51+ Inspiring Poetry Quotes From The Best Lines Of Literature

Martha Martins
Dec 12, 2023 By Martha Martins
Originally Published on Mar 17, 2021
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
A woman's hand holding flowers and a poetry book in a romantic vibe
Age: 0-99
Read time: 8.0 Min

The popularity of reading poetry has been rising rapidly for the last few years.

Poetry is one such form of literature that lets one express their true feelings. Genuine poetry can communicate the things that can be hard to say in usual conversations.

When it comes to one of the oldest forms of literature, poetry does get a place because of its rich oral traditions. Hence, there are many forms of poetry, such as lyrical, narrative, sonnet, and many more. Did you know that April is celebrated as the National Poetry month since 1996? If not, start on the journey to learn more about poetry through famous poetry quotes written by some significant poets.

If you like the recommendations for poetry quotes, do check out Rupi Kaur quotes and Robert Browning quotes for more insights into the world of poesy.

Famous Poetry Quotes From Renowned Poets

old and rustic books in a pile

When it comes to poets and their work, most of us are familiar with the renowned names. In this section, you will find some most famous poems that have resonated with people through their whims and rhymes.

1. “I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by...”

Robert Frost, ‘The Road Not Taken’.

2. “Hope is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -”

Emily Dickinson.

3. “Ride, ride, ride on in the great new blimps‒

Cross-unheard of oceans, circle the planet.

When you come back we may sit by the five hollyhocks. ”

‒ Carl Sandburg, ‘Accomplished Facts’.

4. “No man is an island,

Entire of itself,

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.”

John Donne.

5. “When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

‒ William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 18’.

6. “I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Walt Whitman, ‘Song Of Myself’.

7. “Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.”

Langston Hughes, ‘Dreams’.

8. “O thou unlucky one,

With the thunder flame of pain

Ignite your own heart,

And let it burn alone.”

‒ Rabindranath Tagore.

9. “Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Dylan Thomas, ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’.

10. “Our deeds were neither great nor rare.

Home is where we have to gather grace.”

‒ Nissim Ezekiel, ‘Enterprise’.

Celebrated Poetry Quotes About Love

When it comes to love, poets are known for using their words to create powerful ideals for the heart and soul. The base of emotion and its connection to nature has been able to create movements around the world. So, here are some instances of great love poems.

11. “I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.”

‒ Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘How Do I Love Thee?’.

12. “i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)”

‒ E. E. Cummings.

13. “O my Luve is like the melody

  That’s sweetly played in tune.”

Robert Burns, ‘A Red, Red Rose’.

14. “Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.

It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.”

‒ Carol Ann Duffy, ‘Valentine’.

15. “It’s a single

vowel in this metallic

silence, a mouth that says

O again and again in wonder

and pain, a breath, a finger

grip on a cliffside. You can

hold on or let go.”

‒ Margaret Atwood, ‘Variations On The Word Love’.

16. “I loved you first: but afterwards your love

Outsoaring mine, sang such a loftier song

As drowned the friendly cooings of my dove.”

‒ Christina Rossetti.

17. “I should have loved a thunderbird instead;

At least when spring comes they roar back again.”

Sylvia Plath, ‘Mad Girl's Love Song’.

18. “Don't leave now that you're here—

Stay. So the world may become like itself again...”

‒ Faiz Ahmed Faiz, ‘Before You Came’.

19. “I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.”

‒ Pablo Neruda.

20. “And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind

And then you know that you can trust her

For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.”

Leonard Cohen, ‘Suzanne’.

21. “Escape me?

Never—

Beloved!

While I am I, and you are you…”

‒ Robert Browning, ‘Life In A Love’.

22. “Without you I'd be an unleafed tree

Blasted in a bleakness with no Spring.”

‒ Daniel Hoffman, ‘Yours’.

23. “I was, in that moment, new; you were 19; I was 22;

you were impulsive; I was there in front of you, with a future

that hadn't yet been burned for fuel…”

‒ Matthew Yeager, ‘Poem To First Love’.

