Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

100 Uplifting Quotes By Emily Dickinson, The Author Of The Complete Poems

Famous As: One of the Leading 19th-Century American Poets
Born On: December 10, 1830
Died On: May 15, 1886
Born In: Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
Died At Age: 55

‘Because I could not stop for death; He kindly stopped for me’ - words by Emily Dickinson say a lot about the brilliance of this American poet. Mostly unrecognized at her own time, today, Emily Dickinson is one of the most treasured American poets. She gained prominence post her death for her unusual use of form and syntax. A private person, Dickinson lived a life of seclusion and simplicity. However, this did not come in way of her creativity as she penned some of the greatest and most powerful poetry ever written. Most of her works dwelled on the themes of immortality and death. A trademark style of this prolific poet was to express far-reaching ideas in short, compact phrases. Her words left a lasting imprint on the mind of the readers and have the ability to move and provoke.  Here are some of the selected quotes by Emily Dickinson.

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Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul 
And sings the tune without the words 
And never stops at all.

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.

Emily Dickinson
If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.

Emily Dickinson
Forever is composed of nows.

Forever is composed of nows.

Emily Dickinson
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.

Emily Dickinson
If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.

If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.

Emily Dickinson
Not knowing when the dawn will come
I open every door.

Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.

Emily Dickinson
A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King.

A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King.

Emily Dickinson
Morning without you is a dwindled dawn.

Morning without you is a dwindled dawn.

Emily Dickinson
Saying nothing sometimes says the most.

Saying nothing sometimes says the most.

Emily Dickinson
This is my letter to the world
That never wrote to me

This is my letter to the world That never wrote to me

Emily Dickinson
I dwell in possibility…

I dwell in possibility…

Emily Dickinson
Nature is a haunted house--but Art--is a house that tries to be haunted.

Nature is a haunted house--but Art--is a house that tries to be haunted.

Emily Dickinson
To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.

Emily Dickinson
Beauty is not caused. It is.

Beauty is not caused. It is.

Emily Dickinson
Pardon My Sanity In A World Insane

Pardon My Sanity In A World Insane

Emily Dickinson
Bring me the sunset in a cup.

Bring me the sunset in a cup.

Emily Dickinson
Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.

Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.

Emily Dickinson
A Word is Dead

A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.

I say it just
Begins to live
That day.

A Word is Dead A word is dead When it is said, Some say. I say it just Begins to live That day.

Emily Dickinson
The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.

The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.

Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death – 
He kindly stopped for me – 
The Carriage held but just Ourselves – 
And Immortality.

Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me – The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality.

Emily Dickinson
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.

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.

Emily Dickinson
Truth is so rare, it is delightful to tell it.

Truth is so rare, it is delightful to tell it.

Emily Dickinson
Heart, we will forget him,

You and I, tonight!

You must forget the warmth he gave,

I will forget the light.

Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.

Emily Dickinson
The dearest ones of time, the strongest friends of the soul--BOOKS.

The dearest ones of time, the strongest friends of the soul--BOOKS.

Emily Dickinson
Hold dear to your parents for it is a scary and confusing world without them.

Hold dear to your parents for it is a scary and confusing world without them.

Emily Dickinson
PHOSPHORESCENCE. Now there's a word to lift your hat to... to find that phosphorescence, that light within, that's the genius behind poetry.

PHOSPHORESCENCE. Now there's a word to lift your hat to... to find that phosphorescence, that light within, that's the genius behind poetry.

Emily Dickinson
I don't profess to be profound; but I do lay claim to common sense.

I don't profess to be profound; but I do lay claim to common sense.

Emily Dickinson
The Heart wants what it wants - or else it does not care

The Heart wants what it wants - or else it does not care

Emily Dickinson
We turn not older with years but newer every day.

We turn not older with years but newer every day.

Emily Dickinson
One need not be a chamber to be haunted.

One need not be a chamber to be haunted.

Emily Dickinson
Till I loved I never lived.

Till I loved I never lived.

Emily Dickinson
The lovely flowers
embarrass me.
They make me regret
I am not a bee...

