--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for…" description: "\"Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for anything this day, Being old, but that the old alone might die, And that would be against God's Providence.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc7/william-butler-yeats-350_aging_nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-fo_1278928.png" --- # Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for anything this… ![“Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for anything this day, Being old, but that the old alone might die, And that would be against God's Providence.” quote by William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc7/william-butler-yeats-350_aging_nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-fo_1278928.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc7/william-butler-yeats-350_aging_nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-fo_1278928.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc7/william-butler-yeats-350_aging_nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-fo_1278928.png) > “Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for anything this day, Being old, but that the old alone might die, And that would be against God's Providence.” [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contemplating mortality and divine will, fearing death only when it defies a higher purpose. **In simple terms:** Fear death when it opposes divine plan. Key Takeaway Accept life's limits, trust providence. Themes mortality faith existential Mood somber contemplative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - elder care - grief counseling - personal reflection Key Concepts theology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile personal loss with belief? - Can faith ease fear of death? A Different Perspective May overlook personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Being old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-old/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Providence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/providence/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“He prayeth well, who loveth well Both man and bird and beast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/he-prayeth-well-who-loveth-well-both-man-and-bird-and-beast/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In conclusion I congratulate you, my fellow-citizens, upon the high state of prosperity to which the goodness of Divine Providence has conducted our common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-taylor/in-conclusion-i-congratulate-you-my-fellow-citizens-upon-the-high/) [Zachary Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-taylor/) > [Taken during the new year, and wanted to wish you all on the same day, but wasn't able to upload it at that instant..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/taken-during-the-new-year-and-wanted-to-wish-you-all-on-the-same-day/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [I Wish..This Day make U feel Better…Don't Hurt Anyone.:.Be The Best Day Ever..Just to say Good Morning…;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hrittick-dutta-nilavo/i-wish-this-day-make-u-feel-better-don-t-hurt-anyone-be-the-best-day/) [Hrittick Dutta Nilavo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hrittick-dutta-nilavo/) > [Except a man be born again, he will wish one day he had never been born at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/except-a-man-be-born-again-he-will-wish-one-day-he-had-never-been/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [I wish I could go back to the day I met you... and walk the hell away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/airyell-speaks/i-wish-i-could-go-back-to-the-day-i-met-you-and-walk-the-hell-away/) [Airyell Speaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/airyell-speaks/) > [I just wish one day I am free from pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phan-thi-kim-phuc/i-just-wish-one-day-i-am-free-from-pain/) [Phan Thi Kim Phuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phan-thi-kim-phuc/) > [The best Birthday wish that you can get for the day is that may you live each moment of your life to the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-birthday-wish-that-you-can-get-for-the-day-is-that-may-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let us together wish for a day when we will wake up in an America, where corruption is an alien concept. Now let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-together-wish-for-a-day-when-we-will-wake-up-in-an-america/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish one day someone feels true love for me, hope I'll find that right person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-one-day-someone-feels-true-love-for-me-hope-i-ll-find-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today we send a special wish which comes with love to you, to wish you a day of love and laughter in all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-smith/today-we-send-a-special-wish-which-comes-with-love-to-you-to-wish-you/) [Susan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-smith/) > [Off to work I go so much fun man I wish I can have a day off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/off-to-work-i-go-so-much-fun-man-i-wish-i-can-have-a-day-off/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You should not fear, nor yet should you wish for your last day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/you-should-not-fear-nor-yet-should-you-wish-for-your-last-day/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [Dear you ... not seeing you ...makes me wish for you every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-johnson/dear-you-not-seeing-you-makes-me-wish-for-you-every-day/) [Natalya Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-johnson/) > [Be content to be what you are, and prefer nothing to it, and do not fear or wish for your last day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-content-to-be-what-you-are-and-prefer-nothing-to-it-and-do-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by William Butler Yeats > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I would have touched it like a child But knew my finger could but have touched Cold stone and water. I grew wild, Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-would-have-touched-it-like-a-child-but-knew-my-finger-could-but/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [You know what the Englishman's idea of compromise is? He says, Some people say there is a God. Some people say there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/you-know-what-the-englishman-s-idea-of-compromise-is-he-says-some/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [That toil of growing up; The ignominy of boyhood; the distress Of boyhood changing into man; The unfinished man and his pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/that-toil-of-growing-up-the-ignominy-of-boyhood-the-distress-of/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I see a schoolboy when I think of him, With face and nose pressed to a sweet-shop window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-see-a-schoolboy-when-i-think-of-him-with-face-and-nose-pressed-to-a/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Only God, my dear, Could love you for yourself alone And not your yellow hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/only-god-my-dear-could-love-you-for-yourself-alone-and-not-your/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [We can only begin to live when we conceive life as Tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/we-can-only-begin-to-live-when-we-conceive-life-as-tragedy/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I know that I shall meet my fate somewhere among the clouds above; those that I fight I do not hate, those that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-know-that-i-shall-meet-my-fate-somewhere-among-the-clouds-above/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Great literature has always been written in a like spirit, and is, indeed, the Forgiveness of Sin, and when we find it becoming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/great-literature-has-always-been-written-in-a-like-spirit-and-is/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Where the wave of moonlight glosses The dim gray sands with light, Far off by furthest Rosses We foot it all the night, Weaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/where-the-wave-of-moonlight-glosses-the-dim-gray-sands-with-light-far/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [His element is so fine Being sharpened by his death, To drink from the wine-breath While our gross palates drink from the whole wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/his-element-is-so-fine-being-sharpened-by-his-death-to-drink-from-the/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [We poets would die of loneliness but for women, and we choose our men friends that we may have somebody to talk about women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/we-poets-would-die-of-loneliness-but-for-women-and-we-choose-our-men/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Love is created and preserved by intellectual analysis, for we love only that which is unique, and it belongs to contemplation, not to action,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/love-is-created-and-preserved-by-intellectual-analysis-for-we-love/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Who dreamed that beauty passes like a dream? For these red lips, with all their mournful pride, Mournful that no new wonder may betide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/who-dreamed-that-beauty-passes-like-a-dream-for-these-red-lips-with/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) [Explore all 652 William Butler Yeats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) ## More Aging quotes > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for anything this day, Being old, but that the old alone might die, And that would be against God's Providence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Butler Yeats" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-for-anything-this-day-being-old/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-for-anything-this-day-being-old/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc7/william-butler-yeats-350_aging_nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-fo_1278928.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc7/william-butler-yeats-350_aging_nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-fo_1278928.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc7/william-butler-yeats-350_aging_nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-fo_1278928.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for anything this day, Being old, but that the old alone might die…” — William Butler Yeats", "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 Butler Yeats", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nor bird nor beast Could make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-for-anything-this-day-being-old/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-for-anything-this-day-being-old/#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 } } ] } ```