William Butler Yeats Quotes

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Man can embody truth but he cannot know it.

Wine comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye; That's all we shall know for truth Before we grow old and die.

I am of a healthy long lived race, and our minds i... -William Butler Yeats

I am of a healthy long lived race, and our minds improve with age.

The best lack all conviction, while the worst are ... -William Butler Yeats

The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.

Discovering the context

This quote offers a thought-provoking observation on human nature and belief systems. It implies that those with the greatest wisdom or insight may often remain humble and contemplative, while individuals with less understanding may exhibit fervent and intense beliefs. It reflects on the complexity of human conviction.

Nor dread nor hope attend a dying animal; a man aw... -William Butler Yeats

Nor dread nor hope attend a dying animal; a man awaits his end dreading and hoping all.

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The quote draws a contrast between the reactions of an animal and a human when facing death, implying that humans experience both dread and hope while anticipating their final moments.

How far away the stars seem, and how far is our fi... -William Butler Yeats

How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.

I think you can leave the arts, superior or inferi... -William Butler Yeats

I think you can leave the arts, superior or inferior, to the conscience of mankind.

Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.

The years like great black oxen tread the world, and God, the herdsman goads them on behind, and I am broken by their passing feet.

Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

You that would judge me, do not judge alone this book or that, come to this hallowed place where my friends' portraits hang and look thereon; Ireland's history in their lineaments trace; think where man's glory most begins and ends and say my glory was I had such friends.

Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing.

One should not lose one's temper unless one is cer... -William Butler Yeats

One should not lose one's temper unless one is certain of getting more and more angry to the end.

Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and ... -William Butler Yeats

Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.

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This quote reflects on the significance of friendship and suggests that the speaker's greatest source of pride and happiness lies in their relationships and connections with others.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the li... -William Butler Yeats

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

Designs in connection with postage stamps and coinage may be described, I think, as the silent ambassadors on national taste.

Why should we honour those that die upon the field of battle? A man may show as reckless a courage in entering into the abyss of himself.

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but ma... -William Butler Yeats

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.

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This quote emphasizes the importance of taking initiative and creating favorable conditions rather than waiting for perfect timing or external factors. It suggests that success is achieved by actively pursuing goals and making opportunities through proactive effort.

I heard the old, old, men say 'all that's beautifu... -William Butler Yeats

I heard the old, old, men say 'all that's beautiful drifts away, like the waters.'

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This quote reflects the transient and ephemeral nature of beauty and suggests that beautiful things, like water, eventually fade or pass away with the passage of time.

But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

In dreams begins responsibility.

We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, ... -William Butler Yeats

We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry.

To be born woman is to know - although they do not speak of it at school - women must labor to be beautiful.

There are no strangers here; Only friends you have... -William Butler Yeats

There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met.

The light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed, the shadow of shadows on the deed alone.

I have known more men destroyed by the desire to have wife and child and to keep them in comfort than I have seen destroyed by drink and harlots.

I balanced all, brought all to mind, the years to come seemed waste of breath, a waste of breath the years behind, in balance with this life, this death.

You know what the Englishman's idea of compromise is? He says, Some people say there is a God. Some people say there is no God. The truth probably lies somewhere between these two statements.

The worst thing about some men is that when they a... -William Butler Yeats

The worst thing about some men is that when they are not drunk they are sober.

Discovering the context

This quote humorously suggests that some individuals behave so poorly even when they are not under the influence of alcohol, emphasizing their inherent flaws.

William Butler Yeats Quotes

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