“It seems to me nothing should be done, when you are not in the mood for…” — Mary Coleridge | V2Melody

“It seems to me nothing should be done, when you are not in the mood for it, except Duty.”

Separating genuine inclination from obligations that must still be met · Gathered Leaves, letters and diaries, 1889

Truth

About Mary Coleridge

Mary Coleridge

23 September 1861–25 August 1907

In the twilight of the Victorian era, when the literary world was dominated by towering figures like Tennyson, Browning, and Swinburne, a quieter voice emerged from the shadows of London's Hyde Park Square. Mary Elizabeth Coleridge, born on September 23, 1861, would prove to be one of the most intriguing and…

More by Mary Coleridge

Poems by Mary Coleridge

More remarks by Mary Coleridge

“There is delightful freemasonry in a fog. Ignorant people will always help each other. Half knowledge is very communicable; not so knowledge.”

A witty observation on uncertainty, fellowship and the limits of knowledge · Gathered Leaves, letters and diaries, 1888

“There are things that Art is bound to try, and never to accomplish, and the very effort after them, given that it is the highest effort of the imagination, interests more than success.”

Valuing ambitious artistic striving even when complete success is impossible · Gathered Leaves, letters and diaries, 1897–1907

Art
Beauty

“Art is an odd thing, isn't it? It's almost the only thing that seems to me to remain unchanged throughout one's life.”

Seeing art as a rare continuity across the changes of a lifetime · Gathered Leaves, letters and diaries, 1897–1907

Art
Time