--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pleasures are like poppies spread: You…" description: "\"Pleasures are like poppies spread: You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed.\" — Robert Burns" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/robert-burns-1511_bloom_pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-se_1834752.png" --- # Pleasures are like poppies spread: You seize the flow'r… ![“Pleasures are like poppies spread: You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed.” quote by Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/robert-burns-1511_bloom_pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-se_1834752.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/robert-burns-1511_bloom_pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-se_1834752.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/robert-burns-1511_bloom_pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-se_1834752.png) > “Pleasures are like poppies spread: You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed.” [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pleasures are fleeting like poppies; grasping them leads to loss. **In simple terms:** Pleasures are temporary; chasing them causes loss. Key Takeaway Cherish moments, avoid over‑pursuit. Themes pleasure impermanence desire loss Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - consumer habits - creative projects - personal goals Key Concepts ephemeral nature mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What fleeting pleasures dominate your life? - How can you appreciate without clinging? A Different Perspective Obsessing over pleasure can cause dissatisfaction; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bloom/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Like Poppies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-poppies-1630918/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Pleasure and happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-and-happiness/) [Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures/) [Pleasures Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures-like-2301642/) [Pleasures of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures-of-life/) [Poppies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poppies/) [Poppies Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poppies-spread-2301641/) [Shed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shed/) [Snow falling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snow-falling/) [Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spread/) ## Related quotes > [But pleasures are like poppies spread: You seize the flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/but-pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-seize-the-flower/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flower, it's bloom is shed; Or, like the snow-fall in the river, A moment white,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/but-pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-seize-the-flower-it-s-bloom/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Or like the snow falls in the river, A moment white-then melts for ever . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/or-like-the-snow-falls-in-the-river-a-moment-white-then-melts-for-ever/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Pleasures don't last like the snow falls in the river, a moment white - then melts for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minette-walters/pleasures-don-t-last-like-the-snow-falls-in-the-river-a-moment-white/) [Minette Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minette-walters/) > [“Pleasures are like poppies spread You seize the flower its bloom is shed Or like the snow falls in the river A moment white,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-burns/pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-seize-the-flower-its-bloom-is/) [Robbie Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-burns/) > [“Language is like poppies. It just takes something to churn the earth round them up, and when it does up come the sleeping words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/language-is-like-poppies-it-just-takes-something-to-churn-the-earth/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“Language is like poppies. It just takes something to churn the earth round them up, and when it does up come the sleeping words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/language-is-like-poppies-it-just-takes-something-to-churn-the-earth-2/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“She chose her colors carefully. She dressed slowly, she adjusted her petals one by one. She did not wish to present herself all rumpled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/she-chose-her-colors-carefully-she-dressed-slowly-she-adjusted-her/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [We must always skim over pleasures. They are like marshy lands that we must travel nimbly, hardly daring to put down our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/we-must-always-skim-over-pleasures-they-are-like-marshy-lands-that-we/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [Pleasures are like photographs: in the presence of the person we love, we take only negatives, which we develop later, at home, when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/pleasures-are-like-photographs-in-the-presence-of-the-person-we-love/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [There are few pleasures like really burrowing one's nose into sweet peas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-thirkell/there-are-few-pleasures-like-really-burrowing-one-s-nose-into-sweet/) [Angela Thirkell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-thirkell/) > [My last refuge, my books: simple pleasures, like finding wild onions by the side of a road, or requited love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-letts/my-last-refuge-my-books-simple-pleasures-like-finding-wild-onions-by/) [Tracy Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-letts/) > [Samsaric pleasures are like salt water, the more we indulge, the more we crave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-sonam/samsaric-pleasures-are-like-salt-water-the-more-we-indulge-the-more/) [Geshe Sonam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-sonam/) > [It is often a mistake to combine two pleasures, because pleasures, like pains, can act as counter-irri-tants to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-often-a-mistake-to-combine-two-pleasures-because-pleasures-like/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I don't believe in guilty pleasures. If I like it, I don't feel guilty about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-criss/i-don-t-believe-in-guilty-pleasures-if-i-like-it-i-don-t-feel-guilty/) [Darren Criss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-criss/) ## More by Robert Burns > [Some wee short hour ayont the twal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/some-wee-short-hour-ayont-the-twal/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [The snowdrop and primrose our woodlands adorn, and violets bathe in the wet o' the morn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/the-snowdrop-and-primrose-our-woodlands-adorn-and-violets-bathe-in/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Oh my luve's like a red, red rose, That's newly sprung in June; Oh my luve's like the melodie That's sweetly played in tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/oh-my-luve-s-like-a-red-red-rose-that-s-newly-sprung-in-june-oh-my/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Again rejoicing Nature sees Her robe assume its vernal hues Her leafy locks wave in the breeze, All freshly steep'd in the morning dews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/again-rejoicing-nature-sees-her-robe-assume-its-vernal-hues-her-leafy/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Gin a body meet a body Coming thro' the rye, Gin a body kiss a body— Need a body cry?