All those large dreams by which men long live well Are magic-lanterned on the smoke of hell.

- William Empson

Proust has listed a great many reasons why it is impossible to be happy, but, in the course of being happy, one finds it difficult to remember them.

- William Empson

The machinations of ambiguity are among the very roots of poetry.

- William Empson

Poetry contains nothing haphazard.

- William Empson

The difficult part of good temper consists in forbearance, and accommodation to the ill-humors of others.

- William Empson

Law makes long spokes of the short stakes of men.

- William Empson

Life involves maintaining oneself between contradictions that can't be solved by analysis.

- William Empson

To produce pure proletarian art the artist must be at one with the worker; this is impossible, not for political reasons, but because the artist neve…

- William Empson

The heart of standing is that you cannot fly.

- William Empson