---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That passage is what I call the sublime…"
description: "\"That passage is what I call the sublime dashed to pieces by cutting too close with the fiery four-in-hand round the corner of nonsense.\" — Samuel Taylo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_corners_that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime_610026.jpg"
---

#  That passage is what I call the sublime dashed to pieces…

![“That passage is what I call the sublime dashed to pieces by cutting too close with the fiery four-in-hand round the corner of nonsense.” quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_corners_that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime_610026.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_corners_that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime_610026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_corners_that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime_610026.jpg)

> “That passage is what I call the sublime dashed to pieces by cutting too close with the fiery four-in-hand round the corner of nonsense.”

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The line describes a chaotic, fragmented experience that feels both grand and absurd.

**In simple terms:** Chaos can feel both beautiful and nonsensical.

Key Takeaway

Embrace complexity while seeking clarity.

Themes

creativity absurdity fragmentation

Mood

enigmatic introspective

Type

literary poetic

When to use this quote

- art critique
- writing
- philosophical analysis

Key Concepts

literary expression symbolism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “fiery four‑in‑hand” symbolize for you?
- When does breaking things down help understanding?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may be overly obscure for some audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Close Fiery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-fiery-4955349/) [Corner Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corner-nonsense-4955351/) [Corners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Cutting Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting-close-4955348/) [Fiery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiery/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense/) [Passage Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passage-sublime-4955350/) [Passages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passages/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) [Rounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rounds/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) [Sublime Dashed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime-dashed-4955352/)

## Related quotes

> [Deep in the shady sadness of a vale Far sunken from the healthy breath of morn, Far from the fiery noon and eve's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/deep-in-the-shady-sadness-of-a-vale-far-sunken-from-the-healthy/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [“Your fiery spirit excites me, Keirah, like nothing I have ever felt before. Yet I have the overwhelming desire to put you over my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-thorne-grey/your-fiery-spirit-excites-me-keirah-like-nothing-i-have-ever-felt/)

[Madison Thorne Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-thorne-grey/)

> [“What were you doing with her?” The words burst from my lips. Before I can take them back, he stares at me. I stare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jayne/what-were-you-doing-with-her-the-words-burst-from-my-lips-before-i/)

[L. Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jayne/)

> [“She consumes me with her eyes, her fiery touch, and the ways in which she loves me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-snyder/she-consumes-me-with-her-eyes-her-fiery-touch-and-the-ways-in-which/)

[T.H. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-snyder/)

> [Then with no throbs of fiery pain, No cold gradations of decay, Death broke at once the vital chain, And freed his soul the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/then-with-no-throbs-of-fiery-pain-no-cold-gradations-of-decay-death/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“You coming?" She hesitated, weighing her options. Risk running back down the flaming aisles to find another exit? Or trust the guy who'd been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-leigh/you-coming-she-hesitated-weighing-her-options-risk-running-back-down/)

[Jena Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jena-leigh/)

> [“He was hard and tough and wiry - just the sort that won't say die - There was courage in his quick impatient tread;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-paterson/he-was-hard-and-tough-and-wiry-just-the-sort-that-won-t-say-die-there/)

[A.B. Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-paterson/)

> [To clothe the fiery thought In simple words succeeds, For still the craft of genius is To mask a king in weeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/to-clothe-the-fiery-thought-in-simple-words-succeeds-for-still-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [They fought as they revelled, fast, fiery, and true, And, though victors, they left on the field not a few; And they who survived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-davis/they-fought-as-they-revelled-fast-fiery-and-true-and-though-victors/)

[Thomas Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-davis/)

> [Growing up in Jamaica, the Pentecostal church wasn't that fiery thing you might think. It was very British, very proper. Hymns. No dancing. Very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/growing-up-in-jamaica-the-pentecostal-church-wasn-t-that-fiery-thing/)

[Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/)

> [A fiery, good beginner always stands higher than a master in mediocrity...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-schumann/a-fiery-good-beginner-always-stands-higher-than-a-master-in-mediocrity/)

[Robert Schumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-schumann/)

> [I'm super fiery. I'm a go-getter. No matter what, I'm relentless at what I do so I feel like that shines through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-marie/i-m-super-fiery-i-m-a-go-getter-no-matter-what-i-m-relentless-at-what/)

[Eva Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-marie/)

> [Hell is a swamp, to me - not as something fiery, but as something dank, moist, and wet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avey-tare/hell-is-a-swamp-to-me-not-as-something-fiery-but-as-something-dank/)

