No marble, no conventional phrase; On limestone quarried near the spot By his command these words are cut: Cast a cold eye On life, on death. Horseman, pass by!
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A simple epitaph advises viewing life and death with clear detachment.
- In plain terms
- Look at life and death plainly and keep moving.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept life and death without emotion or ceremony.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How will you be remembered?
- What do you take from life?
Another view
It may feel too cold for grieving people.
More from William Butler Yeats
Under bare Ben Bulben's head In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.
Permalink to quote #169 Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.
Permalink to quote #171 Irish poets, earn your trade, Sing whatever is well made, Scorn the sort now growing up All out of shape from toe to top, Their unremembering hearts and heads …
Permalink to quote #168
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