Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1833, in Amherst, Massachusetts. She is one of America's greatest and most original poets of all time. She is included as one of the important figures in American poetry.
Emily was born into a prominent family which had strong ties to the community. She studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years and then, later on, attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her home at Amherst.
Sources confirm that Emily lived most of her life alone. Locals considered her as a strange person for the way she lives her life. She later developed a love for white clothes and was known for her hesitation to leave her room, even to greet guests. She was never married and mostly had friendships with others that depended entirely on correlation.
Emily had nearly ten publications which consisted of her 1800 poems and one letter. The poems which were published had to be edited to fit in the standard poetic rules. Her poems were quite different for her era as most of them were quite short, and some even had no titles. Her poems naturally dealt with death and immortality, and the letter included topics like spirituality, society, and even nature.
Emily created a spell in her writing where she expressed what was possible but not yet realized. She believed that poetry was a double-edged sword, so she often challenged the existing definitions of poetry and poet's work.
Emily died in Amherst in 1866. After her, death her family did find the hand seen books, which consisted of 1800. The first volume of her poetry was published in 1890, four years after her death. The first volume was an incredible success. Her poems are loved by people irrespective of their age. She was truly an inspiration.
Following are some of the famous Emily Dickinson Quotes on Love, Life, Nature and Death.
Forever is composed of nows.
This quote holds a very strong message. It is something that every one of us ignores now and then.
Past, present, and future are all connected in a way that cannot be separated from each other. Now is the moment that you have, and that lasts for a short time. The moment you blink your eyes, it turns into the past.
Future is only a plan but something, when you reach, becomes present. And every moment in the past was a thing that had once occurred in the present. So, each moment that has ever occurred or will ever occur was and will be present. Therefore, forever will always be nows because it is always a now.
If your nerve deny you, go above your nerve.
The nerve is sometimes courage or steadiness in a demanding situation. It is something which can help us to overcome any dangerous circumstances.
Whenever you start anything new, you are going to have a doubt. A doubt that whether you can do it or doubt whether it is the right thing to do. Trample over doubt, stand up on your feet, and have that courage to do the thing anyhow.
And when you start doing it, your path will surely be blocked. Only if you decide then you can find a way. Walk towards that way and surely have gone above your nerve.
A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.
The word seems to have a life of its own. An unspoken word will have endless possibilities until it's spoken.
A word once spoken is like a caged bird; it can observe or describe but cannot fly. It appears that the bird is alive but has lost its meaning and is almost dead. It is the same way with the word as it too is dead when said.
But Emily says that she believes that when a word is said it has just started his life that day. Every word we say has deep meanings when we say it out. Like the word, love has a very simple meaning in the dictionary, but it beings a new meaning altogether when you say it aloud.
So, express how you feel in words as sometimes only it can express how you truly feel.
Dying is a wild night and a new road.
This quote is quite a mystical one. Since Emily is a poet, this one is a perfect example of a metaphor. It is something that cannot be the truth yet the one that can be imaginable.
When death comes, some of them welcome it with open arms, while others fear them. Here, dying is compared to a wild night and a new road. A wild night is a night where you can leave your past behind and start on a new path.
The new path which you discover is truly the new road. Therefore, even if dying is hard and crazy, you eventually will get over it and begin a new journey.
If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.
This quote from her poem talks about selfless love- the one where we place others before us. It shows the sensitive and caring side which is hidden in her.
Emily says that she would be the happiest if she can help people who suffer from heartbreak. She says that if she can help people get over the pain, she would be living in peace.
This quote reveals the compassion and kindness a person must have for others. She says that if she can heal even one soul, then her life will not be pointless.
Continue reading some of the best Emily Dickinson Quotes.......
To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.
No matter how well you manage your time, it never seems to be enough. People always say that time goes by too fast.
This is truly a universal concern. We all are given one precious life, and in this life, everyone struggles with the lack of time. The thing which we need to keep in mind is mindfulness.
Time management needs to be done, but you need to have the mind to do things before that. Live your life to the fullest, as time will never be sufficient for you. So, live your life the way you want to.
Tell the truth, but tell it slant.
Slant is to present or view a certain thing from an angle that is biased or in an unfair way. It is to say in a way where you do not hurt the other person.
Emily says that we must always tell the truth- the whole truth but tell it indirectly. Tell the truth in a way that you do not injure another persons feeling.
Truth at times is too bright for us to be able to manage in one go. It is often harsh and feels too bright. We may feel quite dumbfounded. We human beings cannot handle too much actuality.
So, tell the truth but in a distorted manner.
Saying nothing sometimes says the most.
More than words, communication is what is needed at your worse moments. Sometimes words are not enough to convey what you feel, and at those time, silence is what works.
Saying nothing is always effective. As when you are quiet several things run through your mind. Silence always has an effective meaning. A well-placed pause after a question is quite a powerful one.
Silence is truly a source of great strength. By willing to be silent, you sometimes gain superiority in your situation. You give time to another person to realize the meaning behind your silence.
Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.
Hope a feeling of trust that there might be some way. It is a feeling of expectation or a desire for a particular thing to happen—a feeling where you can trample all your hurdles.
Emily says that hope is a feathered creature that resides deep within you. This feathery thing always keeps on singing a tune under any circumstances.
