QuoteProject
Out of Ireland have we come, great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start. I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic heart.
William Butler Yeats
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the deep-seated emotions and struggles stemming from the conflicts in Ireland, suggesting that one's identity is shaped by both heritage and the weight of history.

William Butler Yeats articulates a complex relationship with his Irish heritage, acknowledging the profound impact of historical strife and division ('great hatred') on personal identity. The phrase 'I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic heart' conveys how ingrained these sentiments are, suggesting that passion and intensity are inherent aspects of his identity, shaped by the turmoil that surrounds him from birth.

Themes

IrelandHistoryIdentityConflictHeritagePassionFanaticism

In practice

Example use cases

Use this quote in a speech about the importance of understanding personal history in shaping one's identity.

More from William Butler Yeats

If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
It 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

REJECT ALL FORMS OF CORRUPTION THAT DIVERT RESOURCES FROM THE POOR
Pope FrancisRead
Good-bye -- if you hear of my being stood up against a stone wall and shot to rags please know that I think that a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease or falling down the cellar stairs.
Ambrose BierceRead
When people ask me where my roots are, I look down at my feet, and I see the roots of my soul grasping the earth. They are here... in the Southwest... I still live in New Mexico.
Rudolfo AnayaRead
If you're in favour of any policy - reform, revolution, stability, regression, whatever - if you're at least minimally moral, it's because you think it's somehow good for people. And good for people means conforming to their fundamental nature.
Noam ChomskyRead
You can't judge an internal injury by the size of the hole.
Salman RushdieRead
Cut off from his religious, metaphysical and transcendental roots, man is lost; all his actions become senseless, absurd, useless.
Eugene IonescoRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.