1,059 Quotes by William Butler Yeats

Time drops in decay,Like a candle burnt out,And the mountains and woodsHave their day, have their day;

Like a long-legged fly upon the stream / His mind moves upon silence.

Talent perceives differences; genius, unity.

The old priest Peter Gilligan Was weary night and day; For half his flock were in their beds, Or under green sods lay.

Lionel Johnson comes the first to mind, That loved his learning better than mankind, Though courteous to the worst; much falling he Brooded upon sanctity....

But was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Why should the imagination of a man Long past his prime remember things that are Emblematical of love and war?

Why should I blame her that she filled my days With misery, or that she would of late Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways, Or hurled the little streets upon the great, Had they but courage equal to desire? What could have made her peaceful with a mind That nobleness made simple as a fire, With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind That is not natural in an age like this Being high and solitary and most stern? Why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn?