In This Article
About TS Eliot
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. Considered one of the 20th century’s major poets, he is a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry.
Born: 26 September 1888, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
100 Top Quotes by TS Eliot in English
- “The journey, Not the destination matters.”
- “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
- “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
- “Success is relative: It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.”
- “The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason.”
- “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”
- “Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.”
- “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land.”
- “For most of us, there is only the unattended moment, the moment in and out of time, the distraction fit, lost in a shaft of sunlight, the wild thyme unseen, or the winter lightning or the waterfall, or music heard so deeply that it is not heard at all, but you are the music while the music lasts.”
- “Hell is oneself, Hell is alone, the other figures in it, merely projections.”
- “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
- “Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome.”
- “The communication of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living.”
- “The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink.”
- “We are the hollow men, We are the stuffed men, Leaning together, Headpiece filled with straw.”
- “The only way to deal with fear is to face it head-on.”
- “The past is always present, and the future is always unknown.”
- “Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.”
- “We die to each other daily. What we know of other people is only our memory of the moments during which we knew them. And they have changed since then.”
- “The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down.”
- “It is not wise to violate rules until you know how to observe them.”
- “Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity.”
- “The purpose of education is to make you a good observer, and to make you think.”
- “In a world of fugitives, the person taking the opposite direction will appear to run away.”
- “To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man’s life.”
- “The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man.”
- “The still point of the turning world.”
- “We are all born mad. Some remain so.”
- “There are no lost causes because there are no gained causes.”
- “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
- “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
- “Mankind cannot bear too much reality.”
- “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker.”
- “The faith that stands on authority is not faith.”
- “I will show you fear in a handful of dust.”
- “Time present and time past Are contingent upon time future, And time future is always in motion.”
37. “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.”
- “The business of the poet is not to find new emotions, but to use the ordinary ones and, in working them up into poetry, to express feelings which are not in actual emotions at all.”
- “Only those who have lived in the shadows can appreciate the light.”
- “The only way to escape the corruptible effect of praise is to go on working.”
- “Every moment is a fresh beginning.”
- “The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
- “We have lingered in the chambers of the sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us, and we drown.”
- “The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.”
- “Success is relative: It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.”
- “The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility.”
- “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
- “The only way to deal with fear is to face it head-on.”
- “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
- “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
- “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.”
- “Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome.”
- “The communication of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living.”
- “I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be.”
- “The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink.”
- “The eyes are not here There are no eyes here In this valley of dying stars In this hollow valley This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms.”
- “April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.”
- “I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.”
- “For most of us, there is only the unattended Moment, the moment in and out of time, The distraction fit, lost in a shaft of sunlight, The wild thyme unseen, or the winter lightning Or the waterfall, or music heard so deeply That it is not heard at all, but you are the music While the music lasts.”
- “Not fare well, But fare forward, voyagers.”
- “The awful daring of a moment’s surrender Which an age of prudence can never retract By this, and this only, we have existed Which is not to be found in our obituaries Or in memories draped by the beneficent spider Or under seals broken by the lean solicitor In our empty rooms.”
- “In my end is my beginning.”
- “Footfalls echo in the memory Down the passage which we did not take Towards the door we never opened Into the rose-garden.”
- “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”
- “I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think they will sing to me.”
- “The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
- “Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.”
- “The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down.”
- “All significant truths are private truths. As they become public they cease to become truths; they become facts, or at best, part of the public character; or at worst, catchwords.”
- “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
- “The purpose of all literature is to make you feel something.”
- “The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.”
- “We die to each other daily. What we know of other people is only our memory of the moments during which we knew them. And they have changed since then. To pretend that they and we are the same is a useful and convenient social convention which must sometimes be broken. We must also remember that at every meeting we are meeting a stranger.”
- “I do not know much about gods, but I think that the river is a strong brown god – sullen, untamed and intractable, Patient to some degree, at first recognized as a frontier; Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce; Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges.”
- “The past is always present in the future.”
- “Words strain, Crack and sometimes break, under the burden, Under the tension, slip, slide, perish, Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place, Will not stay still.”
- “Our beginnings never know our ends.”
- “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid.”
- “Teach us to care and not to care Teach us to sit still.”
- “There is no such thing as a lost cause because there is no such thing as a gained cause. We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat and dismay may be the prelude to our successors’ victory, though that victory itself will be temporary; we fight rather to keep something alive than in the expectation that it will triumph.”
- “The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.”
- “What is hell? Hell is oneself. Hell is alone, the other figures in it Merely projections. There is nothing to escape from And nothing to escape to. One is always alone.”
- “We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats’ feet over broken glass In our dry cellar.”
- “For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.”
- “The moment of the rose and the moment of the yew-tree Are of equal duration.”
- “The end is where we start from.”
- “It is impossible to design a system so perfect that no one needs to be good.”
- “Home is where one starts from.”
- “We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and”Success is relative. It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.”
- “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
- “In my beginning is my end.”
- “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
- “The communication of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living.”
- “The only wisdom we can hope to acquire Is the wisdom of humility: humility is endless.”
- “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”
- “The world ends not with a bang, but with a whimper.”
- “April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.”
- “I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing.”
FAQs:
Who was T.S. Eliot?
T.S. Eliot was an American-born British poet, playwright, and literary critic who lived from 1888 to 1965.
What are some of T.S. Eliot’s most famous works?
Some of T.S. Eliot’s most famous works include the poems “The Waste Land,” “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” and “Four Quartets,” as well as the plays “Murder in the Cathedral” and “The Cocktail Party.”
What was T.S. Eliot’s contribution to modernist literature?
T.S. Eliot’s contribution to modernist literature was significant. His poetry and criticism helped to define the modernist movement, and he was a key figure in the development of literary modernism in the early 20th century.
Was T.S. Eliot involved in any other creative pursuits?
Yes, T.S. Eliot was also a playwright, literary critic, and editor. He edited the literary magazine “The Criterion” and was a co-founder of the publishing house Faber and Faber.
Did T.S. Eliot have any notable collaborations with other artists?
Yes, T.S. Eliot collaborated with several other artists during his career, including composer Igor Stravinsky and director E. Martin Browne.
What was T.S. Eliot’s approach to writing?
T.S. Eliot’s approach to writing was highly literary and often focused on complex themes and ideas. He was known for his use of allusions, symbolism, and unconventional forms.
Was T.S. Eliot involved in any controversial incidents?
Yes, T.S. Eliot was involved in several controversial incidents throughout his career, including the publication of his poem “The Waste Land,” which was criticized for its complexity and obscure references.
What was T.S. Eliot’s impact on literature and culture?
T.S. Eliot’s impact on literature and culture was significant. His work helped to define literary modernism and influenced generations of poets and writers.
What was T.S. Eliot’s legacy?
T.S. Eliot’s legacy is one of literary and cultural influence. His work continues to be celebrated and studied today, and he remains one of the most important and influential writers of the 20th century.
What awards and honours did T.S. Eliot receive?
T.S. Eliot received many awards and honours for his contributions to literature, including the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Order of Merit, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
