Bills Quote by Percy Bysshe Shelley
“I am gone into the fields To take what this sweet hour yields; Reflection, you may come to-morrow, Sit by the fireside with Sorrow. You with the unpaid bill, Despair, You, tiresome verse-reciter, Care, I will pay you in the grave, Death will listen to your stave.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: "The Masque of Anarchy", 1819
The speaker confronts mortality, urging acceptance of life's fleeting moments and the inevitability of death while warning against despair and idle lamentation.
In simple terms: Accept life's transience and face death without despair.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the present, let go of sorrow.
Themes
mortality
acceptance
impermanence
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- end‑of‑life care
- creative writing
- philosophical reflection
Key Concepts
existentialism
poetic lament
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you honor fleeting moments?
- What does it mean to pay sorrow with silence?
A Different Perspective
Life's brevity can lead to paralysis if not acknowledged.
![“[L]ike thee to those in sorrow, Comes to bid a sweet good-morrow To the rough year just awake In its cradle on the brake. The brightest hour of unborn Spring, Through the winter wandering, Found, it seems, the halcyon Morn To hoar February born.” quote by Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5a5/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_awake_l-ike-thee-to-those-in-sorrow-comes-to-b_796386.jpg)
![“[Sport officials] blocked their support of us. But those individuals [ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar ] were old enough, they were wise enough, and they knew their history and this is why they came out in support of us, because they knew that we had our finger…” quote by John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/13b/john-carlos-16923_bills_sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of_4987.jpg)
![“[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. And be careful what you swallow.” quote by Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/da8/dr-seuss-1224_advice_a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-f_6806.jpg)
![“I will not agree to have this bill [to repeal DADT ] go forward, because our economy is in the tank.” quote by John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c2c/john-mccain-465_agree_i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-re_7321.jpg)
