Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) was an impressive writer, poet and journalist born in Boston, United States. He is considered one of the best authors in the genre of short stories and gothic novels.
His horror stories and his foray into science fiction led him to great posthumous recognition, but he lived among hardships and misery during his short but exceptional life. Near his death, he wanted to found his own newspaper, called “The Stylus”, although he failed in the attempt.
A representative of surrealism, Poe influenced different genres of prose throughout the planet. To get closer to his work and his unparalleled mystique, We have decided to pay tribute to this genius of literature through the best phrases of Edgar Allan Poe
Will you join us on this journey into the darkness?
1. Whatever its relationship, beauty, in its supreme development, inevitably induces tears in sensitive souls.
A phrase that could well be the description of Stendhal Syndrome.
2. In the disinterested love of an animal, in the sacrifice of itself, there is something that reaches directly to the heart of one who has often had occasion to verify the petty friendship and fragile fidelity of the natural Man.
The purity of the animal against the cruelty of the human being.
3. When a madman seems completely sensible, it is time to put him in a straitjacket.
Ironic phrase that can be interpreted in different ways.
4. The corruption of taste is part of and plays into the dollar industry.
About economics and its influence on our lives.
5. Men of genius are much more abundant than is supposed. In reality, to fully appreciate the work of what we call genius, it is necessary to possess all the genius that he needed to produce the work.
About the unlimited creativity of the minds of geniuses.
6. That man is not truly brave who fears to appear, and to be, when it suits him, a coward.
Cowardice is the worst defect one can possess.
7. Science has not yet taught us whether or not madness is the most sublime of intelligence.
One of those crazy phrases that leaves no one indifferent.
8. In music is perhaps where the soul comes closest to the great goal for which it fights when it feels inspired by poetic feeling: the creation of supernatural beauty.
Great phrase about music and its unmatched aesthetic power.
9. In criticism I will be brave, severe and absolutely fair with friends and enemies. Nothing will change this purpose.
The justice of one’s opinion must be unwavering.
10. All works of art must begin at the end.
Curious reflection by Edgar Allan Poe.
11. If I were asked to define the term art in a few words, I would call it the reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the soul.
In one of his most famous phrases, Edgar Allan Poe tells us his opinion on what art is.
12. Everything we see or seem is just a dream within a dream.
Could existence be a mere concatenation of dreams? Maybe.
13. I have no faith in human perfection. Man is now more active, not happier, nor more intelligent, than he was 6000 years ago.
Despite technical advances, human existence continues to be stained by the same laziness, vanity and inaction.
14. It is doubtful that the human race will be able to create an enigma that human ingenuity itself will not solve.
At that crossroads is human thought.
15. Death is bravely confronted and then invited to a drink.
With chivalry and kindness.
16. I went crazy, with long intervals of horrible sanity.
One of Edgar Allan Poe’s phrases most remembered for its brilliance.
17. I have great faith in fools, self-confidence my friends call it.
For an inveterate pessimist like Poe, any hint of grandiloquence was a real nonsense.
18. Believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear.
19. The only way for man to preserve his freedom is to always be ready to die for it.
Passion for life is a sine qua non condition for not having one’s freedom taken away.
20. Perhaps it is the very simplicity of the matter that leads us to error.
Sometimes Ockhan’s razor just doesn’t work.
21. The death of a beautiful woman is, without a doubt, the most poetic theme in the world.
As Poe proposes, it is a fact that brings together several elements of special poetic and aesthetic significance.
22. Every movement, whatever its cause, is creative.
Creative forces, always dynamic.
23. Don’t we have in us a perpetual inclination, despite the excellence of our judgment, to violate what the Law is, simply because we understand that it is the Law?
About the human propensity to break imposed rules.
24. We loved with a love that was more than love.
Love taken to the extreme is one of the essential characteristics of 19th century romanticism.
25. For me, poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.
Without a doubt, we are facing one of the great poets of the 19th century.
26. The believer is happy. He who doubts is wise.
Doubt is the characteristic sign of intelligent people.
27. On a terrifying night, I was restlessly rereading an old tome when I thought I heard a strange noise.
This is how “The Raven” begins, one of his best-known poems.
28. Years of love have been forgotten, in the hate of a minute.
From love to hate there is only one step.
29. I stayed in my head too much and ended up losing my mind.
Some people who are too self-absorbed end up paying a high price for their sanity.
30. I intend to endure as much as I can let go.
Romanticism consists of describing exacerbated feelings that end up making the person lose their composure.
31. Deep in the earth, my love lies. And I must cry alone.
Pain, anguish and depression are just some of the constants in his work.
32. A lie travels around the world while the truth puts on its boots.
A truth that remains valid today.
33. And being young and immersed in madness, I fell in love with melancholy.
One of the phrases that can best define the romantic genre.
34. I fear future events, not in themselves, but in their results.
A fear that many of us can share.
