--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Philosophy will clip an angel's wings…" description: "\"Philosophy will clip an angel's wings, Conquer all mysteries by rule and line, Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine - Unweave a rainbow.\" — John Keats" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/john-keats-620_air_philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-co_693114.jpg" --- # Philosophy will clip an angel's wings, Conquer all… ![“Philosophy will clip an angel's wings, Conquer all mysteries by rule and line, Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine - Unweave a rainbow.” quote by John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/john-keats-620_air_philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-co_693114.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/john-keats-620_air_philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-co_693114.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/john-keats-620_air_philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-co_693114.jpg) > “Philosophy will clip an angel's wings, Conquer all mysteries by rule and line, Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine - Unweave a rainbow.” [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The verse suggests that strict rationalism and rule‑bound thinking can strip away wonder, leaving a barren, mechanical world. **In simple terms:** Rationalism can kill imagination and wonder. Key Takeaway Balance logic with imagination. Themes creativity logic wonder restriction Mood contemplative melancholic Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - academic writing - creative projects - personal reflection - teaching philosophy Key Concepts philosophy metaphor artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How does rule‑bound thinking limit creativity? - What practices restore wonder? A Different Perspective Pure logic may overlook emotional truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainbow/) [Rainbows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainbows/) ## Related quotes > [“Philosophy will clip an Angel's wings, Conquer all mysteries by rule and line, Empty the haunted air, and gnomèd mine— Unweave a rainbow, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-conquer-all-mysteries-by-rule/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Philosophy will clip an angel's wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [There was an awful rainbow once in heaven: We know her woof, her texture; she is given In the dull catalogue of common things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/there-was-an-awful-rainbow-once-in-heaven-we-know-her-woof-her/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [If there is something that appears to lie beyond the natural world as it is now imperfectly understood, we hope to eventually understand it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-there-is-something-that-appears-to-lie-beyond-the-natural-world-as/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Tardiness is next to wickedness in a society relentless in its consumption of time as both a good and a service--as tweet and Instagram,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/tardiness-is-next-to-wickedness-in-a-society-relentless-in-its/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I clip coupons all the time. Why should you pay more for something that someone else is paying less for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/i-clip-coupons-all-the-time-why-should-you-pay-more-for-something/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [You can't find a YouTube clip to become a craftsman, friend, parent - or disciple of Christ. It's all of grace. And to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/you-can-t-find-a-youtube-clip-to-become-a-craftsman-friend-parent-or/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [I got a letter from the IRS. Apparently I owe them $800. So I sent them a letter back. I said, If you'll remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs-apparently-i-owe-them-800-so-i-sent-them/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [My clip never dropping we can get it popping like a mac10](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/my-clip-never-dropping-we-can-get-it-popping-like-a-mac10/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [ Unless you've also had some experience dragging around a boat trailer, \[topping off the gas tank\] may not sound important. But trailer driver's know:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/unless-you-ve-also-had-some-experience-dragging-around-a-boat-trailer/) [Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/) > [Somebody should clip Sting around the head and tell him to stop using that ridiculous Jamaican accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/somebody-should-clip-sting-around-the-head-and-tell-him-to-stop-using/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [I got to keep a clip for my hair. It had a pretty little dragonfly on it and I got to keep it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-foy/i-got-to-keep-a-clip-for-my-hair-it-had-a-pretty-little-dragonfly-on/) [Mackenzie Foy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-foy/) > [I used to like to set different film clips to classical music, not even my own songs, but make little movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-used-to-like-to-set-different-film-clips-to-classical-music-not/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this," said Ron, and with his tongue he made soft clip-flopping noises. Umbridge sat bolt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yeah-she-shows-signs-of-life-if-you-do-this-said-ron-and-with-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Clip hold 30 looking for these fuck boy to do these niggas dirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meek-mill/clip-hold-30-looking-for-these-fuck-boy-to-do-these-niggas-dirty/) [Meek Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meek-mill/) ## More by John Keats > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Phylosophy will clip an angel's wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/phylosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [There was an awful rainbow once in heaven: We know her woof, her texture; she is given In the dull catalogue of common things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/there-was-an-awful-rainbow-once-in-heaven-we-know-her-woof-her/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“I was never afraid of failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-was-never-afraid-of-failure-for-i-would-sooner-fail-than-not-be/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Thou wast not born for death, immortal bird! No hungry generations tread thee down; The voice I hear this passing night was heard In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/thou-wast-not-born-for-death-immortal-bird-no-hungry-generations/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Deep in the shady sadness of a vale Far sunken from the healthy breath of morn, Far from the fiery noon and eve's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/deep-in-the-shady-sadness-of-a-vale-far-sunken-from-the-healthy/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [So let me be thy choir, and make a moan Upon the midnight hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/so-let-me-be-thy-choir-and-make-a-moan-upon-the-midnight-hours/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Everything that reminds me of her goes through me like a spear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/everything-that-reminds-me-of-her-goes-through-me-like-a-spear/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for their religion - I have shudder'd at it. I shudder no more. I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-have-been-astonished-that-men-could-die-martyrs-for-their-religion/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Dance and Provencal song and sunburnt mirth! On for a beaker full of the warm South, Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene! With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/dance-and-provencal-song-and-sunburnt-mirth-on-for-a-beaker-full-of/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Many have original minds who do not think it - they are led away by custom!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/many-have-original-minds-who-do-not-think-it-they-are-led-away-by/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Alas! when passion is both meek and wild!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/alas-when-passion-is-both-meek-and-wild/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Load every rift with ore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/load-every-rift-with-ore/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I shall soon be laid in the quiet grave - thank God for the quiet grave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-shall-soon-be-laid-in-the-quiet-grave-thank-god-for-the-quiet-grave/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/when-old-age-shall-this-generation-waste-thou-shalt-remain-in-midst/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) [Explore all 438 John Keats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Philosophy will clip an angel's wings, Conquer all mysteries by rule and line, Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine - Unweave a rainbow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Keats" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-conquer-all-mysteries-by-rule-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-conquer-all-mysteries-by-rule-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/john-keats-620_air_philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-co_693114.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/john-keats-620_air_philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-co_693114.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/john-keats-620_air_philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-co_693114.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Philosophy will clip an angel's wings, Conquer all mysteries by rule and line, Empty the haunted air, and…” — John Keats", "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": "John Keats", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Philosophy will clip an angel's wings,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-conquer-all-mysteries-by-rule-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/philosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings-conquer-all-mysteries-by-rule-2/#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 } } ] } ```