Quotes & anectdotes from the wise, the foolish, the courageous & the drunk

William Blake Poet

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United Kingdom
  • Born: Nov 28, 1757
  • Died: Aug 12, 1827

William Blake was an English painter, poet and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". In 2002, Blake was placed at number 38 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Although he lived in London his entire life, he produced a diverse and symbolically rich oeuvre, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God" or "human existence itself".

Although Blake was considered mad by contemporaries for his idiosyncratic views, he is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. His paintings and poetry have been characterised as part of the Romantic movement and as "Pre-Romantic".

Travelers repose and dream among my leaves. travel

When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do. truth

Active Evil is better than Passive Good. being good

Great things are done when men and mountains meet. greatness & men

Where mercy, love, and pity dwell, there God is dwelling too. God

Eternity is in love with the productions of time. time

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship. friendship

I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans I will not reason and compare: my business is to create. business

Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow. imagination

The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest. thankful & Thanksgiving

The difference between a bad artist and a good one is: the bad artist seems to copy a great deal the good one really does. greatness

He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sun rise. life

The hours of folly are measured by the clock but of wisdom, no clock can measure. wisdom

What is grand is necessarily obscure to weak men. That which can be made explicit to the idiot is not worth my care. men

A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent. truth

In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. time

Art is the tree of life. Science is the tree of death. art, death & science

Prisons are built with stones of Law. Brothels with the bricks of religion. religion

Exuberance is beauty. beauty

Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night. morning

Excessive sorrow laughs. Excessive joy weeps. sympathy

The man who never in his mind and thoughts travel'd to heaven is no artist. travel

The weak in courage is strong in cunning. courage

Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief? sadness

Fun I love, but too much fun is of all things the most loathsome. Mirth is better than fun, and happiness is better than mirth. happiness

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. wisdom

Opposition is true friendship. friendship

The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness. forgiveness & religion

The true method of knowledge is experiment. knowledge

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. forgiveness

Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell's despair. love

Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed. art & beauty

Mother's Day May 12, 2025

Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. 22 quotes from Robert Browning

22 quotes from Robert Browning

A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. 53 more quotes from Honore de Balzac

53 more quotes from Honore de Balzac

With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood. 5 quotes from Isadora Duncan

5 quotes from Isadora Duncan

The babe at first feeds upon the mother's bosom, but it is always on her heart. 58 thoughts from Henry Ward Beecher

58 thoughts from Henry Ward Beecher