Quotes from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell's despair.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I water'd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with my smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veil'd the pole:
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch'd beneath the tree.

- A Poison Tree”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

-A Poison Tree”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Can I see anothers woe,
And not be in sorrow too.
Can I see anothers grief,
And not seek for kind relief.

- On Anothers Sorrow”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“For Mercy has a human heart
Pity, a human face:
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Little Fly
Thy summers play,
My thoughtless hand
Has brush'd away.

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

For I dance
And drink & sing:
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.

If thought is life
And strength & breath:
And the want
Of thought is death;

Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm.
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy;
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

- The Sick Rose”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring?”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“I wander through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow;
A mark in every face I meet,
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,
In every infant’s cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear:

How the chimney-sweeper’s cry
Every blackening church appals,
And the hapless soldier’s sigh
Runs in blood down palace-walls.

But most, through midnight streets I hear
How the youthful harlot’s curse
Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,
And blights with plagues the marriage-hearse.

- London”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Can I see anothers woe,
And not be in sorrow too.
Can I see anothers grief,
And not seek for kind relief.

Can I see a falling tear.
And not feel my sorrows share,
Can a father see his child,
Weep, nor be with sorrow fill'd.

Can a mother sit and hear,
An infant groan, an infant fear-
No no never can it be,
Never, never can it be.

- On Anothers Sorrow”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“And, father, how can I love you
Or any of my brothers more?
I love you like the little bird
That picks up crumbs around the door.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“A flower was offered to me,
Such a flower as May never bore;
But I said "I've a pretty rose tree,"
And I passed the sweet flower o'er.
Then I went to my pretty rose tree,
To tend her by day and by night;
But my rose turned away with jealousy,
And her thorns were my only delight.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“The modest Rose puts forth a Thorn.
The humble Sheep a threat'ning Horn.
While the Lily white shall in love delight.
Nor a Thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Hear the voice of the Bard!
Who Present, Past, & Future sees
Whose ears have heard,
The Holy Word,
That walk'd among the ancient trees.

Calling the lapsed Soul
And weeping in the evening dew:
That might controll,
The starry pole;
And fallen fallen light renew!

O Earth O Earth return!
Arise from out the dewy grass;
Night is worn,
And the morn
Rises from the slumberous mass.

Turn away no more:
Why wilt thou turn away
The starry floor
The watry shore
Is giv'n thee till the break of day.

- "Introduction to the Songs of Experience”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“A happy fly
If I live
Or if I die”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Piping down the valleys wild
Piping songs of pleasant glee
On a cloud I saw a child.
And he laughing said to me.

Pipe a song about a Lamb;
So I piped with merry chear,
Piper pipe that song again—
So I piped, he wept to hear.

Drop thy pipe thy happy pipe
Sing thy songs of happy chear,
So I sung the same again
While he wept with joy to hear

Piper sit thee down and write
In a book that all may read—
So he vanish'd from my sight.
And I pluck'd a hollow reed.

And I made a rural pen,
And I stain'd the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs
Every child may joy to hear.

- "Introduction to the Songs of Innocence”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“My mother groand! my father wept.
Into the dangerous world I leapt:
Helpless, naked, piping loud;
Like a fiend hid in a cloud.

Struggling in my fathers hands:
Striving against my swaddling bands:
Bound and weary I thought best
To sulk upon my mothers breast.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Y todos deben amar a la forma humana,
Sean paganos, turcos o judíos;
Donde moran la Misericordia, el Amor
y la Piedad,
allí Dios también tiene su morada.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Aşk sırf Kendini memnun etmeye uğraşır,
Başkasını Kendi keyfine kurban eder:
Başkasının rahatının kaçmasından zevk alır,
Ve Cennete rağmen bir Cehennem kurar.”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Yıldızlar mızraklarını aşağıya atınca,
Göğü sulayınca gözyaşlarıyla,
Güldü mü o, görünce eserini?
Kuzuyu yaratan mı yarattı seni?”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“Mümkün değil Düşüncenin kendisinden
Daha büyük bir şeyi tanıması”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

“ПО ОБРАЗУ И ПОДОБИЮ

Сердце людское — в груди Бессердечья;
Зависть имеет лицо человечье;
Ужас родится с людскою статью;
Тайна рядится в людское платье.

Платье людское подобно железу,
Стать человечья — пламени горна,
Лик человечий — запечатанной печи,
А сердце людское — что голодное горло!”
― William Blake, quote from Songs of Innocence and of Experience

About the author

Popular quotes

“As always, I was too aware of Edythe sitting close enough to touch, but still so far away she might as well have been a product of my imagination.”
― Stephenie Meyer, quote from Twilight / Life and Death

“I agree. I certainly like your mouth”
― Richelle Mead, quote from The Glittering Court

“Sometimes you lie to deceive people. Sometimes you lie because you need the lie to become the truth.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Ship of the Dead

“In all provinces of life, it is unhappily the case, that whatever is to be accomplished by a number of co-operating men and circumstances cannot long continue perfect. Of an acting company as well as of a kingdom, of a circle of friends as well as of an army, you may commonly select the moment when it may be said that all was standing on the highest pinnacle of harmony, perfection, contentment, and activity. But alterations will ere long occur; the individuals that compose the body often change; new members are added; the persons are no longer suited to the circumstances, or the circumstances to the persons; what was formerly united quickly falls asunder.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, quote from Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship

“My geological examination of the country generally created a good deal of surprise amongst the Chilenos: it was long before they could be convinced that I was not hunting for mines. This was sometimes troublesome: I found the most ready way of explaining my employment, was to ask them how it was that they themselves were not curious concerning earthquakes and volcanos? – why some springs were hot and others cold? – why there were mountains in Chile, and not a hill in La Plata? These bare questions at once satisfied and silenced the greater number; some, however (like a few in England who are a century behind hand), thought that all such inquiries were useless and impious; and that it was quite sufficient that God had thus made the mountains.”
― Charles Darwin, quote from Voyage of the Beagle

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.