If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Grant me an old man's frenzy, Myself must I remake Till I am Timon and Lear Or that William Blake Who beat upon the wall Till Truth obeyed his call.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a desire for transformation and the pursuit of truth through chaos and fervor.
In this quote, Yeats conveys a yearning for the intensity and passion of old age as a means to remake oneself. He references the figures of Timon and Lear, who embody the struggle against despair and the quest for truth, paralleling his admiration for William Blake, who relentlessly sought understanding until he attained it. This highlights the deep connection between fervor, personal evolution, and the relentless pursuit of truth.
Themes
TransformationTruthFervorWisdomIntensity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of transformation.
More from William Butler Yeats
All quotes βIt was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
William Butler YeatsRead
But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
William Butler YeatsRead
How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
William Butler YeatsRead
For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
William Butler YeatsRead
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.
William Butler YeatsRead
Similar quotes
There is only one time when it is essential to awaken. That time is now.
Gautama BuddhaRead
There is only one map to the journey of life and it lives within your heart
Willie NelsonRead
There are domains in which expertise is not possible. Stock picking is a good example. And in long-term political strategic forecasting, it's been shown that experts are just not better than a dice-throwing monkey.
Daniel KahnemanRead
Truth, when not sought after, rarely comes to light.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Remember, until you become a buddha you have wasted your life. Buddhahood is your flowering, your fragrance. A tree is fulfilled when it blooms, and a man is fulfilled when he releases the fragrance of buddhahood, when he becomes luminous; then he comes to know who he is. In knowing that, all is known. In knowing that, God is known. In knowing that, truth is achieved - you become the truth, and truth liberates. Truth is freedom.
RajneeshRead
In the midst of a world of light and love, of song and feast and dance, [Lucifer] could find nothing to think of more interesting than his own prestige.
C. S. LewisRead