You must be fit to give before you can be fit to receive.

I came to the resolve that the attempt was not only worth trying, but should be tried in the very near future if we wanted at all to keep our flag flying; for I was sure as of my own existence that if another decade was allowed to pass without an endeavour of some kind or another to shake off an unjust yoke, the Irish people would sink into lethargy from which it would be impossible for any patriot . . . to arouse them . . .

Is it not possible that the ultimate end is gaiety and music and a dance of joy?

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.

I would think Until I found Something I can never find; - Something Lying On the ground, In the bottom Of my mind.

Finality is death. Perfection is finality. Nothing is perfect. There are lumps in it.

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