--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even the wisest man grows tense/with some…" description: "\"“Even the wisest man grows tense/with some sort of violence/before he can accomplish fate,/know his work or choose his mate.”\" — Yeats" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/yeats-72171_destiny_even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-som_945491.jpg" --- # Even the wisest man grows tense/with some sort of… ![“Even the wisest man grows tense/with some sort of violence/before he can accomplish fate,/know his work or choose his mate.” quote by Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/yeats-72171_destiny_even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-som_945491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/yeats-72171_destiny_even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-som_945491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/yeats-72171_destiny_even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-som_945491.jpg) > ““Even the wisest man grows tense/with some sort of violence/before he can accomplish fate,/know his work or choose his mate.”” Yeats ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even the wisest person feels tension and inner conflict before achieving destiny, recognizing the need to understand one's purpose and relationships. **In simple terms:** Wisdom brings tension before fate. Key Takeaway Accept tension as part of growth. Themes wisdom destiny inner conflict purpose Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - relationship choices - creative projects - spiritual quests Key Concepts philosophy poetry psychology Questions to Reflect On - What inner conflicts precede your major decisions? - How do you discern between necessary tension and harmful anxiety? A Different Perspective Tension can paralyze action if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) ## Related quotes > [Even the wisest man grows tense With some sort of violence Before he can accomplish fate, Know his work or choose his mate. Poet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-some-sort-of-violence-before-he-2/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-the-wisest-man-alive-for-i-know-one-thing-and-that-is-that-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The wisest man could ask no more of fate Than to be simple, modest, manly, true, Safe from the many, honored by the few;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-wisest-man-could-ask-no-more-of-fate-than-to-be-simple-modest/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The wisest man the warl' e'er saw, He dearly loved the lasses, O.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/the-wisest-man-the-warl-e-er-saw-he-dearly-loved-the-lasses-o/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [“Even the wisdom of the wisest depends on the accumulated wisdom of the past!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/even-the-wisdom-of-the-wisest-depends-on-the-accumulated-wisdom-of/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [When you meditate you have to try to quiet and calm the mind. There should be no thought within the mind. Right now you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/when-you-meditate-you-have-to-try-to-quiet-and-calm-the-mind-there/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [If travel were so inspiring and informing a business ... then the wisest men in the world would be deck hands on tramp steamers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/if-travel-were-so-inspiring-and-informing-a-business-then-the-wisest/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [My dear father; my dear friend; the best and wisest man I ever knew, who taught me many lessons and showed me many things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-orne-jewett/my-dear-father-my-dear-friend-the-best-and-wisest-man-i-ever-knew-who/) [Sarah Orne Jewett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-orne-jewett/) > [Haste is productive of injury, and so is too much hesitation. He is the wisest man who does everything at the proper time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/haste-is-productive-of-injury-and-so-is-too-much-hesitation-he-is-the/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [The wisest man would be the one richest in contradictions, who has, as it were, antennae for all types of men---as well as his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-wisest-man-would-be-the-one-richest-in-contradictions-who-has-as/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The wisest man may always learn something from the humblest peasant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-wisest-man-may-always-learn-something-from-the-humblest-peasant/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [The wisest man preaches no doctrines; he has no scheme; he sees no rafter, not even a cobweb, against the heavens. It is clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-wisest-man-preaches-no-doctrines-he-has-no-scheme-he-sees-no/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A child can ask a thousand questions that the wisest man cannot answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-abbott/a-child-can-ask-a-thousand-questions-that-the-wisest-man-cannot-answer/) [Jacob Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-abbott/) > [We must get away from this limited \*I did this and I did that\* and the self-centeredness, that dominates our society Today. It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/we-must-get-away-from-this-limited-i-did-this-and-i-did-that-and-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Mankind is made up of inconsistencies, and no man acts invariably up to his predominant character. The wisest man sometimes acts weakly, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/mankind-is-made-up-of-inconsistencies-and-no-man-acts-invariably-up/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) ## More by Yeats > [“The kings of the old time are dead; The wandering earth herself may be Only a sudden flaming word, In clanging space a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeats/the-kings-of-the-old-time-are-dead-the-wandering-earth-herself-may-be/) Yeats > [“I had this thought a while ago, "My darling cannot understand What I have done, or what would do In this blind bitter land.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeats/i-had-this-thought-a-while-ago-my-darling-cannot-understand-what-i-2/) Yeats > [“I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeats/i-would-spread-the-cloths-under-your-feet-but-i-being-poor-have-only/) Yeats Explore all 4 Yeats quotes ## More Destiny quotes > [... War on the destiny of man! Doom on the sun! Before death takes you, O take back this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-on-the-destiny-of-man-doom-on-the-sun-before-death-takes-you-o/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anatomy is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/anatomy-is-destiny/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“To be a Sufi is to detach from fixed ideas and from preconceptions; and not to try to avoid what is your lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/to-be-a-sufi-is-to-detach-from-fixed-ideas-and-from-preconceptions/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [ Man blindly works the will of fate. \[Ger., Blindlings that er blos den Willen des Geschickes.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-martin-wieland/man-blindly-works-the-will-of-fate-ger-blindlings-that-er-blos-den/) [Christoph Martin Wieland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-martin-wieland/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“It's morning now, and I miss the soft rasp of her voice already. Ugh. I'm in trouble, aren't I?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-shand/it-s-morning-now-and-i-miss-the-soft-rasp-of-her-voice-already-ugh-i/) [Pat Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-shand/) > [You can't choose what stays and what stays away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/you-can-t-choose-what-stays-and-what-stays-away/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It's something quite magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/somehow-destiny-comes-into-play-these-children-end-up-with-you-and/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Destiny is the ordained intention God has sacredly prepared with your name on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-lynch/destiny-is-the-ordained-intention-god-has-sacredly-prepared-with-your/) [John S. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-lynch/) > [“There is no interaction without God with interaction with men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/there-is-no-interaction-without-god-with-interaction-with-men/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“Fate and future both are servant to the determined, for they are nothing but creation of human determination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/fate-and-future-both-are-servant-to-the-determined-for-they-are/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) [Browse all 7,925 Destiny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Even the wisest man grows tense/with some sort of violence/before he can accomplish fate,/know his work or choose his mate.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yeats" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeats/even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-some-sort-of-violence-before-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Destiny" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeats/even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-some-sort-of-violence-before-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/yeats-72171_destiny_even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-som_945491.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/yeats-72171_destiny_even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-som_945491.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/yeats-72171_destiny_even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-som_945491.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even the wisest man grows tense/with some sort of violence/before he can accomplish fate,/know his work or…” — 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": "Yeats", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeats/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Even the wisest man grows tense/with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeats/even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-some-sort-of-violence-before-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeats/even-the-wisest-man-grows-tense-with-some-sort-of-violence-before-he/#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 } } ] } ```