Quotes by Poet | Beyond Motive 51/304

top of page

Quotes by Poet

"Yield not to calamity, but face her boldly."

"Yield not to calamity, but face her boldly."

Virgil, Roman Poet

Personal, Calamity, Yield

16

"To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead."

"To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead."

Samuel Butler, British Poet

16

"Ill habits gather unseen degrees, as brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas."

"Ill habits gather unseen degrees, as brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas."

John Dryden, English Poet

Personal, Brooks, Habits, Rivers

16

"How will you know the difficulties of being human, if you are always flying off to blue perfection? Where will you plant your grief seeds? Workers need ground to scrape and hoe, not the sky of unspecified desire."

"How will you know the difficulties of being human, if you are always flying off to blue perfection? Where will you plant your grief seeds? Workers need ground to scrape and hoe, not the sky of unspecified desire."

Rumi, Persian Poet

Struggle, Difficulty, Grief, Reality, Work

16

"The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself."

"The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself."

Archibald MacLeish, American Poet

Life, Being, Moments

16

"For love is immortality."

"For love is immortality."

Emily Dickinson, American Poet

Love, Immortality

16

"Seulement la terre qui obéit, sait bien qu'elle tourne en rond, tandis que nous vers l'infini nous précipitons."

"Seulement la terre qui obéit, sait bien qu'elle tourne en rond, tandis que nous vers l'infini nous précipitons."

Rainer Maria Rilke, German Poet

Nature, Earth, Obedience, Infinity, Movement

16

"The best way to compete is to get defeat."

"The best way to compete is to get defeat."

Santosh Kalwar, Nepalese Poet

Success, Competition, Defeat, Learning, Improvement

16

"Silently, God opens his golden eyes over the place of skulls."

"Silently, God opens his golden eyes over the place of skulls."

Georg Trakl, Austrian Poet

16

"They all have tired mouthsand bright seamless souls.And a longing (as for sin)sometimes haunts their dreams.They are almost all alike; in God's gardens they keep still,like many, many intervalsin his might and melody.Only when they spread their wingsare they wakers of a wind:as if God with his broad sculptor-hands leafed through the pagesin the dark book of the beginning."

"They all have tired mouthsand bright seamless souls.And a longing (as for sin)sometimes haunts their dreams.They are almost all alike; in God's gardens they keep still,like many, many intervalsin his might and melody.Only when they spread their wingsare they wakers of a wind:as if God with his broad sculptor-hands leafed through the pagesin the dark book of the beginning."

Rainer Maria Rilke, German Poet

Spiritual, Soul, God, Dream, Spirit

16

"The lucky person passes for a genius."

"The lucky person passes for a genius."

Euripides, Greek Poet

16

"Gamble everything for love, if you're a true human being."

"Gamble everything for love, if you're a true human being."

Rumi, Persian Poet

Passion, Love, Human, Truth, Emotion

16

"I love no woman, for love is a serious business, not a jest."

"I love no woman, for love is a serious business, not a jest."

Marie de France, French Poet

Love, Business, Jest, Woman

16

"I am two fools, I know, for loving, and for saying so in whining poetry."

"I am two fools, I know, for loving, and for saying so in whining poetry."

John Donne, British Poet

Poetry, Fools, Saying

16

"Law grinds the poor, and rich men rule the law."

"Law grinds the poor, and rich men rule the law."

Oliver Goldsmith, Irish Poet

Man, Men, Law, Poor

16

"You have to be transparent so you no longer cast a shadow but instead let the light pass through you."

"You have to be transparent so you no longer cast a shadow but instead let the light pass through you."

Kamand Kojouri, Iranian Poet

Mindfulness, Light, Transparency, Self, Clarity

16

"Being insulted offers you an opportunity to practice decency and having a non-response internally."

"Being insulted offers you an opportunity to practice decency and having a non-response internally."

Bryant McGill, American Poet

Decency, Truth, Wisdom, Life, Spiritual

16

"Don't worry if you don't accomplish everything in this life. Fortunately, death overcomes every thing-even the very thing that tried to kill us."

"Don't worry if you don't accomplish everything in this life. Fortunately, death overcomes every thing-even the very thing that tried to kill us."

Kamand Kojouri, Iranian Poet

Life, Death, Overcoming, Fate

16

"The devil divides the world between atheism and superstition."

"The devil divides the world between atheism and superstition."

George Herbert, British Poet

Religion, Atheism, Devil, Superstition, World

16

"There are no classes in life for beginners; right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult."

