“The life of a poet is the life of a man who has accepted the burden of beauty.”

Describing poetic vocation as a demanding responsibility towards beauty · Essay on poetry

• Beauty
• Poetry

“The poet is the interpreter of the world to men, and the interpreter of men to themselves.”

Presenting poetry as a bridge between outward reality and inward experience · Essay on poetry

• Poetry
• Truth

“The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life.”

Urging a life directed towards work or values that endure beyond the individual · Essay / commonly attributed remark

• Art
• Mortality

“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”

Reframing failure as the refusal to make an effort rather than the loss of an attempt · Essay / commonly attributed remark

• Hope
• Truth