If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Man can embody truth but he cannot know it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that while humans can represent or live by truth, they can never fully comprehend it.
William Butler Yeats expresses the idea that truth is an elusive concept that transcends human understanding. Although individuals can embody or reflect truth through their actions, beliefs, or art, the complete essence of truth remains beyond our grasp. This speaks to the limitations of human knowledge and the complexity of existence.
Themes
TruthKnowledgeUnderstandingHuman ExperienceExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of truth in a classroom.
More from William Butler Yeats
All quotes βIt was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
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But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
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How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
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For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
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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.
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