The lovely flowers embarrass me. They make me regret I am not a bee...

Emily Dickinson
I felt it shelter to speak to you.

I felt it shelter to speak to you.

Emily Dickinson
Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.

Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.

Emily Dickinson
A great hope fell
You heard no noise
The ruin was within.

A great hope fell You heard no noise The ruin was within.

Emily Dickinson
I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.

I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.

Emily Dickinson
We never know how high we are till we are called to rise. Then if we are true to form our statures touch the skies.

We never know how high we are till we are called to rise. Then if we are true to form our statures touch the skies.

Emily Dickinson
They might not need me; but they might.
I'll let my head be just in sight;
A smile as small as mine might be
Precisely their necessity.

They might not need me; but they might. I'll let my head be just in sight; A smile as small as mine might be Precisely their necessity.

Emily Dickinson
Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.

Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.

Emily Dickinson
That I shall love always, 
I argue thee
that love is life,
and life hath immortality

That I shall love always, I argue thee that love is life, and life hath immortality

Emily Dickinson
An ear can break a human heart
As quickly as a spear,
We wish the ear had not a heart
So dangerously near.

An ear can break a human heart As quickly as a spear, We wish the ear had not a heart So dangerously near.

Emily Dickinson
But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.

But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.

Emily Dickinson
We outgrow love like other things and put it in a drawer, till it an antique fashion shows like costumes grandsires wore.

We outgrow love like other things and put it in a drawer, till it an antique fashion shows like costumes grandsires wore.

Emily Dickinson
A wounded dear leaps the highest

A wounded dear leaps the highest

Emily Dickinson
Love is anterior to life, posterior to death, initial of creation, and the exponent of breath.

Love is anterior to life, posterior to death, initial of creation, and the exponent of breath.

Emily Dickinson
How do most people live without any thought? There are many people in the world,--you must have noticed them in the street,--how do they live? How do they get strength to put on their clothes in the morning?

How do most people live without any thought? There are many people in the world,--you must have noticed them in the street,--how do they live? How do they get strength to put on their clothes in the morning?

Emily Dickinson
Write me of hope and love, and hearts that endured.

Write me of hope and love, and hearts that endured.

Emily Dickinson
Judge tenderly of me.

Judge tenderly of me.

Emily Dickinson
I tasted life.

I tasted life.

Emily Dickinson
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.

Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.

Emily Dickinson
Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.

Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.

Emily Dickinson
I must go in, the fog is rising.

I must go in, the fog is rising.

Emily Dickinson
My love for those I love -- not many -- not very many, but don't I love them so?

My love for those I love -- not many -- not very many, but don't I love them so?

Emily Dickinson
Those who have not found the heaven below,
will fail of it above.

Those who have not found the heaven below, will fail of it above.

Emily Dickinson
Tis not that dieing hurts us so- tis living- hurts us more.

Tis not that dieing hurts us so- tis living- hurts us more.

Emily Dickinson
Anger as soon as fed is dead- 
'Tis starving makes it fat.

Anger as soon as fed is dead- 'Tis starving makes it fat.

Emily Dickinson
My friends are my estate.

My friends are my estate.

Emily Dickinson
To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.

Emily Dickinson
The possible's slow fuse is lit by the Imagination.

The possible's slow fuse is lit by the Imagination.

Emily Dickinson
There's a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons,
That oppresses, like the weight
Of cathedral tunes.

There's a certain slant of light, On winter afternoons, That oppresses, like the weight Of cathedral tunes.

Emily Dickinson
The sun just touched the morning;	
The morning, happy thing,	
Supposed that he had come to dwell,	
And life would be all spring.

The sun just touched the morning; The morning, happy thing, Supposed that he had come to dwell, And life would be all spring.

Emily Dickinson
I can wade Grief --
Whole Pools of it --
I'm used to that --
But the least push of Joy
Breaks up my feet --
And I tip -- drunken --
Let no Pebble -- smile --
'Twas the New Liquor --
That was all!

I can wade Grief -- Whole Pools of it -- I'm used to that -- But the least push of Joy Breaks up my feet -- And I tip -- drunken -- Let no Pebble -- smile -- 'Twas the New Liquor -- That was all!