24. “Admirer as I think I am

Of stars that do not give a damn,

I cannot, now I see them, say

I missed one terribly all day.”

W. H. Auden, ‘The More Loving One’.

25. “Eros harrows my heart:

wild winds whipping desolate mountains,

uprooting oaks.”

Sappho, ‘Fragment 42’.

Powerful Poetry Quotes About Life

Here are some famous lines from poetry from poets, that deal with the beauty of life and emotion.

26. “Every soul that touches yours -

Be it the slightest contact -

Get there from some good;”

‒ George Eliot.

27. “Did you hear about the rose that grew

from a crack in the concrete?

Proving nature’s law is wrong it

learned to walk with out having feet.”

‒ Tupac Shakur, ‘The Rose That Grew From Concrete’.

28.”I took my Power in my Hand—

And went against the World—

‘Twas not so much as David—had—

But I—was twice as bold—”

‒ Emily Dickinson.

29. “Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,—act in the living Present!”

‒ H. W. Longfellow, ‘A Psalm Of Life’.

30. “And miles to go before I sleep,  

And miles to go before I sleep.”

‒ Robert Frost, ‘Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening’.

31. “The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.”

‒ Carl Sandburg, ‘Fog’.

32. “Ai, I’ll not speak of sadness here on Earth,

of having lost a companion

who was never servile.”

Pablo Neruda.

33. “i am life

soft enough

to offer life

tough enough

to drown it away.”

‒ Rupi Kaur.

34. “your life is your life

don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.”

‒ Charles Bukowski, ‘The Laughing Heart’.

35. “Ride the wise eagle (you shall not fall).

Ride the silver fish (you will not drown).”

‒ Neil Gaiman, ‘Instructions’.

36. “My heart leaps up when I behold

A Rainbow in the sky…”

William Wordsworth.

Remarkable Quotes About Poetry

Quotes about poetry from notable people and poets help us understand the art form's beauty in a better way. The language and art of a poem get clear through these quotes by poets, and you can use these words during National Poetry Month.

37. “I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.”

Billy Collins, ‘Introduction To Poetry’.

38. “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I know that is poetry.”

‒ Emily Dickinson.

39. “It is a test [that] genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.”

‒ T. S. Eliot.

40. “The world is full of poetry.”

‒ James Gates.

41. “Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power.”

‒ Paul Engle.

42. “A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.”

‒ W. H. Auden.

43. “Don’t write love poems when you’re in love. Write them when you’re not in love.”

‒ Richard Hugo.

44. “The great instrument of moral good is the imagination; and poetry administers to the effect by acting on the cause.”

‒ Percy Bysshe Shelley, ‘A Defence Of Poetry’.

45. “My subject is War, and the pity of War.

The Poetry is in the pity.”

‒ Wilfred Owen.

46. “Reality only reveals itself when it is illuminated by a ray of poetry.”

‒ Georges Braque.

47. “The poet is the priest of the invisible.”

‒ Wallace Stevens.

48. “I do not go in search of poetry. I wait for poetry to visit me.”

‒ Eugenio Montale.

49. “I consider myself a poet first and a musician second.”

‒ Bob Dylan.

50. “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public…”

Allen Ginsberg.

51. “Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.”

‒ Edgar Allen Poe.

52. “Poetry might be defined as the clear expression of mixed feelings.”

‒ W. H. Auden.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for poetry quotes then why not take a look at genius quotes, or inspiring quotes for teens.

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Written by Martha Martins

Bachelor of Arts specializing in Linguistics

Martha Martins picture

Martha MartinsBachelor of Arts specializing in Linguistics

Martha is a full-time creative writer, content strategist, and aspiring screenwriter who communicates complex thoughts and ideas effectively. She has completed her Bachelor's in Linguistics from Nasarawa State University. As an enthusiast of public relations and communication, Martha is well-prepared to substantially impact your organization as your next content writer and strategist. Her dedication to her craft and commitment to delivering high-quality work enables her to create compelling content that resonates with audiences.

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