And thou my minde aspire to higher things;_x000D_ _x000D_ Grow rich in that which never taketh rust.
Philip SidneyRead
If you have so earth-creeping a mind that it cannot lift itself up to look to the sky of poetry... thus much curse I must send you, in the behalf of all poets, that while you live, you live in love, and never get favour for lacking skill of a sonnet; and, when you die, your memory die from the earth for want of an epitaph.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of creativity and appreciation for poetry, suggesting that a lack of imaginative thinking leads to an unremarkable legacy.
Philip Sidney's quote critiques those who remain grounded solely in practical matters, lacking the ability to appreciate the beauty and depth of poetry. He curses those with such a limited mindset by wishing that their lives would be filled with love and that they would be remembered poorly, deprived of poetic creativity, which he believes is crucial for a meaningful existence.
Themes
PoetryCreativityImaginationLegacyLove
In practice
Example use cases
During a literary discussion, one might use this quote to emphasize the value of poetic expression in culture.
More from Philip Sidney
All quotes →So, then, the best of the historian is subject to the poet; for whatsoever action or faction, whatsoever counsel, policy, or war-stratagem the historian is bound to recite, that may the poet, if he list, with his imitation make his own, beautifying it both for further teaching and more delighting, as it pleaseth him; having all, from Dante’s Heaven to his Hell, under the authority of his pen.
Philip SidneyRead
A true knight is fuller of bravery in the midst, than in the beginning of danger.
Philip SidneyRead
Shallow brooks murmur most, deep and silent slide away.
Philip SidneyRead
Fool," said my muse to me. "Look in thy heart and write.
Philip SidneyRead
In forming a judgment, lay your hearts void of foretaken opinions; else, whatsoever is done or said, will be measured by a wrong rule; like them who have jaundice, to whom everything appears yellow.
Philip SidneyRead
Similar quotes
Most of the time you're too busy to think about it. But every now and then you say, 'I work at 'Saturday Night Live,' and that is so cool.
Tina FeyRead
If you want to be an entertainer, then go be an entertainer and give people what they want. If you want to be an artist, then you have to be true to yourself, and you have to be prepared to confront expectations - and you have to be prepared to disappoint your fans, too.
Steven WilsonRead
One never knows what one is going to do. One starts a painting and then it becomes something quite different.
Pablo PicassoRead
We’re all children of Kubrick, aren’t we? Is there anything you can do that he hasn’t done?
Paul Thomas AndersonRead
Musicians are often asked to answer for an entire culture, or for an entire movement. It's a process of commodification. It becomes packaged and summarized in a word like 'emo' or 'grunge'... or 'folk music.' I think that's just language itself, trying to understand the mysteries of the world.
Sufjan StevensRead
There are no limits to what kind of bodies, which types of people, which genders, or what races can do amazing drag, and I think the audience is clamoring fighting with each other more and more to see drag represented as fully as it possibly can be.
Sasha VelourRead