--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No poetry lives which reflects only the…" description: "\"“No poetry lives which reflects only the cheerful emotions. Our sweetest songs are those which tell of saddest thought. We can bring harmony out of mel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/leslie-stephen-24291_deep-sadness_no-poetry-lives-which-reflects-only-the_953980.jpg" --- # No poetry lives which reflects only the cheerful emotions… ![“No poetry lives which reflects only the cheerful emotions. Our sweetest songs are those which tell of saddest thought. We can bring harmony out of melancholy; we cannot banish melancholy from the world. And the religious utterances, which are the highest form of poetry, are bound by the same law…” quote by Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/leslie-stephen-24291_deep-sadness_no-poetry-lives-which-reflects-only-the_953980.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/leslie-stephen-24291_deep-sadness_no-poetry-lives-which-reflects-only-the_953980.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/leslie-stephen-24291_deep-sadness_no-poetry-lives-which-reflects-only-the_953980.jpg) > ““No poetry lives which reflects only the cheerful emotions. Our sweetest songs are those which tell of saddest thought. We can bring harmony out of melancholy; we cannot banish melancholy from the world. And the religious utterances, which are the highest form of poetry, are bound by the same law. There is a deep sadness in the world.”” [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry must balance joy and sorrow; true art often emerges from sadness, even in sacred verses. **In simple terms:** Poetry mixes happiness with sadness; sorrow fuels depth. Key Takeaway Embrace melancholy to deepen artistic expression. Themes artistic depth emotional balance spiritual poetry Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - poetry analysis - creative writing - spiritual reflection - music composition Key Concepts melancholy sacred expression Questions to Reflect On - What does sadness reveal about human experience? - How can sorrow be transformed into hope? A Different Perspective Melancholy can be overwhelming, limiting optimism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Banish Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banish-melancholy-1719816/) [Deep sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-sadness/) [Harmony Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony-melancholy-1719813/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-lives-1719815/) [Religious Utterances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-utterances-1719814/) [Saddest Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddest-thought-1712457/) ## Related quotes > [“We look before and after, And pine for what is not: Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/we-look-before-and-after-and-pine-for-what-is-not-our-sincerest/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [We look before and after, And pine for what is not; Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/we-look-before-and-after-and-pine-for-what-is-not-our-sincerest-2/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/our-sweetest-songs-are-those-that-tell-of-saddest-thought/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“Our sweetest songs are those of saddest thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/our-sweetest-songs-are-those-of-saddest-thought/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Poetry is either something that lives like fire inside you -- like music to the musician or Marxism to the Communist -- or else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/poetry-is-either-something-that-lives-like-fire-inside-you-like-music/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“My poetry lives in the spaces of time, in between time, in time out. It is not a constant vibe; I catch it like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonny-brown/my-poetry-lives-in-the-spaces-of-time-in-between-time-in-time-out-it/) [Tonny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonny-brown/) > [I've been surprised to learn how many people love poetry. It's beautiful to see that people want poetry in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peleg-top/i-ve-been-surprised-to-learn-how-many-people-love-poetry-it-s/) [Peleg Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peleg-top/) > [Poetry is either something that lives like fire inside you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/poetry-is-either-something-that-lives-like-fire-inside-you/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I think poetry always lives its life, and people come to it and people go away from it, 'people' in the sense of larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-williams/i-think-poetry-always-lives-its-life-and-people-come-to-it-and-people/) [C. K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-k-williams/) > [“The greatest poet in the English language found his poetry where poetry is found: in the lives of the people. He could have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-greatest-poet-in-the-english-language-found-his-poetry-where/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Feelings of deep love coincides with a feeling of deep sadness. The two are inseparable. How can they not be? Love forms from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/feelings-of-deep-love-coincides-with-a-feeling-of-deep-sadness-the/) [VD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vd/) > [I want to take this opportunity to express, one more time, my deep sadness to those countrymen who feel, rightly, that they were victims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-duvalier/i-want-to-take-this-opportunity-to-express-one-more-time-my-deep/) [Jean-Claude Duvalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-duvalier/) > [Falling is a hard thing to do whether you are a Christian or not, but when you are in Christ, it comes with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/falling-is-a-hard-thing-to-do-whether-you-are-a-christian-or-not-but/) [Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/) > [The ocean was one of the greatest things he had ever seen in his life—bigger and deeper than anything he had imagined. It changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-ocean-was-one-of-the-greatest-things-he-had-ever-seen-in-his-life/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel both a sense of responsibility and a deep sadness for those who have lost their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/you-wouldn-t-be-human-if-you-didn-t-feel-both-a-sense-of/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) ## More by Leslie Stephen > [“The Agnostic is one who asserts 'what no one denies' that there are limits to the sphere of human intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/the-agnostic-is-one-who-asserts-what-no-one-denies-that-there-are/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [God is angry with man. Unless we believe and repent we shall all be damned. It is impossible, indeed, for its advocates even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/god-is-angry-with-man-unless-we-believe-and-repent-we-shall-all-be/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [Poe is a kind of Hawthorne and delirium tremens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/poe-is-a-kind-of-hawthorne-and-delirium-tremens/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [Genius is a capacity for taking trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/genius-is-a-capacity-for-taking-trouble/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [Philistine - a word which I understand properly to denote indifference to the higher intellectual interests. The