Quotes from Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The primary notion i hold to be the Living Power.

Imagination that compares and contrasts with what is around as well as what is better and worse is the living power and prime agent of all human perception judgement and emotional reaction.

As it must not, so genius cannot be lawless; for it is even that constitutes its genius - the power of acting creatively under laws of its own origination.

The spirit of poetry, like all other living powers, must of necessity circumscribe itself by rules, were it only to unite power with beauty.

He prayeth best who loveth best.

He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.

If you would stand well with a great mind, leave him with a favorable impression of yourself; if with a little mind, leave him with a favorable impression of himself.

Ignorance seldom vaults into knowledge.

Ignorance seldom vaults into knowledge, but passes into it through an intermediate state of obscurity, even as night into day through twilight.

No man does anything from a single motive.

Talk of the devil, and his horns appear.

Religion is the most gentlemanly thing in the world. It alone will gentilize, if unmixed with cant.

I do not call the sod under my feet my country; but language-religion-government-blood-identity in these makes men of one country.

Of no agenor of any religion, or party or profession. The body and substance of his works came out of the unfathomable depths of his own oceanic mind.

During the act of knowledge itself, the objective and subjective are so instantly united, that we cannot determine to which of the two the priority belongs.

Until you understand a writer's ignorance, presume yourself ignorant of his understanding.

Why is it that so many of us persist in thinking that autumn is a sad season? Nature has merely fallen asleep, and her dreams must be beautiful if we are to judge by her countenance.

The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions - the little, soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look or heartfelt compliment.

How strange and awful is the synthesis of life and death in the gusty winds and falling leaves of an autumnal day!

The principle of the Gothic architecture is infinity made imaginable.

Death but supplies the oil for the inextinguishable lamp of life.

Not one man in a thousand has either strength of mind or goodness of heart to be an atheist.

Not one man in a thousand has either strength of mind or goodness of heart to be an Atheist. I repeat it. Not one man in a thousand has either strength of mind or goodness of heart to be an Atheist.

Real pain can alone cure us of imaginary ills. We feel a thousand miseries till we are lucky enough to feel misery.