If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Though leaves are many, the root is one; Through all the lying days of my youth I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun Now I may wither into the truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the journey of personal growth and the search for truth amidst external influences.
William Butler Yeats explores the idea that while a person may exhibit many different facets and experiences in their life (the leaves), there remains a singular essence or truth at the core (the root). The passage suggests that youthful exuberance and exploration often distract one from their deeper reality, but ultimately, with maturity, there is a return to a more authentic self.
Themes
TruthGrowthYouthAuthenticityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a personal development workshop focused on self-discovery.
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
One day the absurdity of the almost universal human belief in the slavery of other animals will be palpable. We shall then have discovered our souls and become worthier of sharing this planet with them.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
Dead men do not cooperate with grace. Unless regeneration takes place first, there is no possibility of faith.
R. C. SproulRead
With pop stars or film stars, we become the object of people's self-definition, as well as the object of sexual definition.
George MichaelRead
The cause of my life has been to oppose superstition. It's a battle you can't hope to win - it's a battle that's going to go on forever. It's part of the human condition.
Christopher HitchensRead
For nothing, how little soever, that is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God.
Thomas A KempisRead
Can man, the finite and sinful one, cooperate with God, the Infinite and Holy One? Yes, he can, precisely because God Himself has become man, become body, and here (in the liturgy), again and again, he comes through his body to us who live in the body.
Pope Benedict XviRead