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/gin-a-body-meet-a-body-coming-thro-the-rye-gin-a-body-kiss-a-body/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [“O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/o-wad-some-power-the-giftie-gie-us-to-see-oursels-as-ithers-see-us/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Liberty's in every blow! Let us do or die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/liberty-s-in-every-blow-let-us-do-or-die/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Dare to be honest and fear no labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/dare-to-be-honest-and-fear-no-labor/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Look abroad through Nature's range, Nature's mighty law is change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/look-abroad-through-nature-s-range-nature-s-mighty-law-is-change/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [ “All-cheering Plenty, with her flowing horn, Led yellow Autumn, wreath'd with nodding corn." \[ Brigs of Ayr \]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/all-cheering-plenty-with-her-flowing-horn-led-yellow-autumn-wreath-d/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [To make three guineas do the work of five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/to-make-three-guineas-do-the-work-of-five/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Some books are lies frae end to end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/some-books-are-lies-frae-end-to-end/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Who made the heart, 'tis He alone Decidedly can try us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/who-made-the-heart-tis-he-alone-decidedly-can-try-us/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Nursing her wrath to keep it warm.--Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/nursing-her-wrath-to-keep-it-warm-robert-burns/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [It is cruelty to be humane to rebels, and humanity is cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/it-is-cruelty-to-be-humane-to-rebels-and-humanity-is-cruelty/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) [Explore all 233 Robert Burns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) ## More Bloom quotes > [All states and nations, however great, bloom for a season and are replaced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/all-states-and-nations-however-great-bloom-for-a-season-and-are/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [“We all bloom to wilt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlet-clearwater/we-all-bloom-to-wilt/) [Scarlet Clearwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlet-clearwater/) > [“A flower that refuses to bloom robs the world of its beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-flower-that-refuses-to-bloom-robs-the-world-of-its-beauty/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [We are not here to get to tomorrow. We are here for today, to bloom today. We were made to Thrive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hall/we-are-not-here-to-get-to-tomorrow-we-are-here-for-today-to-bloom/) [Mark Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hall/) > [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“In the morning when I wake And the sun is coming through, Oh, you fill my lungs with sweetness, And you fill my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-paper-kites/in-the-morning-when-i-wake-and-the-sun-is-coming-through-oh-you-fill/) [The Paper Kites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-paper-kites/) > [The short bloom of our brief and narrow life flies fast away. While we are calling for flowers and wine and women, old age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/the-short-bloom-of-our-brief-and-narrow-life-flies-fast-away-while-we/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [I'm not going to be the next Colin Farrell or Orlando Bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-sives/i-m-not-going-to-be-the-next-colin-farrell-or-orlando-bloom/) [Jamie Sives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-sives/) > [Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/let-a-hundred-flowers-bloom-let-a-hundred-schools-of-thought-contend/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [If we cut open the bud of a beautiful rose in order to see how it is 'packed' and what it is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gardner/if-we-cut-open-the-bud-of-a-beautiful-rose-in-order-to-see-how-it-is/) [Ian Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gardner/) > [“Hope always blooms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-neftzger/hope-always-blooms/) [Amy Neftzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-neftzger/) > [To make room for the parts that aren't you it gets harder to bloom in a garden of Love love love love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/to-make-room-for-the-parts-that-aren-t-you-it-gets-harder-to-bloom-in/) [Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/) > [In the earliest days, make-up and moralising were intertwined. The 'cosmetic slops and washes' of the 17th and 18th centuries aimed to smooth complexions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/in-the-earliest-days-make-up-and-moralising-were-intertwined-the/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [“What if winters were only there to make flowers bloom and not to see them dying in summer heat?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crestless-wave/what-if-winters-were-only-there-to-make-flowers-bloom-and-not-to-see/) [Crestless Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crestless-wave/) > [No one is born the perfect flower. You have to give yourself time to bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-is-born-the-perfect-flower-you-have-to-give-yourself-time-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 237 Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bloom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pleasures are like poppies spread: You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Burns" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-seize-the-flow-r-its-bloom-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bloom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-seize-the-flow-r-its-bloom-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/robert-burns-1511_bloom_pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-se_1834752.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/robert-burns-1511_bloom_pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-se_1834752.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/robert-burns-1511_bloom_pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-se_1834752.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pleasures are like poppies spread: You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed.” — Robert Burns", "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": "Robert Burns", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Pleasures are like poppies spread: You...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-seize-the-flow-r-its-bloom-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/pleasures-are-like-poppies-spread-you-seize-the-flow-r-its-bloom-is/#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 } } ] } ```