--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poetry is nearer to vital truth than…" description: "\"Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.\" — Plato" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/plato-103_history_poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-his_1015323.jpg" --- # Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history. ![“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/plato-103_history_poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-his_1015323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/plato-103_history_poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-his_1015323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/plato-103_history_poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-his_1015323.jpg) > “Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry captures emotional truth more directly than factual recounting. **In simple terms:** Poetry reveals deeper truth. Key Takeaway Value artistic expression for insight. Themes art truth emotion Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing - teaching - therapy Key Concepts aesthetic philosophy subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does poetry shape your understanding of truth? - When is factual history more useful? A Different Perspective Poetry may lack factual precision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > […I think,' concluded Anne, hitting on a very vital truth, 'that we always love best the people who need us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-concluded-anne-hitting-on-a-very-vital-truth-that-we-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never compromise a principle or relinquish a vital truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-armand-montapert/never-compromise-a-principle-or-relinquish-a-vital-truth/) [Alfred Armand Montapert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-armand-montapert/) > [All vital truth contains the memory of all that for which it is not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/all-vital-truth-contains-the-memory-of-all-that-for-which-it-is-not/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [So very difficult a matter is it to trace and find out the truth of anything by history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/so-very-difficult-a-matter-is-it-to-trace-and-find-out-the-truth-of/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [There is time, and there is beyond time. History belongs to time, but truth belongs to what is beyond time. In writing of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/there-is-time-and-there-is-beyond-time-history-belongs-to-time-but/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“-to judge us all through the machine of the Commandant's monstrous fictions! As though they were the truth! As though history & the written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/to-judge-us-all-through-the-machine-of-the-commandant-s-monstrous/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [History knew the truth. History was the most inhuman product of humanity.It scooped up the whole of human will and, like the goddess Kali…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/history-knew-the-truth-history-was-the-most-inhuman-product-of/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“Faithfulness to the truth of history involves far more than research, however patient and scrupulous, into special facts. The narrator must seek to imbue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parkman/faithfulness-to-the-truth-of-history-involves-far-more-than-research/) [Francis Parkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parkman/) > [To hell with the truth! As the history of the world proves, the truth has no bearing on anything. It's irrelevant and immaterial, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/to-hell-with-the-truth-as-the-history-of-the-world-proves-the-truth/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“Is it true that man was once perfectly pure and innocent, and that he became degenerate by disobedience? No. The real truth is, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/is-it-true-that-man-was-once-perfectly-pure-and-innocent-and-that-he/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [The truth of history crowds out the truth of fiction - as if one were obliged to choose between them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-truth-of-history-crowds-out-the-truth-of-fiction-as-if-one-were/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“The truth of history lies simultaneously in the substratum of created existence (since all beings are the willed realizations of God's love); in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-zizoulas/the-truth-of-history-lies-simultaneously-in-the-substratum-of-created/) John D. Zizoulas > [The truth is very important. No matter how negative it is, it is imperative that you learn the truth, not necessarily the facts. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-truth-is-very-important-no-matter-how-negative-it-is-it-is/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“The received truth of history is shot through and falsified by unknown secrets carried to the grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/the-received-truth-of-history-is-shot-through-and-falsified-by/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [The truth was, history repeated itself on a daily basis; mistakes were made over and over. People were haunted by what they had done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-truth-was-history-repeated-itself-on-a-daily-basis-mistakes-were/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Plato > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You may be sure, dear Crito, that inaccurate language is not only in itself a mistake: it implants evil in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-may-be-sure-dear-crito-that-inaccurate-language-is-not-only-in/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-men-learn-this-it-will-implant-forgetfulness-in-their-souls-they/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-as-nobody-may-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“The love of man to woman is a thing common and of course, and at first partakes more of instinct and passion than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-love-of-man-to-woman-is-a-thing-common-and-of-course-and-at-first/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“He was a wise man who invented God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-was-a-wise-man-who-invented-god/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [For let me tell you, that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-let-me-tell-you-that-the-more-the-pleasures-of-the-body-fade-away/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“What shall we say about those spectators, then, who can see a plurality of beautiful things, but not beauty itself, and who are incapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-shall-we-say-about-those-spectators-then-who-can-see-a-plurality/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so that nobody will believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-that-nobody-will-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We must, if we are to be consistent, and if we re to have a real pedigree herd, mate the best of our men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-must-if-we-are-to-be-consistent-and-if-we-re-to-have-a-real/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) [Explore all 1,278 Plato quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-history/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-history/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/plato-103_history_poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-his_1015323.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/plato-103_history_poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-his_1015323.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/plato-103_history_poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-his_1015323.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” — Plato", "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": "Plato", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Poetry is nearer to vital truth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-history/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-history/#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 } } ] } ```