--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!…" description: "\"“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! — Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate, yet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/edgar-allan-poe-315_prophet_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2359913.jpg" --- # Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird… ![“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! — Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted — On this home by Horror haunted” quote by Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/edgar-allan-poe-315_prophet_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2359913.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/edgar-allan-poe-315_prophet_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2359913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/edgar-allan-poe-315_prophet_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2359913.jpg) > ““Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! — Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted — On this home by Horror haunted ”” [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker confronts a being that may be a prophet or a demon, questioning its nature while acknowledging its resilience in a hostile environment. **In simple terms:** Questioning a mysterious figure’s identity and its perseverance. Key Takeaway Consider the nature of truth and resilience. Themes identity resilience duality Mood melancholic reflective Type literary poetic When to use this quote - exploring unknown motives - navigating hostile settings - interpreting ambiguous signs Key Concepts mythology existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does the speaker truly fear? - How does resilience manifest in adversity? A Different Perspective The quote’s archaic language may obscure its meaning for modern readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-prophet-666552/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Prophet Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet-bird-5765630/) [Prophet Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet-said-571309/) [Thing Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-evil-236129/) ## Related quotes > [Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-by-that/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The church is: a conspiracy of love for a dying world, a spy mission into enemy occupied territory ruled by the powers of evil;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-church-is-a-conspiracy-of-love-for-a-dying-world-a-spy-mission/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“One day you will understand why our prophet said that heaven is under the feet of mothers. Because they suffer so much in delivering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anouar-majid/one-day-you-will-understand-why-our-prophet-said-that-heaven-is-under/) [Anouar Majid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anouar-majid/) > [“The Prophet said: Don't sit with every learned man. Sit with the learned man who calls towards five matters towards faith from doubt, sincerity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imam-al-ghazali/the-prophet-said-don-t-sit-with-every-learned-man-sit-with-the/) [Imam Al-Ghazali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imam-al-ghazali/) > [“What did he say about me?” Tom demanded. “You don’t want to know.” “You’re right.” “Told you,” Prophet said, looking quite pleased with himself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-jakes/what-did-he-say-about-me-tom-demanded-you-don-t-want-to-know-you-re/) [S.E. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-jakes/) > [“There's no such thing as evil for its own sake . All evil is motivated - even mine {Lucifer}.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/there-s-no-such-thing-as-evil-for-its-own-sake-all-evil-is-motivated/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [“What's the one thing Evil can never have... and the one thing Good can never do without?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/what-s-the-one-thing-evil-can-never-have-and-the-one-thing-good-can/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) > [“And this is the only really startling thing about the evil of the world: not that so much of it exists, but that nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-pyper/and-this-is-the-only-really-startling-thing-about-the-evil-of-the/) [Andrew Pyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-pyper/) > [The only thing evil can’t stand is forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-only-thing-evil-can-t-stand-is-forgiveness/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [“There is no such thing as evil in the world of science. There are only those who discover and are remembered, and those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-barrus/there-is-no-such-thing-as-evil-in-the-world-of-science-there-are-only/) [S.C. Barrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-barrus/) > [Evil is not only By hurting other's stendind and watching reail bad happning in fornt of us and not doning any thing is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-d-cruz/evil-is-not-only-by-hurting-other-s-stendind-and-watching-reail-bad/) [Kevin D'cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-d-cruz/) > [“That’s the thing about evil. You don’t need to be it to do it. It doesn’t have to consume all of you. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/that-s-the-thing-about-evil-you-don-t-need-to-be-it-to-do-it-it-doesn/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [“It's said on my world that the only thing evil needs to succeed is for good men to do nothing." - Will Bradshaw”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-daigle/it-s-said-on-my-world-that-the-only-thing-evil-needs-to-succeed-is/) [Arthur Daigle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-daigle/) > [I'd have to say, and I think that most Christians would hold the view, that there is such a thing as evil, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hollingworth/i-d-have-to-say-and-i-think-that-most-christians-would-hold-the-view/) [Peter Hollingworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hollingworth/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) ## More by Edgar Allan Poe > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient, as that of him who, shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-no-passion-in-nature-so-demoniacally-impatient-as-that-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [To vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/to-vilify-a-great-man-is-the-readiest-way-in-which-a-little-man-can/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“A skillful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-skillful-literary-artist-has-constructed-a-tale-if-wise-he-has-not/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“For eyes we have no models in the remotely antique.