The harlot's cry from street to street Shall weave old England's winding sheet.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The suffering of the marginalized will contribute to the downfall of a nation.
- In plain terms
- Prostitutes suffering predicts England's end.
- What can you take from it?
- Ignore marginalized voices at your peril.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does society treat its outcasts?
Another view
It attributes national fate to one group's suffering.
More from William Blake
He who doubts from what he sees Will ne'er believe, do what you please. If the sun and moon should doubt They'd immediately go out.
Permalink to quote #134 Every night, and every morn, Some to misery are born. Every morn, and every night, Some are born to sweet delight. Some are born to sweet delight. Some are bor…
Permalink to quote #136 The strongest poison ever known Came from Caesar's laurel crown.
Permalink to quote #133
Related quotes
Growing old's like being increasingly penalized for a crime you haven't committed.
Anthony PowellAnthony Powell quote #5 This mournful truth is ev'rywhere confessed - Slow rises worth, by poverty depressed.
Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson quote #2 We have the heaviest concentration of lawyers on Earth-one for every five-hundred Americans; three times as many as are in England, four times as many as are i…
Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter quote #5