William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker whose creative brilliance left a deep mark on literature and visual arts during the Romantic Era. He was known for his unique ideas, creativity, and his deep reflections on the human condition. Here are the best William Blake quotes about life, love, nature, art, beauty, and many more.
Born in 1757, Blake had incredible skills in both writing and art. He was not only a visionary poet but also an accomplished engraver and painter, blending both his words and imagination to create something truly special.
Although his writings and paintings went unnoticed during his lifetime, his works were very much appreciated after his death and are now hugely acclaimed by artists and critics alike. Some of his engravings are now valued in millions and are considered as prized possessions.
To an extent that led 21st-century critic Jonathan Jones to regard him as “the greatest artist Britain has ever produced.”
Blake’s work was filled with deep spirituality, mysticism, and important thoughts about society, leaving an enduring legacy in the Romantic period.
Some of his famous works include ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience,’ ‘The Tyger,’ ‘The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,’ ‘The Chimney Sweeper,’ ‘Jerusalem,’ and ‘Milton.’
Blake claimed to have visions throughout his life that he used as inspiration for his work. He used his visions to explore the meaning of life, the beauty of innocence, and the importance of excessive experience.
From love and religion to faith and God, these inspirational William Blake quotes and words of wisdom from the talented artist will change your perspective on life.
Top 10 William Blake Quotes
- “To generalize is to be an idiot.” — William Blake
- “What is now proved was once only imagined.” — William Blake
William Blake Quotes - “Excessive sorrow laughs. Excessive joy weeps.” — William Blake
Quotes From William Blake - “It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” — William Blake
Quotes By William Blake - “He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.” — William Blake
Best William Blake Quotes - “The imagination is not a state: it is the human existence itself.” —William Blake
William Blake Quotations - “A truth that’s told with bad intent Beats all the lies you can invent.” — William Blake
William Blake Phrases - “Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed.” — William Blake
William Blake Sayings - “You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.” — William Blake
William Blake Quote - “The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.” — William Blake
Inspirational William Blake Quotes
Best Quotes By William Blake
- “As we are, so we see.” — William Blake
- “You become what you behold.” — William Blake
- “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.” — William Blake
- “Make your own rules or be a slave to another man’s.” — William Blake
- “My mother groaned, my father wept, into the dangerous world I leapt.” — William Blake
- “Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.” — William Blake
- “We are not meant to resolve all contradictions but to live with them and rise above them.” — William Blake
- “The person who does not believe in miracles surely makes it certain that he will never take part in one.” — William Blake
- “When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do.” — William Blake
- “To some people a tree is something so incredibly beautiful that it brings tears to the eyes. To others it is just a green thing that stands in the way.” — William Blake
Famous Quotes From William Blake
- “Work up imagination to the state of vision.” — William Blake
- “Each man is haunted until his humanity awakens.” — William Blake
- “I see the Past, Present & Future existing all at once Before me.” —William Blake
- “Joy and woe are woven fine, A clothing for the soul divine. Under every grief and pine Runs a joy with silken twine.” — William Blake
- “In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.” — William Blake
- “I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.” — William Blake
- “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” — William Blake
- “In your own bosom you bear your heaven and earth, And all you behold, though it appears without, It is within, in your imagination, Of which this world of mortality is but a shadow.” — William Blake
- “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.” — William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
- “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” — William Blake
William Blake Quotes On Love & Life
- “Eternity is in love with the productions of time.” — William Blake
- “I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine love.” — William Blake
- “Throughout all eternity, I forgive you and you forgive me.” — William Blake
- “Enlightenment means taking full responsibility for your life.” — William Blake
- “He who kisses joy as it flies by will live in eternity’s sunrise.” — William Blake
- “To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour.” ― William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
- “I was walking among the fires of Hell, delighted with the enjoyments of Genius; which to Angels look like torment and insanity.” — William Blake
- “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
- “Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence.” — William Blake
- “Love is weak when there is more doubt than there is trust, but love is most strong when you learn to trust even with all the doubts. If a thing loves, it is infinite.” — William Blake
Inspirational Quotes By William Blake
- “Exuberance is beauty.” — William Blake
- “One thought fills immensity.” — William Blake
- “Better to shun the bait than struggle in the snare.” — William Blake
- “No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” — William Blake
- “Mans desires are limited by his perceptions; none can desire what he has not perceived.” — William Blake
- “Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.” — William Blake
- “What is Grand is necessarily obscure to Weak men. That which can be made Explicit to the idiot is not worth my care.” — William Blake
- “He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies. Lives in eternity’s sun rise.” — William Blake
- “The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the vegetative body.” — William Blake
- “This life’s dim windows of the soul Distorts the heavens from pole to pole And leads you to believe a lie When you see with, not through, the eye.” — William Blake
More About William Blake
William Blake was a famous poet and print-maker from London. He created some of the most remarkable engravings of his time, including the Illustrations of the Book of Job.
He discovered his passion for art at a young age, and his parents wholeheartedly supported his talent. They sent him to Henry Par’s Drawing School in London just when he was ten years old for formal training.
After completing his time at the drawing school, Blake joined James Basire as an apprentice who taught him the valuable art of engraving.
As he started his professional career as an engraver, Blake initially worked on copying the works of other artists. However, with time, he created his own unique designs, paving his path for his creative artistic journey.
William Blake Poems
William Blake is renowned for many poems, and some of his most famous ones include:
- The Tyger: This poem throws light on the nature of creation and the presence of evil, raising questions about the tiger’s fiery eyes and fearful uniformity.
- The Lamb: Opposite to his poem “The Tyger,” this poem reflects on innocence and purity, symbolized by a lamb. it gives a message that God created the natural world, and he and his son Jesus Christ can be seen in the beauty of their creations.
- The Chimney Sweeper: This poem touches on the theme of child labor, portraying the harsh reality faced by chimney sweepers.
- The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: This poem depicts the constant interplay between good and evil, innocence and experience, suggesting that both are essential for growth.
- Jerusalem: This poem conveys the effects of industrial development on England. The central theme of the poem is England’s loss of innocence.
Famous William Blake Paintings
William Blake was not only a renowned poet but also a talented painter and printmaker. Some of his famous paintings and engravings include:
- Newton
- Ancient of Days
- The Ghost of a Flea
- The Angel of Revelation
- The Great Red Dragon Paintings
Conclusion
What are your favorite William Blake quotes and sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
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