The tunes are best heard when a storm hits you hard. Under the fierce winds, it sings its tune without any words. Even when you feel coldest and when you are under the sun, the tune never stops.
Few more Emily Dickinson Quotes.....
The poet lights the light and fades away. But the light goes on and on.
A poet is a person who writes poems using his expressions and imagination. He writes it in a way that we people desire that imagination as a reality.
A poet writes a piece of a poem from his heart. He uses his creativity and creates a world where everything is too beautiful. When a poet pours out his heart in paper and creates a poem, a light is born. But this light fades away.
The poem, when it creates a place in millions of souls, is born again. This light keeps on shining as time goes by. The light from the poem dwells deep into the hearts of million others.
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
Life is too short is what makes our time frankly an interesting one in this world. One should learn to live in the moment as it is what we truly possess.
The moment we have is the one in which we need to live our lives to the fullest. Each second is truly precious as it may never be the same. And the fact that the minute once passed will never come again.
The fact that we have only one life makes every bit worthwhile. Learn to treasure every hour, minute, and minute and make all these moments worth remembering. So, start ending your day on a happy note as it will not stay.
Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.
This quote by Emily is quite a simple and yet a message delivered poetically. It is the truth that people often ignore and the one they do not realize.
It doesn't matter what you think or what you feel in the heart is the right thing to do. As long as you do not express what you feel, no one else will understand what you meant. If you do not say what you want, no one will give what you need.
Behavior is what you do when you are in a certain situation. It is who you are as a person. No matter how sympathetic you feel for others, you will be called an insensitive person if you do not show it to them.
So, always do what you feel and believe in.
Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.
Dawn a time that marks the beginning of the gloom before the sunrise. It is also something that traces the beginning of the day.
This quote gives quite a mystic feel in itself. Emily says that she does not know when a new beginning will happen, so she keeps on opening doors. She is not certain what this new beginning will like.
The dawn is what brings the new opening, and that is what she is waiting for.
But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.
A book is a written or printed work that consists of papers glued to each other. But when in a poetic sense, a book is something that you put your heart into.
It is like your own heart is pictured in your book. The book is something where you create your world. The creator creates a book with his own set of imagination and creativity. It has your blood, sweat, and tears in it. So, it seems as you have painted a picture of your own heart.
And every page is what gives new life to your book. It serves as a thing that makes your book alive. It acts like a pulse that you can feel.
Beauty is not caused. It is.
Beauty is the quality that is present in a thing or a person. It is something that gives pleasure to the sense or a spirit.
This quote says beauty is present all around us. It is not something that you should seek. Every living creature on this earth has a charm to it. Look around and find the vision around you.
Beauty is not caused by doing anything artificial. It is something that captivates you when you look everywhere. So look around and find the beauty that already exists.
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.
Ecstasy is an overwhelming feeling of happiness or excitement. It is an emotional or trance-like state. It is a feeling where you feel a mystic experience.
Life is full of moments with joy and happiness and not in pain and sorrow. There is a little difference between both ecstasy and joy. One of them creates a feeling of nervousness and thrill at the unknown. The other one evokes more peaceful feelings.
There is a need for both of them to coexist in this world. It is necessary to find moments of thrill as life is full of moments of joy.
I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.
A word is something that gives more power. It is something with the help of which you can express a range of emotions.
Emily says that nothing is as sturdy as a word. It is something that gives meaning to your life. A mere word can tilt your works upside down. She says that at times she creates one and then pens it down.
She looks at those words and lets them create a meaning which gives moments of bliss. She waits for the words to shine and create a world of its own. She wants it to be light for others and the one which remains etched in the souls of millions.
Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.
These wise words have a profound meaning than what is seen. It tells us about the biggest magic that life is. When you think of it, you will have questions like who you are and what you need to do and how well you live.
It is magic that is so intense that everyone and everything wants to make plans to bring about a negative result. It conspires against you, so your life breaks apart.
When you live your life in your world, you see that you are in a pool of problems. And it seems that the entire universe plots against you.
The Heart wants what it wants - or else it does not care
This quote is something that we people experience in our life. The heart is something that doesn't listen to you. It is something on which you do not have control.
Emotions like love are something that is beyond our control. You cannot decide when to fall in love, nor can you decide whom to fall in love with. Also, you cannot decide when to stop falling in love as it is simply impossible.
The heart is something that has its terms and conditions. No matter how hard you try to hide your emotions it hits you hard at your least expected. So, do not ignore your heart as it will hurt you twice.
The dearest ones of time, the strongest friends of the soul--BOOKS.
We all need friends in our life who would be there for us when needed. Someone who doesn't judge us; instead, helps us to rectify our mistakes. And books can be our best friends for all the right reasons.
Good books help us to understand what life is and helps us to broaden our point of view. The best thing about a book is that we may never feel lonely. And in terms of questioning, they never question us back. Instead, they provide us with the answers we wherein search of.
They are there for us no matter for how long. Even in the middle of the night, they give you the perfect company. They never make us feel lonely. It is one of those friends who is a perfect joy to your soul.
It is that friend who stays in your soul, the one who knows what is right for you.
Emily was truly a better soul who will be missed dearly. Each of her poems makes us yearn for more. It feels as if she has created magic with her words. And all these words create a whole new enchanting land. It seems so natural, and yet it is unimaginable. It creates a certain spell for our soul.
So, be happy as it is time for a perfect weekend.
