John Keats Quotes About Imagination

Quotes about: Imagination

• My imagination is a monastery and I am its monk.

  John Keats

  Imagination, Atheism, Literature

  John Keats (2015). “John Keats - The Man Behind The Lyrics: Life, letters, and literary remains: Complete Letters and Two Extensive Biographies of one of the most beloved English Romantic poets”, p.883, e-artnow

• I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections, and the truth of imagination.

  John Keats

  Inspirational, Truth, Lying

  Letter to Benjamin Bailey, 22 Nov. 1817

• Whatever the imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth -whether it existed before or not

  John Keats

  Beauty, Art, Imagination

  Letter to Benjamin Bailey, 22 Nov. 1817

• The imagination of a boy is healthy, and the mature imagination of a man is healthy; but there is a space of life between, in which the soul is in a ferment, the character undecided, the way of life uncertain, the ambition thick-sighted: thence proceeds mawkishness.

  John Keats

  Life, Ambition, Character

  'Endymion' (1818) preface

• The imagination may be compared to Adam's dream-he awoke and found it truth.

  John Keats

  Dream, Imagination, May

  John Keats (2015). “John Keats: Hyperion (Unabridged): An Epic Poem from one of the most beloved English Romantic poets, best known for his Odes, Ode to a Nightingale, Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to Indolence, Ode to Psyche, Ode to Fanny, Lamia and more”, p.114, e-artnow

• For Poesy alone can tell her dreams, With the fine spell of words alone can save Imagination from the sable charm And dumb enchantment. Who alive can say, ‘Thou art no Poet may’st not tell thy dreams?’ Since every man whose soul is not a clod Hath visions, and would speak, if he had loved And been well nurtured in his mother tongue. Whether the dream now purpos’d to rehearse Be poet’s or fanatic’s will be known When this warm scribe my hand is in the grave.

  John Keats

  Mother, Dream, Art

  John Keats (2015). “The Complete Poetry of John Keats: Ode on a Grecian Urn + Ode to a Nightingale + Hyperion + Endymion + The Eve of St. Agnes + Isabella + Ode to Psyche + Lamia + Sonnets and more from one of the most beloved English Romantic poets”, p.758, e-artnow

• I am certain I have not a right feeling towards women -- at this moment I am striving to be just to them, but I cannot. Is it because they fall so far beneath my boyish imagination? When I was a schoolboy I thought a fair woman a pure Goddess; my mind was a soft nest in which some one of them slept, though she knew it not.

  John Keats

  Women, Fall, Imagination

  John Keats (2002). “Selected Letters”, p.128, Oxford University Press, USA

• How sad it is when a luxurious imagination is obliged in self defense to deaden its delicacy in vulgarity, and riot in things attainable that it may not have leisure to go mad after things that are not.

  John Keats

  Self, Mad, Imagination

  John Keats (2002). “Selected Letters of John Keats”

• I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the Heart’s affections and the truth of the Imagination – What the imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth – whether it existed before or not – for I have the same Idea of all our Passions as of Love they are all in their sublime, creative of essential Beauty . . .

  John Keats

  Passion, Heart, Ideas

  1817 Letter to Benjamin Bailey, 22 Nov.

• A long poem is a test of invention which I take to be the Polar star of poetry, as fancy is the sails, and imagination the rudder.

  John Keats

  Stars, Long, Imagination

  Letter to Benjamin Bailey, 8 October 1817, in H. E. Rollins (ed.) 'The Letters of John Keats' (1958) vol. 1, p. 170

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