--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know the worst: your wills are…" description: "\"You know the worst: your wills are fickle, Your values blurred, your hearts impure And your past life a ruined church-- But let your poison be your cur..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/louis-macneice-13584_church_you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle_3087295.jpg" --- # You know the worst: your wills are fickle, Your values… ![“You know the worst: your wills are fickle, Your values blurred, your hearts impure And your past life a ruined church-- But let your poison be your cure.” quote by Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/louis-macneice-13584_church_you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle_3087295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/louis-macneice-13584_church_you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle_3087295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/louis-macneice-13584_church_you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle_3087295.jpg) > “You know the worst: your wills are fickle, Your values blurred, your hearts impure And your past life a ruined church-- But let your poison be your cure.” [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature is unstable, values shift, and past mistakes haunt, but we can transform that toxicity into healing. **In simple terms:** Flawed hearts can become sources of cure. Key Takeaway Turn inner poison into purpose. Themes self‑awareness redemption transformation Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - addiction recovery - relationship repair - career setbacks Key Concepts psychology spiritual alchemy Questions to Reflect On - What toxic habit could become a strength? - How can you reframe past failures? A Different Perspective Healing may require confronting painful truths first. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Cures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cures/) [Fickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fickle/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Let Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-poison-1424907/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Our past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-past/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-life/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Poison Cure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison-cure-697346/) [Ruined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruined/) [Ruined Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruined-church-1664828/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Values Blurred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values-blurred-5292661/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-wills-5292660/) [Your past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-past/) ## Related quotes > [“Whenever he could, he sought out a new road to travel. He had never been to that ruined church before, in spite of having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/whenever-he-could-he-sought-out-a-new-road-to-travel-he-had-never/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“ Hunger for me, ka-lyrra, he thought silently, get addicted to me. I will be both venom and antidote, your poison and your only cure. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/hunger-for-me-ka-lyrra-he-thought-silently-get-addicted-to-me-i-will/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“The only difference between a poison and a cure is dosage. Drink too much water and you will die. Inhale water and you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weike-wang/the-only-difference-between-a-poison-and-a-cure-is-dosage-drink-too/) [Weike Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weike-wang/) > [Don't let anything poison your individuality. Break away & look in, not outward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/don-t-let-anything-poison-your-individuality-break-away-look-in-not/) [Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/) > [Paul was dying of an un-known illness. His wife sat at the bedside comforting him. He looked up and said weakly, I have something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/paul-was-dying-of-an-un-known-illness-his-wife-sat-at-the-bedside/) [Unknow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow/) > [Let all the poison that lurks in the mud, hatch out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graves/let-all-the-poison-that-lurks-in-the-mud-hatch-out/) [Robert Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graves/) > [You ever been in a relationship where you both know you're no good for each other's lives yet you cant let go? Poison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ever-been-in-a-relationship-where-you-both-know-you-re-no-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hollywood is fickle; your career can end pretty fast. If the acting jobs dry up, you have to have something to fall back on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lawrence/hollywood-is-fickle-your-career-can-end-pretty-fast-if-the-acting/) [Matthew Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lawrence/) > [Only when human sorrows are turned into a toy with glaring colors will baby people become interested - for a while at least. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/only-when-human-sorrows-are-turned-into-a-toy-with-glaring-colors/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The gay community is very fickle. And I know because I'm part of it and I see it every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-bass/the-gay-community-is-very-fickle-and-i-know-because-i-m-part-of-it/) [Lance Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-bass/) > [Speaking generally, men are ungrateful, fickle, hypocritical, fearful odanger and covetous ogain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/speaking-generally-men-are-ungrateful-fickle-hypocritical-fearful/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) ## More by Louis MacNeice > [World is crazier and more of it than we think, Incorrigibly plural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/world-is-crazier-and-more-of-it-than-we-think-incorrigibly-plural/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“Bagpipe Music' It's no go the merrygoround, it's no go the rickshaw, All we want is a limousine and a ticket for the peepshow.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/bagpipe-music-it-s-no-go-the-merrygoround-it-s-no-go-the-rickshaw-all/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me, otherwise kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/let-them-not-make-me-a-stone-and-let-them-not-spill-me-otherwise-kill/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“Thus were we weaned to knowledge of the Will That wills the natural world, but wills us dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/thus-were-we-weaned-to-knowledge-of-the-will-that-wills-the-natural/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Politics: distrust all parties but consider capitalism must go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/politics-distrust-all-parties-but-consider-capitalism-must-go/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“If war is the test of reality, then all poetry is unreal; but in that case unreality is a virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/if-war-is-the-test-of-reality-then-all-poetry-is-unreal-but-in-that/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“If war is the test of reality, than all poetry is unreal; but in that case unreality is a virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/if-war-is-the-test-of-reality-than-all-poetry-is-unreal-but-in-that/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Why do we like being Irish? Partly because It gives us a hold on the sentimental English As members of a world that never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/why-do-we-like-being-irish-partly-because-it-gives-us-a-hold-on-the/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [A city built upon mud; A culture built upon profit; Free speech nipped in the bud, The minority always guilty. Why should I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/a-city-built-upon-mud-a-culture-built-upon-profit-free-speech-nipped/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [“Cradle Song for Eleanor”: Sleep, my darling, sleep; The pity of it all Is all we compass if We watch disaster fall. Put off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/cradle-song-for-eleanor-sleep-my-darling-sleep-the-pity-of-it-all-is/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [A pharaoh's profile, a Krishna's grace, tail like a question mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/a-pharaoh-s-profile-a-krishna-s-grace-tail-like-a-question-mark/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [I was the rector's son, born to the anglican order, Banned for ever from the candles of the Irish poor; The Chichesters knelt in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/i-was-the-rector-s-son-born-to-the-anglican-order-banned-for-ever/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Better authentic mammon than a bogus god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/better-authentic-mammon-than-a-bogus-god/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [Dublin was a glorious name in our family and had pleasurable associations of violence …Today I am so at home in Dublin, more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/dublin-was-a-glorious-name-in-our-family-and-had-pleasurable/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [So they were married-to be the more together- And found they were never again so much together, Divided by the morning tea, By the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/so-they-were-married-to-be-the-more-together-and-found-they-were/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) [Explore all 50 Louis MacNeice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know the worst: your wills are fickle, Your values blurred, your hearts impure And your past life a ruined church-- But let your poison be your cure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis MacNeice" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle-your-values-blurred-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle-your-values-blurred-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/louis-macneice-13584_church_you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle_3087295.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/louis-macneice-13584_church_you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle_3087295.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/louis-macneice-13584_church_you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle_3087295.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know the worst: your wills are fickle, Your values blurred, your hearts impure And your past life a…” — Louis MacNeice", "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": "Louis MacNeice", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You know the worst: your wills...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle-your-values-blurred-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/you-know-the-worst-your-wills-are-fickle-your-values-blurred-your/#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 } } ] } ```