---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The good die first, and they whose hearts…"
description: "\"The good die first, and they whose hearts are dry as summer dust, burn to the socket.\" — William Wordsworth"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-wordsworth-403_death_the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts_266732.jpg"
---

#  The good die first, and they whose hearts are dry as…

![“The good die first, and they whose hearts are dry as summer dust, burn to the socket.” quote by William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-wordsworth-403_death_the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts_266732.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-wordsworth-403_death_the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts_266732.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-wordsworth-403_death_the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts_266732.jpg)

> “The good die first, and they whose hearts are dry as summer dust, burn to the socket.”

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

## About This Quote

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

Those who are morally dry and indifferent suffer severe consequences, while the virtuous may perish early.

**In simple terms:** Indifference leads to harsh outcomes.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate compassion and awareness.

Themes

morality consequence human nature

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical poetic

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- leadership
- political decisions
- social policy

Key Concepts

ethical decay empathy justice

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “dry hearts” mean to you?
- How can society protect the vulnerable?

A Different Perspective

The quote may overgeneralize human experience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Burn Socket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burn-socket-2616308/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry/) [Dry Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry-summer-795879/) [Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust/) [Dust Burn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust-burn-2616309/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Hearts Dry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearts-dry-1328420/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-dust-2219137/)

## Related quotes

> [Most autumns, the water is low from the long dry summer, and you have to get out from time to time and wade, leading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-graves/most-autumns-the-water-is-low-from-the-long-dry-summer-and-you-have/)

[John Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-graves/)

> [“I have heard the summer dust crying to be born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/i-have-heard-the-summer-dust-crying-to-be-born/)

[Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/)

> [I have only to break into the tightness of a strawberry, and I see summer - its dust and lowering skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-have-only-to-break-into-the-tightness-of-a-strawberry-and-i-see/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [“I miss you like the rain misses the soil, and the soil misses the rain, during those dry summer spells.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-miss-you-like-the-rain-misses-the-soil-and-the-soil-misses-the-rain/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [I wish I could fined true love... so I can ask the world to believe ... i can heal the broken hearts …i can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leaya/i-wish-i-could-fined-true-love-so-i-can-ask-the-world-to-believe-i/)

[Leaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leaya/)

> [It is a strange world, a sad world, a world full of miseries, and woes, and troubles; and yet when King Laugh come he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/it-is-a-strange-world-a-sad-world-a-world-full-of-miseries-and-woes-2/)

[Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/)

> [“It is a strange world, a sad world, a world full of miseries, and woes, and troubles. And yet when King Laugh come, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/it-is-a-strange-world-a-sad-world-a-world-full-of-miseries-and-woes/)

[Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/)

> [If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-lawyers-are-disbarred-and-clergymen-defrocked-doesn-t-it-follow/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [I had my first French meal and I never got over it. It was just marvelous. We had oysters and a lovely dry white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/i-had-my-first-french-meal-and-i-never-got-over-it-it-was-just/)

[Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/)

> [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [He will hear the rain before he feels it, a clicking on the dry grass, on the olive leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/he-will-hear-the-rain-before-he-feels-it-a-clicking-on-the-dry-grass/)

[Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/)

> [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/)

[John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/)

> [If a woman hasn't got a tiny streak of a harlot in her, she's a dry stick as a rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-woman-hasn-t-got-a-tiny-streak-of-a-harlot-in-her-she-s-a-dry/)

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

> [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/)

[Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/)

## More by William Wordsworth

> [Spade! Thou art a tool of honor in my hands. I press thee, through a yielding soil, with pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/spade-thou-art-a-tool-of-honor-in-my-hands-i-press-thee-through-a/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Brothers all In honour, as in one community, Scholars and gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/brothers-all-in-honour-as-in-one-community-scholars-and-gentlemen/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [The eye— it cannot choose but see; we cannot bid the ear be still; our bodies feel, where'er they be, against or with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-eye-it-cannot-choose-but-see-we-cannot-bid-the-ear-be-still-our/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know, Are a substantial world, both pure and good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/dreams-books-are-each-a-world-and-books-we-know-are-a-substantial/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Now when the primrose makes a splendid show, And lilies face the March-winds in full blow, And humbler growths as moved with one desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/now-when-the-primrose-makes-a-splendid-show-and-lilies-face-the-march/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“Where are your books? - that light bequeathed To beings else forlorn and blind! Up! up! and drink the spirit breathed From dead men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/where-are-your-books-that-light-bequeathed-to-beings-else-forlorn-and/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Knowledge and increase of enduring joy From the great Nature that exists in works Of mighty Poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/knowledge-and-increase-of-enduring-joy-from-the-great-nature-that/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [The common growth of Mother Earth Suffices me,-her tears, her mirth, Her humblest mirth and tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-common-growth-of-mother-earth-suffices-me-her-tears-her-mirth-her/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [And he is oft the wisest manWho is not wise at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/and-he-is-oft-the-wisest-manwho-is-not-wise-at-all/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [The oldest man he seemed that ever wore grey hairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-oldest-man-he-seemed-that-ever-wore-grey-hairs/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“She was a Phantom of delight When first she gleam'd upon my sight; A lovely Apparition, sent To be a moment's ornament: Her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/she-was-a-phantom-of-delight-when-first-she-gleam-d-upon-my-sight-a/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“If the time should ever come when what is now called science, thus familiarised to men, shall be ready to put on, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/if-the-time-should-ever-come-when-what-is-now-called-science-thus/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Truth takes no account of centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/truth-takes-no-account-of-centuries/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [I have felt a presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused, whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/i-have-felt-a-presence-that-disturbs-me-with-the-joy-of-elevated/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Like thoughts whose very sweetness yielded proof that they were born for immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/like-thoughts-whose-very-sweetness-yielded-proof-that-they-were-born/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

[Explore all 587 William Wordsworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

[J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/)

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

[Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/)

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The good die first, and they whose hearts are dry as summer dust, burn to the socket.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Wordsworth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts-are-dry-as-summer-dust-burn/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts-are-dry-as-summer-dust-burn/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-wordsworth-403_death_the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts_266732.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-wordsworth-403_death_the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts_266732.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-wordsworth-403_death_the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts_266732.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The good die first, and they whose hearts are dry as summer dust, burn to the socket.” — William Wordsworth",
                "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 Wordsworth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The good die first, and they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts-are-dry-as-summer-dust-burn/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-good-die-first-and-they-whose-hearts-are-dry-as-summer-dust-burn/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
