Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition. Supplemental Material: A Lecture on “Having” a Poem. Quote 12

The poet often knows that some part of his history is contributing to the poem he is writing. He may, for example, reject a phrase because he sees that he has borrowed it from something he has read. But it is quite impossible for him to be aware of all his history, and it is in this sense that he does not know where his behavior comes from. (pp. 482-483)

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