word may also be defined, however, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/philistine-a-word-which-i-understand-properly-to-denote-indifference/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [The truth cannot be asserted without denouncing the falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/the-truth-cannot-be-asserted-without-denouncing-the-falsehood/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [He who sees only what is before his eyes sees the worst part of every view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/he-who-sees-only-what-is-before-his-eyes-sees-the-worst-part-of-every/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [When I ceased to accept the teaching of my youth, it was not so much a process of giving up beliefs, as of discovering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/when-i-ceased-to-accept-the-teaching-of-my-youth-it-was-not-so-much-a/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [A good talker, even more than a good orator, implies a good audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/a-good-talker-even-more-than-a-good-orator-implies-a-good-audience/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [The wilderness provides an environment for a child's inner life to develop because it requires him to be constantly aware of his surroundings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/the-wilderness-provides-an-environment-for-a-child-s-inner-life-to/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [Walking is the natural recreation for a man who desires not absolutely to suppress his intellect but to turn it out to play for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/walking-is-the-natural-recreation-for-a-man-who-desires-not/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [“No good story is quite true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/no-good-story-is-quite-true/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [If you wish at once to do nothing and be respectable nowadays, the best pretext is to be at work on some profound study.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/if-you-wish-at-once-to-do-nothing-and-be-respectable-nowadays-the/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [Chance is a name for our ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/chance-is-a-name-for-our-ignorance/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [Every man who says frankly and fully what he thinks is doing a public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/every-man-who-says-frankly-and-fully-what-he-thinks-is-doing-a-public/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) [Explore all 24 Leslie Stephen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) ## More Deep sadness quotes > [You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel both a sense of responsibility and a deep sadness for those who have lost their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/you-wouldn-t-be-human-if-you-didn-t-feel-both-a-sense-of/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [The ocean was one of the greatest things he had ever seen in his life—bigger and deeper than anything he had imagined. It changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-ocean-was-one-of-the-greatest-things-he-had-ever-seen-in-his-life/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I want to take this opportunity to express, one more time, my deep sadness to those countrymen who feel, rightly, that they were victims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-duvalier/i-want-to-take-this-opportunity-to-express-one-more-time-my-deep/) [Jean-Claude Duvalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-duvalier/) > [“Feelings of deep love coincides with a feeling of deep sadness. The two are inseparable. How can they not be? Love forms from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/feelings-of-deep-love-coincides-with-a-feeling-of-deep-sadness-the/) [VD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vd/) > [Falling is a hard thing to do whether you are a Christian or not, but when you are in Christ, it comes with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/falling-is-a-hard-thing-to-do-whether-you-are-a-christian-or-not-but/) [Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/) > [Experiencing deep sadness can, sometimes, heighten your ability to feel joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marketa-irglova/experiencing-deep-sadness-can-sometimes-heighten-your-ability-to-feel/) [Marketa Irglova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marketa-irglova/) > [Every man has his secret sorrows...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/every-man-has-his-secret-sorrows/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Being knee-deep in sadness or suffering and refusing to look down - to me, that represents something more powerful than someone who's never gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/being-knee-deep-in-sadness-or-suffering-and-refusing-to-look-down-to/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [Even the favorite reviews, the audience response is the movie is too slow, deliberately slow. But for the Chinese audience, the biggest complaint is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/even-the-favorite-reviews-the-audience-response-is-the-movie-is-too/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [“Aside I turn to the holy, unspeakable, mysterious Night. Afar lies the world -- sunk in a deep grave -- waste and lonely is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/aside-i-turn-to-the-holy-unspeakable-mysterious-night-afar-lies-the/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [The same girl who smiles and talks non-stop, is the same girl who cried herself to sleep at night. So please remember she may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-copeland/the-same-girl-who-smiles-and-talks-non-stop-is-the-same-girl-who/) [Rachel Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-copeland/) > [“Family likeness has often a deep sadness in it. Nature, that great tragic dramatist, knits us together by bone and muscle, and divides us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-likeness-has-often-a-deep-sadness-in-it-nature-that-great/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ There's an elegiac quality in watching \[American wilderness\] go, because it's our own myth, the American frontier, that's deteriorating before our eyes. I feel… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/there-s-an-elegiac-quality-in-watching-american-wilderness-go-because/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“The War on Men Through the Degradation of Woman” - "How is man to recognize his full self, his full power through the eye’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jada-pinkett-smith/the-war-on-men-through-the-degradation-of-woman-how-is-man-to/) [Jada Pinkett Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jada-pinkett-smith/) > [“Yet however trying they are, it's in these moments of deep sadness that I feel most like myself. I've hurt for so long that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wade/yet-however-trying-they-are-it-s-in-these-moments-of-deep-sadness/) [Tobias Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wade/) [Browse all 39 Deep sadness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-sadness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“No poetry lives which reflects only the cheerful emotions. Our sweetest songs are those which tell of saddest thought. We can bring harmony out of melancholy; we cannot banish melancholy from the world. And the religious utterances, which are the highest form of poetry, are bound by the same law. 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