--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a…" description: "\"When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!\" — William Blake" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/william-blake-397_bird_when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-po_1120944.jpg" --- # When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius… ![“When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!” quote by William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/william-blake-397_bird_when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-po_1120944.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/william-blake-397_bird_when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-po_1120944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/william-blake-397_bird_when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-po_1120944.jpg) > “When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!” [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing an eagle symbolizes recognizing greatness within yourself; lift your head with confidence. **In simple terms:** Recognize inner greatness and feel confident. Key Takeaway Embrace your own genius. Themes confidence self‑esteem inspiration Mood proud optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - personal achievement - leadership - creative projects - public speaking Key Concepts symbolism self‑realization Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor your talents without arrogance? - When does confidence become hubris? A Different Perspective May overlook humility or teamwork. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagle/) [Eagle Thou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagle-thou-3032755/) [Eagles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagles/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Lift Thy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lift-thy-3032756/) [Lifts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifts/) [Portions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portions/) [Thou Seest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou-seest-253912/) [Thy Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thy-head-703161/) ## Related quotes > [Thou art an eagle, thou doest belong to the sky and not to the earth, stretch forth thy wings and fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-h-dunn/thou-art-an-eagle-thou-doest-belong-to-the-sky-and-not-to-the-earth/) [Paul H. Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-h-dunn/) > [For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: Because thou shalt forget thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/for-then-shalt-thou-lift-up-thy-face-without-spot-yea-thou-shalt-be/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-eagle-never-lost-so-much-time-as-when-he-submitted-to-learn-of/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > ['Come hither, my boy, tell me what thou seest there?' 'A fool tangled in a religious snare.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/come-hither-my-boy-tell-me-what-thou-seest-there-a-fool-tangled-in-a/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The eagle that soars in the upper air does not worry itself how it is to cross rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-aylward/the-eagle-that-soars-in-the-upper-air-does-not-worry-itself-how-it-is/) [Gladys Aylward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-aylward/) > [The plainest print cannot be read through a gold eagle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-plainest-print-cannot-be-read-through-a-gold-eagle/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Take the road where the eagle flies, man follows where his fortune lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-squier/take-the-road-where-the-eagle-flies-man-follows-where-his-fortune-lies/) [Billy Squier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-squier/) > [The Eagle does not escape the storm. The Eagle simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It spreads its mighty wings and rises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/the-eagle-does-not-escape-the-storm-the-eagle-simply-uses-the-storm/) [Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/) > [The little and the great are joined in one By God's great force. The wondrous golden sun Is linked unto the glow-worm's tiny spark;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-lazarus/the-little-and-the-great-are-joined-in-one-by-god-s-great-force-the/) [Emma Lazarus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-lazarus/) > [The thing is, I retired as a Philadelphia Eagle, so I would never turn my back on the Philadelphia Eagles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-thing-is-i-retired-as-a-philadelphia-eagle-so-i-would-never-turn/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [And alone and without his nest shall the Eagle fly across the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-alone-and-without-his-nest-shall-the-eagle-fly-across-the-sun/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Which is bigger? A baby eagle or a giant crow?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rona-barrett/which-is-bigger-a-baby-eagle-or-a-giant-crow/) [Rona Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rona-barrett/) > [Prayer flies where the eagle never flew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-guthrie/prayer-flies-where-the-eagle-never-flew/) [Thomas Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-guthrie/) > [I'll always be a Golden Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwyane-wade/i-ll-always-be-a-golden-eagle/) [Dwyane Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwyane-wade/) > [Lately I've heard rumors that the eagle may be lame. Just because I've been idle, don't mean that I'm tame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waylon-jennings/lately-i-ve-heard-rumors-that-the-eagle-may-be-lame-just-because-i-ve/) [Waylon Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waylon-jennings/) ## More by William Blake > [Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/poetry-fettered-fetters-the-human-race-nations-are-destroyed-or/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Where any view of money exists, art cannot be carried on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/where-any-view-of-money-exists-art-cannot-be-carried-on/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [God only acts and is, in existing beings or men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/god-only-acts-and-is-in-existing-beings-or-men/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Kill not the moth nor butterfly, For the Last Judgement draweth nigh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/kill-not-the-moth-nor-butterfly-for-the-last-judgement-draweth-nigh/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-world-of-imagination-is-the-world-of-eternity-it-is-the-divine/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/imagination-is-the-real-and-eternal-world-of-which-this-vegetable/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Painters are noted for being dissipated and wild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/painters-are-noted-for-being-dissipated-and-wild/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Time is the mercy of Eternity; without Time's swiftness Which is the swiftest of all things, all were eternal torment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/time-is-the-mercy-of-eternity-without-time-s-swiftness-which-is-the/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The difference between a bad artist and a good one is: the bad artist seems to copy a great deal; the good one really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-difference-between-a-bad-artist-and-a-good-one-is-the-bad-artist/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Cruelty has a human heart, and jealousy a human face. Terror, the human form divine, And secrecy, the human dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/cruelty-has-a-human-heart-and-jealousy-a-human-face-terror-the-human/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [A dead body revenges not injuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/a-dead-body-revenges-not-injuries/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained; and the restrainer or reason usurps its place & governs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/those-who-restrain-desire-do-so-because-theirs-is-weak-enough-to-be/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [To generalize is to be an idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/to-generalize-is-to-be-an-idiot/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [THE POISON TREE I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-poison-tree-i-was-angry-with-my-friend-i-told-my-wrath-my-wrath/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The bird a nest the spider a web the human friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-bird-a-nest-the-spider-a-web-the-human-friendship/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) [Explore all 592 William Blake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) ## More Bird quotes > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“He unfixes the metal notch and slips his hand around the body of the bird. Feels its heat, its small heart beating. He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/) [Nina Schuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-schuyler/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Real like sucks the life out of losers. if you want to fuck with the eagles, you must learn how to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-like-sucks-the-life-out-of-losers-if-you-want-to-fuck-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) [Browse all 4,802 Bird quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Blake" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-portion-of-genius-lift-up-thy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bird" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-portion-of-genius-lift-up-thy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/william-blake-397_bird_when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-po_1120944.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/william-blake-397_bird_when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-po_1120944.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/william-blake-397_bird_when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-po_1120944.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!” — William Blake", "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": "William Blake", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When thou seest an eagle, thou...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-portion-of-genius-lift-up-thy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/when-thou-seest-an-eagle-thou-seest-a-portion-of-genius-lift-up-thy/#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 } } ] } ```