Critics Quote by Alexander Pope
“Some have at first for wits, then poets passed, Turned critics next, and proved plain fools at last.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: “An Essay on Criticism”, 1711
Critics start as witty, become poets, then critics again, ending as foolish.
In simple terms: Critics evolve, often ending foolishly.
Key Takeaway
Beware of ego in creative cycles.
Themes
criticism
poetry
humility
Mood
witty
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- literary criticism
- artistic development
- career reflection
Key Concepts
intellectual growth
self‑awareness
creative process
Questions to Reflect On
- What causes the shift from critic to poet?
- How to stay humble in art?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify careers.
![“Nay, the greatest wits and poets, too, cease to live; Homer, their prince, sleeps now in the same forgotten sleep as do the others. [Lat., Adde repertores doctrinarum atque leporum; Adde Heliconiadum comites; quorum unus Homerus Sceptra potitus, eadem aliis sopitu quiete est.]” quote by Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/59a/lucretius-1632_cease_nay-the-greatest-wits-and-poets-too-ceas_1801162.jpg)
![“Neither men, nor gods, nor booksellers' shelves permit ordinary poets to exist. [Lat., Mediocribus esse poetis Non homines, non di, non concessere columnae.]” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bd4/horace-172_booksellers_neither-men-nor-gods-nor-booksellers-she_23851.jpg)
![“[poems are] crystals deposited after the effervescent contact of the spirit with reality. (cristaux deposes apres l'effervescent contact de l'esprit avec la realite)” quote by Pierre Reverdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eb1/pierre-reverdy-33281_crystals_poems-are-crystals-deposited-after-the-e_13424.jpg)
![“Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics - feel that [Kurt] Vonnegut started to repeat himself, to grow increasingly self-indulgent and meandering, and to sometimes just blather in his later work. But his books up…” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/michael-dirda-3414_1960s_nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-li_13506.jpg)