35. What you confuse with madness is nothing more than an overactivation of the senses.
There is a very fine line between madness and genius.
36. All suffering comes from longing, attachment and desire.
An approach shared by many Eastern religions, especially Buddhism.
37. The most fearsome monsters are those that hide in our souls.
Many horror authors past and present share this idea.
38. Those who gossip with you will gossip about you.
Poe knew how to perfectly define some of the social habits and customs of his time.
39. Poetry is the rhythmic creation of beauty in words.
An excellent definition of poetry.
40. To elevate the soul, poetry is necessary.
Poetry makes us feel better about ourselves and takes us to fantastic places.
41. You think I’m crazy. Crazy people don’t know anything. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded…
For Poe, there is always a lucid sanity in madness.
42. Dying laughing must be the most glorious of all glorious deaths!
An original and particular approach to one of his favorite themes: death.
43. If you run out of ideas, continue on your way; you will get there.
A piece of advice that we can put into practice any day of our lives.
44. If a man deceives me once, I am ashamed of him; If he cheats on me twice, I feel sorry for myself.
A quote that we can take as a precept in life.
45. It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood.
Some of his stories present us with truly terrifying scenes.
46. The boundaries that divide life from death are, at best, bleak and vague. Who will say where one ends and the other begins?
A suggestive approach that evokes the classic atmosphere of literary romanticism.
47. Those who dream during the day are aware of many things that escape those who only dream at night.
Dreams were also one of the settings where Poe was inspired to create his works.
48. I intend not to endure anything that I can repress.
The unfiltered expression of exacerbated feelings was common in the work of this great literary genius.
49. Always keep a bottle of liquor by your side. If a bird starts talking nonsense in the middle of the night, pour yourself a drink.
In this quote, Poe ironically talks about his great work “The Raven.”
50. It is a happiness to marvel; It is a happiness to dream.
Although he was one of the greatest exponents of mid-century romanticism, Poe also left us some vital and optimistic quotes.
51. Every religion, my friend, simply developed out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry.
A very advanced approach for its time.
52. I felt like I was breathing an atmosphere of sadness.
Paradigmatic example of romantic literature.
53. If a poem has not destroyed your soul; you haven’t experienced poetry.
Poetry makes us feel very intense emotions, both positive and negative.
54. False hope is better than no hope.
Some people might agree with this statement.
55. There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless that cannot be played without emotion.
Bold people often arouse our greatest admiration.
56. The senses perceive in nature through the veil of the soul.
Nature transmits us pure and necessary emotions.
57. Even in the grave, all is not lost.
A plea in favor of optimism.
58. They call it hope, that fire of fire! It is nothing more than agony of desire.
A negative view of hope.
59. The best things in life make you sweat.
A humorous approach from this great writer and poet.
60. Convinced of myself, I try not to convince.
Poe was a true genius of language.
61. Stupidity is a talent for error.
The error can cause interesting content.
62. I wish I could be as mysterious as a cat.
A nice contribution from this master of mystery.
63. Men have called me crazy; but the question is not yet resolved, whether madness is or is not the highest intelligence.
As a romantic artist, madness was always one of the essential themes in his work.
64. It is by no means an irrational fantasy that, in a future existence, we see what we think is our present existence, like a dream.
Poe reflected deeply about the future and what we call “existence.”
65. True, nervous, very, very terribly nervous, I was and am, but why will I say that I am angry? The illness had sharpened my senses, it had not destroyed them, it had not dulled them. Above all, the sense of hearing was acute.
One of the passages that best relates the feeling of exacerbated anguish.
66. There are some secrets that are not allowed to be told.
His novels are full of horrible secrets that should not be revealed.
67. Invisible things are the only realities.
The most important things in life are not things.
68. Art is looking so as not to criticize.
The creator must have complete freedom to create his art.
69. Sleep, those little slices of death, how I hate them.
In any romantic artist worth his salt, death is one of the themes most addressed in his work.
70. The past is a pebble in my shoe.
For Poe, the past is a discomfort that should be overcome.
71. The most natural human affections and, consequently, the truest and most intense are those that arise in the heart.
A way to reflect on what makes us human.
72. Every poem should remind the reader that they are going to die.
A tremendous approach to romantic poetry.
73. Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.
Poe also bequeathed us sublime approaches to linguistics.
74. Leave my loneliness intact.
Many of its verses take us to truly distressing and depressive scenes.
75. Without suffering, I would never have been blessed.
Suffering and anguish were a blessing in itself for romantic authors.
76. God’s plots are perfect. The Universe is a plot of God.
An original approach to religion and the work of God.
77. Who cares how time progresses? I’m drinking beer today.
In addition to being one of the greatest literary geniuses of the 19th century, Poe had a great sense of humor.
78. The eye, like a broken mirror, multiplies the images of sadness.
An approach as depressive as it is beautiful.
79. I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.
In his work we find humorous scenes and passages full of irony.