"There are no classes in life for beginners; right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult."

Rainer Maria Rilke, German Poet

16

"Before you, nothing.Now you, and everything."

"Before you, nothing.Now you, and everything."

Kamand Kojouri, Iranian Poet

Devotion, Love, Existence, Connection, Emotion

16

"The port is near the bells I hear the people all exulting While follow eyes the steady keel the vessel grim and daring But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red Where on the deck my captain lies Fallen cold and dead."

"The port is near the bells I hear the people all exulting While follow eyes the steady keel the vessel grim and daring But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red Where on the deck my captain lies Fallen cold and dead."

Walt Whitman, American Poet

Sacrifice, Loss, Grief, Emotion, Death

16

"I am a nyctophile, and I can't stop or help myself from falling in love for the darkest ends of your soul, rather than the light in your eyes."

"I am a nyctophile, and I can't stop or help myself from falling in love for the darkest ends of your soul, rather than the light in your eyes."

Akshay Vasu, Indian Poet

Passion, Darkness, Desire, Love

16

"The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy."

"The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy."

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Poet

Resilience, Suffering, Happiness, Strength, Acceptance

16

"If all we had were roses, would the thorns then be beautiful?"

"If all we had were roses, would the thorns then be beautiful?"

Kamand Kojouri, Iranian Poet

Contrast, Beauty, Pain, Life

16

"Or else I would have sung a songin response to what the male sex sings.For our lengthy past has much to sayabout men's lives as well as ours."

"Or else I would have sung a songin response to what the male sex sings.For our lengthy past has much to sayabout men's lives as well as ours."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Society, Reflection, History, Gender, Expression

16

"Love is the most integral function of our lives. That is why LOVE is only one letter away from LIVE."

"Love is the most integral function of our lives. That is why LOVE is only one letter away from LIVE."

Kamand Kojouri, Iranian Poet

Love, Life, Importance, Function

16

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."

William Ernest Henley, English Poet

16

"Love, they said, burns youand builds you.But with you, there's no ash.Just light."

"Love, they said, burns youand builds you.But with you, there's no ash.Just light."

Kamand Kojouri, Iranian Poet

Love, Light, Emotion, Transformation

16

"You are aware of only one unrest;Oh, never learn to know the other!Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast,And one is striving to forsake its brother.Unto the world in grossly loving zest,With clinging tendrils, one adheres;The other rises forcibly in questOf rarefied ancestral spheres.If there be spirits in the airThat hold their sway between the earth and sky,Descend out of the golden vapors thereAnd sweep me into iridescent life.Oh, came a magic cloak into my handsTo carry me to distant lands,I should not trade it for the choicest gown,Nor for the cloak and garments of the crown."

"You are aware of only one unrest;Oh, never learn to know the other!Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast,And one is striving to forsake its brother.Unto the world in grossly loving zest,With clinging tendrils, one adheres;The other rises forcibly in questOf rarefied ancestral spheres.If there be spirits in the airThat hold their sway between the earth and sky,Descend out of the golden vapors thereAnd sweep me into iridescent life.Oh, came a magic cloak into my handsTo carry me to distant lands,I should not trade it for the choicest gown,Nor for the cloak and garments of the crown."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German Poet

Duality, Soul, Spirit, Desire, Life

16

"There may be good, but there are no pleasant marriages."

"There may be good, but there are no pleasant marriages."

Rainer Maria Rilke, German Poet

16

"Whoever thinks that he alone has speech, or possesses speech or mind above others, when unfolded such men are seen to be empty."

"Whoever thinks that he alone has speech, or possesses speech or mind above others, when unfolded such men are seen to be empty."

Sophocles, Greek Poet

Man, Men, Mind, Speech

16

"The greatest thing about me isn't even a part of me. It's you."

"The greatest thing about me isn't even a part of me. It's you."

Kamand Kojouri, Iranian Poet

Identity, Self, Greatness, Recognition

16

"Nothing can be compared to the new life that the discovery of another country provides for a thoughtful person. Although I am still the same I believe to have changed to the bones."

"Nothing can be compared to the new life that the discovery of another country provides for a thoughtful person. Although I am still the same I believe to have changed to the bones."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German Poet

Transformation, Change, Discovery, Life, Identity

16

"So it's back once more, back up the slope.Why do they always ruin my ropewith their cuts?I felt so ready the other day,Had a real foretaste of eternityIn my guts.Spoonfeeding me yet another sipfrom life's cup.I don't want it, won't take any more of it.Let me throw up.Life is medium rare and good, I see,And the world full of soup and bread,But it won't pass into the blood for me,Just goes to my head.It makes me ill, though others it feeds;Do see that I must deny it!For a thousand years from now at leastI'm keeping a diet."

