Nathanel Tarn are another way to Google him ..... Rennie