We get wise by asking questions, and even if these are not answered we get wise, for a well-packed question carries its answer on its back as a snail carries its shell.

The duty of a lyrical poet is not to express or explain, it is to intensify life.

Because our lives are cowardly and sly, Because we do not dare to take or give, Because we scowl and pass each other by, We do not live; we do not dare to live.

I hear a sudden cry of pain! There is a rabbit in a snare.

It is by love alone that we understand anything

Let the past be content with itself, for man needs forgetfulness as well as memory

My three-thousand mile walk through Ireland convinced me of one thing - the possibility of organising a proper movement for the independence of my native land.