[Avey Tare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avey-tare/)

> [These fiery trials are designed to make you stronger, but they have the potential to diminish or even destroy your trust in the Son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-l-andersen/these-fiery-trials-are-designed-to-make-you-stronger-but-they-have/)

[Neil L. Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-l-andersen/)

> [“Damn him. Damn all good looking guys and their chin dimples and well-proportioned muscles and their hair that you want to touch so bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-m-cameron/damn-him-damn-all-good-looking-guys-and-their-chin-dimples-and-well/)

[Chelsea M. Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-m-cameron/)

## More by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

> [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/and-the-devil-did-grin-for-his-darling-sin-is-pride-that-apes-humility/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises, but in the nature and parts of premises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/facts-are-not-truths-they-are-not-conclusions-they-are-not-even/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [I do not wish you to act from these truths; no, still and always act from your feelings; only meditate often on these truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-do-not-wish-you-to-act-from-these-truths-no-still-and-always-act/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/a-poet-ought-not-to-pick-nature-s-pocket-let-him-borrow-and-so-borrow/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Ignorance seldom vaults into knowledge...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/ignorance-seldom-vaults-into-knowledge/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, Whether the summer clothe the general earth With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing Betwixt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/therefore-all-seasons-shall-be-sweet-to-thee-whether-the-summer/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Why are not more gems from our great authors scattered over the country? Great books are not in everybody's reach; and though it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/why-are-not-more-gems-from-our-great-authors-scattered-over-the/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Life went a-maying With Nature, Hope, and Poesy, When I was young!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/life-went-a-maying-with-nature-hope-and-poesy-when-i-was-young/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [No voice; but oh - the silence sank Like music on my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/no-voice-but-oh-the-silence-sank-like-music-on-my-heart/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [The three great ends which a statesman ought to propose to himself in the government of a nation, are 1. Security to possessors; 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-three-great-ends-which-a-statesman-ought-to-propose-to-himself-in/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [“We in ourselves rejoice! And thence flows all that charms or ear or sight, All melodies the echoes of that voice, All colours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/we-in-ourselves-rejoice-and-thence-flows-all-that-charms-or-ear-or/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

[Explore all 570 Samuel Taylor Coleridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

## More Corners quotes

> [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/)

[Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/)

> [You will not find a soulmate in the quiet of your room. You must go to a noisy place and look in the quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/you-will-not-find-a-soulmate-in-the-quiet-of-your-room-you-must-go-to/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [I was so shy. Instead of waiting in line with other kids at lunch, I'd go to a corner and buy a pretzel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-facinelli/i-was-so-shy-instead-of-waiting-in-line-with-other-kids-at-lunch-i-d/)

[Peter Facinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-facinelli/)

> [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Self-respect,--the corner-stone of all virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-herschel/self-respect-the-corner-stone-of-all-virtue/)

[John Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-herschel/)

> [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/)

[Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/)

> [Guys standing around and talking about Spanish fly: 'You know anything about Spanish fly?' 'No, tell me about it.' Well there's this girl Crazy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/guys-standing-around-and-talking-about-spanish-fly-you-know-anything/)

[Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/)

> [If I had to pick favourite parts of Interlagos, I would say the first and last corners. The first corner is really technical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/if-i-had-to-pick-favourite-parts-of-interlagos-i-would-say-the-first/)

[Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/)

> [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/)

[Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/)

> [What curious little corners of folly are to be found in even the sanest brain!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-of-romania/what-curious-little-corners-of-folly-are-to-be-found-in-even-the/)

[Marie of Romania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-of-romania/)

> [I liked the taste of beer, its live, white lather, its brass-bright depths, the sudden world through the wet-brown walls of the glass, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-liked-the-taste-of-beer-its-live-white-lather-its-brass-bright/)

[Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/)

[Browse all 1,329 Corners quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That passage is what I call the sublime dashed to pieces by cutting too close with the fiery four-in-hand round the corner of nonsense.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime-dashed-to-pieces-by-cutting/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Corners"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime-dashed-to-pieces-by-cutting/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_corners_that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime_610026.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_corners_that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime_610026.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_corners_that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime_610026.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That passage is what I call the sublime dashed to pieces by cutting too close with the fiery four-in-hand…” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge",
                "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": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That passage is what I call...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime-dashed-to-pieces-by-cutting/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/that-passage-is-what-i-call-the-sublime-dashed-to-pieces-by-cutting/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
