If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
When I think of all the books I have read, and of the wise words I have heard spoken, and of the anxiety I have given to parents and grandparents, and of the hopes that I have had, all life weighed in the scales of my own life seems to me a preparation for something that never happens.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on life's experiences as a preparation for something elusive and unattainable.
William Butler Yeats expresses a sense of existential contemplation, where he reflects on the vast array of experiences he has gathered through reading, listening to wisdom, and dealing with personal anxieties. He conveys a feeling of disillusionment as he realizes that despite all these preparations, life seems to lead to an unresolved anticipation for something significant that ultimately never materializes.
Themes
LifePreparationWisdomExperienceAnxietyDisillusionment
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to highlight the unpredictability of life.
More from William Butler Yeats
All quotes →It was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
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But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
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How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
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For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
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Love is created and preserved by intellectual analysis, for we love only that which is unique, and it belongs to contemplation, not to action, for we would not change that which we love.
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