Quotes by William Butler Yeats

Wine comes in at the mouth and love comes in at the eye thats all we shall know for truth before we grow old and die.

Only that which does not teach which does not cry out which does not condescend which does not explain is irresistible.

All empty souls tend to extreme opinion.

Of our conflicts with others we make rhetoric of our conflicts with ourselves we make poetry.

A statesman is an easy man He tells his lies by rote A journalist makes up his lies And takes you by the throat So stay at home and drink your beer And let the neighbours vote.

Be secret and exult Because of all things known That is most difficult.

Florence Farr once said to me If we could say to ourselves with sincerity this passing moment is as good as any I shall ever know we could die upon the instant and be united with God.

She bid me take love easy as the leaves grow on the tree But I being young and foolish with her would not agree.

The only business of the head in the world is to bow a ceaseless obeisance to the heart.

Think where mans glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.

Take, if you must, this little bag of dreams, Unloose the cord, and they will wrap you round.

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

In dreams begins responsibility.

Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing.

The innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time.

To be born woman is to know - although they do not speak of it at school - women must labor to be beautiful.

I have believed the best of every man. And find that to believe is enough to make a bad man show him at his best, or even a good man swings his lantern higher.

Why should we honour those that die upon the field of battle? A man may show as reckless a courage in entering into the abyss of himself.

You that would judge me, do not judge alone this book or that, come to this hallowed place where my friends portraits hang and look thereon; Irelands history in their lineaments trace; think where mans glory most begins and ends and say my glory was I had such friends.