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/for-eyes-we-have-no-models-in-the-remotely-antique/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/during-the-whole-of-a-dull-dark-and-soundless-day-in-the-autumn-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/those-who-dream-by-day-are-cognizant-of-many-things-that-escape-those/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“I have said that the sole effect of my somewhat childish experiment—that of looking down within the tarn—had been to deepen the first singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-have-said-that-the-sole-effect-of-my-somewhat-childish-experiment/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [And all my days are trances, And all my nightly dreams Are where thy dark eye glances, And where thy footstep gleams-- In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-all-my-days-are-trances-and-all-my-nightly-dreams-are-where-thy/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“Other friends have flown before — On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.” Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/other-friends-have-flown-before-on-the-morrow-he-will-leave-me-as-my/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“To the right and left, as far as the eye could reach, there lay outstretched, like ramparts of the world, lines of horridly black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/to-the-right-and-left-as-far-as-the-eye-could-reach-there-lay/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Men die nightly in their beds, wringing the hands of ghostly confessors ... on account of the hideousness of mysteries which will not suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/men-die-nightly-in-their-beds-wringing-the-hands-of-ghostly/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [And the Raven, never flitting, Still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas Just above my chamber door; And his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-the-raven-never-flitting-still-is-sitting-still-is-sitting-on-the/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-was-forced-to-fall-back-upon-the-unsatisfactory-conclusion-that/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but i feel the bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/for-the-moon-never-beams-without-bringing-me-dreams-of-the-beautiful/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) [Explore all 615 Edgar Allan Poe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) ## More Prophet quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [ Except in these latter-day songs, \[Bob\] Dylan is a grizzled old prophet who's already been to hell and back. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/except-in-these-latter-day-songs-bob-dylan-is-a-grizzled-old-prophet/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Islam believes that Jesus is a prophet, and they honour him - highly - and they respect him, and they follow his teachings. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haaz-sleiman/islam-believes-that-jesus-is-a-prophet-and-they-honour-him-highly-and/) [Haaz Sleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haaz-sleiman/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [Amidst the flood of dangerous reading, I plead for my Master's book; I call upon you not to forget the book of the soul.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/amidst-the-flood-of-dangerous-reading-i-plead-for-my-master-s-book-i/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [ I can hardly believe what these 12 caricatures \[about Prophet Muhammad\] have caused in the world. We Danes feel like we have been placed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/i-can-hardly-believe-what-these-12-caricatures-about-prophet-muhammad/) [Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/) > [There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth...no man can reject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fielding-smith/there-is-no-salvation-without-accepting-joseph-smith-if-joseph-smith/) [Joseph Fielding Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fielding-smith/) > [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I'm no prophet. My job is making windows where there were once walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/i-m-no-prophet-my-job-is-making-windows-where-there-were-once-walls/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [Significantly, God in Genesis 1 pronounces the rest of creation "good" before humanity is created. The psalmist and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-clapp/significantly-god-in-genesis-1-pronounces-the-rest-of-creation-good/) [Rodney Clapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-clapp/) > [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [ ...he \[Muhammad\] declared undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion, against all the rest of mankind...The precept of the Koran is,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/he-muhammad-declared-undistinguishing-and-exterminating-war-as-a-part/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Browse all 1,187 Prophet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! — Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted — On this home by Horror haunted ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edgar Allan Poe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-whether/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Prophet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-whether/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/edgar-allan-poe-315_prophet_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2359913.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/edgar-allan-poe-315_prophet_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2359913.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/edgar-allan-poe-315_prophet_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2359913.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! — Whether Tempter sent, or whether…” — Edgar Allan Poe", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edgar Allan Poe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! —...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-whether/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-whether/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```