"So it's back once more, back up the slope.Why do they always ruin my ropewith their cuts?I felt so ready the other day,Had a real foretaste of eternityIn my guts.Spoonfeeding me yet another sipfrom life's cup.I don't want it, won't take any more of it.Let me throw up.Life is medium rare and good, I see,And the world full of soup and bread,But it won't pass into the blood for me,Just goes to my head.It makes me ill, though others it feeds;Do see that I must deny it!For a thousand years from now at leastI'm keeping a diet."

Rainer Maria Rilke, German Poet

Life, Struggle, Food, Existence

16

"For sometime now I have believed that it is our own force, all our own force that is still too great for us. It is true that we do not know it; but is it not just that which is most our own of which we know the least?"

"For sometime now I have believed that it is our own force, all our own force that is still too great for us. It is true that we do not know it; but is it not just that which is most our own of which we know the least?"

Rainer Maria Rilke, German Poet

Power, Force, Self, Potential

16

"Behaviour is a mirror in which every one displays his own image."

"Behaviour is a mirror in which every one displays his own image."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German Poet

Psychology, Behavior, Reflection, Self, Truth

16

"Love is the crowning grace of humanity."

"Love is the crowning grace of humanity."

Petrarch, Italian Poet

Love, Grace, Humanity

16

"Isn't it time that, in love, we freed ourselves from the loved one and, trembling, endured:as the arrow endures the string, collecting itselfto be more than itself as it shoots?"

"Isn't it time that, in love, we freed ourselves from the loved one and, trembling, endured:as the arrow endures the string, collecting itselfto be more than itself as it shoots?"

Rainer Maria Rilke, German Poet

Love, Self, Strength, Union

16

"To most men experience is like the stern lights of a ship, which illuminate only the track it has passed."

"To most men experience is like the stern lights of a ship, which illuminate only the track it has passed."

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English Poet

Experience, Men

16

"The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear."

"The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear."

Maya Angelou, American Poet

Friendship, Support, Listening, Communication

16

"I wish I had a brush that could paint the whole sky and turn every morning into night. I wish I could always sleep next to you in the never ending night and hold your hand, watching the reflection of all the stars in your eyes, while you smile and watch them in the sky with wonder."

"I wish I had a brush that could paint the whole sky and turn every morning into night. I wish I could always sleep next to you in the never ending night and hold your hand, watching the reflection of all the stars in your eyes, while you smile and watch them in the sky with wonder."

Akshay Vasu, Indian Poet

Romance, Love, Dream, Stars, Night

16

"The true meaning of religion is thus, not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion."

"The true meaning of religion is thus, not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion."

Matthew Arnold, English Poet

Religion, Morality, Emotion, Meaning

16

"A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees."

"A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees."

William Blake, English Poet

16

"Truth has very few friends and those few are suicides."

"Truth has very few friends and those few are suicides."

Antonio Porchia, Italian Poet

Friendship, Truth, Friends

16

"Simple the life, simpler will be your instincts, the laws that govern universe will obey your simplicity."

"Simple the life, simpler will be your instincts, the laws that govern universe will obey your simplicity."

Santosh Kalwar, Nepalese Poet

Simplicity, Life, Nature, Peace

16

"The high prize of life the crowning fortune of man is to be born with a bias to some pursuit which finds him in employment and happiness."

"The high prize of life the crowning fortune of man is to be born with a bias to some pursuit which finds him in employment and happiness."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Poet

Life, Happiness, Pursuit, Employment

16

"Thought is more important than art. To revere art and have no understanding of the process that forces it into existence, is finally not even to understand what art is."

"Thought is more important than art. To revere art and have no understanding of the process that forces it into existence, is finally not even to understand what art is."

Amiri Baraka, American Poet

Art, Thought, Existence, Understanding

16

"They would not find me changed from him they knew - only more sure of all I thought was true."

"They would not find me changed from him they knew - only more sure of all I thought was true."

Robert Frost, American Poet

16

"You're not free until you've been made captive by supreme belief."

"You're not free until you've been made captive by supreme belief."

Marianne Moore, American Poet

16

bottom of page