If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing.
Interpretation
Happiness comes from personal growth rather than external pleasures or virtues.
In this quote, William Butler Yeats suggests that true happiness is not found in fleeting pleasures, moral virtues, or particular achievements. Instead, he emphasizes that it stems from continuous growth and development as individuals. This perspective encourages a focus on self-improvement and personal evolution as the key to achieving lasting joy.
In practice
This quote can be shared during motivational speeches about personal growth.
If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
It was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
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.
I feel an earnest and humble desire, and shall do till I die, to increase the stock of harmless cheerfulness.
The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.
If I am happy in spite of my deprivations, if my happiness is so deep that it is a faith, so thoughtful that it becomes a philosophy of life. If, in short, I am an optimist, my testimony to the creed of optimism is worth hearing.
A cup of tea would restore my normality.
It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, I feel good, and no one's gonna stop me now.
I would challenge anybody in their darkest moment to write what they're grateful for, even stupid little things like the green grass that made them feel good, the friendly conversation they had with somebody on an alevator. You start to realize how rich you are.
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