T.S. Eliot

"Whatever is true is illusory; whatever is illusory is true."

"The fundamental questions of life are ultimately unanswerable."

"I say that the man lives, not by bread alone, but by the poetical element in him."

"Poetry is not a career, but a mug's game."

"The purpose of literature is the infusion of wisdom, the instruction of life."

"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal."

"If you want to know more about an author, do not read his books—read a biography."

"Poetry is the attempt to convey to readers the full content of a poem."

"The journey, not the arrival, matters."

"There cannot be an adequate definition of a person."

"Tradition is a matter of much wider significance. It cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour."

"The very concept of the past is a human invention."

"Art can never be too pure; life can never be too real."

"The modern world thinks of giving opinions as a form of taking part in the world's compensations."

"Meaning is found neither in things nor in people, but in the space between them."

"Evil is the result of stupidity and misunderstanding."

"Anxiety is the price which one pays for defying the gods."

"If you are not amused, I shall not continue."

"We are only human—and therefore the only thing that we can truly believe in is each other."

"The worst evil is—evil done by those who believe themselves to be good."

"Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important."

"I grow old. I grow old. I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled."

"In a dark time, the eye begins to see."

"Home is where one starts from."

"The test of a mature human being is his ability to communicate with people very different from himself."

"Writing poetry is a way of organizing one's thoughts into sensible patterns."

"What every poet starts from is his own emotions."

"Knowledge is not inherent; it is acquired."

"There is the fear which precedes wisdom and that which follows understanding."

"Humankind cannot stand very much reality."