William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced".In 2002, Blake was placed at number 38 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Although he lived in London his entire life (except for three years spent in Felpham), he produced a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God" or "human existence itself". {more}
Image via wiki |
"I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans; I will not reason and compare: my business is to create."
---
"You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough."
---
"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."
---
"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself."
---
"Do what you will, this world's a fiction and is made up of contradiction."
---
"What is now proved was once only imagined."
---
"To generalize is to be an idiot."
--
"A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent."
---
"Active Evil is better than Passive Good."
---
"Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you."
---
"The fool who persists in his folly will become wise."
---
"The difference between a bad artist and a good one is: the bad artist seems to copy a great deal; the good one really does."
---
"Prisons are built with stones of Law. Brothels with the bricks of religion."
---
"Man has no Body distinct from his Soul; for that called Body is a portion of Soul discerned by the five Senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age."
---
"It is not because angels are holier than men or devils that makes them angels, but because they do not expect holiness from one another, but from God only."
---
"To the eyes of a miser a guinea is more beautiful than the sun, and a bag worn with the use of money has more beautiful proportions than a vine filled with grapes."
---