Emily Dickinson
Dying is a wild night and a new road.

Dying is a wild night and a new road.

Emily Dickinson
They say that God is everywhere and yet we always think of him as somewhat of a recluse.

They say that God is everywhere and yet we always think of him as somewhat of a recluse.

Emily Dickinson
That love is all there is, Is all we know of love.

That love is all there is, Is all we know of love.

Emily Dickinson
To be alive──is Power.

To be alive──is Power.

Emily Dickinson
The brain is wider than the sky,	
 For, put them side by side,	
The one the other will include	
 With ease, and you beside.

The brain is wider than the sky, For, put them side by side, The one the other will include With ease, and you beside.

Emily Dickinson
Faith is a fine invention
When gentlemen can see,
But microscopes are prudent
In an emergency.

Faith is a fine invention When gentlemen can see, But microscopes are prudent In an emergency.

Emily Dickinson
I am nobody! Who are you? Are you a nobody, too?

I am nobody! Who are you? Are you a nobody, too?

Emily Dickinson
My best Acquaintances are those
With Whom I spoke no Word

My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word

Emily Dickinson
People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles.

People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles.

Emily Dickinson
In this short life
that only lasts ah hour
how much-how little-is
within our power.

In this short life that only lasts ah hour how much-how little-is within our power.

Emily Dickinson
I cannot live with you, 
It would be life, 
And life is over there 
Behind the shelf

I cannot live with you, It would be life, And life is over there Behind the shelf

Emily Dickinson
Till it has loved, no man or woman can become itself.

Till it has loved, no man or woman can become itself.

Emily Dickinson
Your brain is wider than the sky

Your brain is wider than the sky

Emily Dickinson
To hope means to be ready at every moment for that which is not yet born, and yet not become desperate if there is no birth in our lifetime.

To hope means to be ready at every moment for that which is not yet born, and yet not become desperate if there is no birth in our lifetime.

Emily Dickinson
Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon.

Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon.

Emily Dickinson
Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.

Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.

Emily Dickinson
I felt a Cleaving in my Mind—
As if my Brain had split—
I tried to match it—Seam by Seam—
But could not make it fit.

I felt a Cleaving in my Mind— As if my Brain had split— I tried to match it—Seam by Seam— But could not make it fit.

Emily Dickinson
Love is its own rescue; for we, at our supremest, are but its trembling emblems.

Love is its own rescue; for we, at our supremest, are but its trembling emblems.

Emily Dickinson
To shut your eyes is to travel.

To shut your eyes is to travel.

Emily Dickinson
They say that 'home is where the heart is.' I think it is where the house is, and the adjacent buildings.

They say that 'home is where the heart is.' I think it is where the house is, and the adjacent buildings.

Emily Dickinson
I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.

I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.

Emily Dickinson
The Truth must dazzle gradually or every man be blind.

The Truth must dazzle gradually or every man be blind.

Emily Dickinson
Open me carefully

Open me carefully

Emily Dickinson
Old age comes on suddenly, and not gradually as is thought.

Old age comes on suddenly, and not gradually as is thought.

Emily Dickinson
A power of Butterfly must be -
The Aptitude to fly
Meadows of Majesty concedes
And easy Sweeps of Sky -

A power of Butterfly must be - The Aptitude to fly Meadows of Majesty concedes And easy Sweeps of Sky -

Emily Dickinson
The Soul selects her own Society.

The Soul selects her own Society.

Emily Dickinson
Opinion is a fitting thing but truth outlasts the sun - if then we cannot own them both, possess the oldest one.

Opinion is a fitting thing but truth outlasts the sun - if then we cannot own them both, possess the oldest one.

Emily Dickinson
Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. Espousing the former is not defending the latter.

Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. Espousing the former is not defending the latter.

Emily Dickinson
How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!

How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!

Emily Dickinson
Inebriate of Air — am I —
And Debauchee of Dew —
Reeling — thro endless summer days —
From Inns of Molten Blue —

Inebriate of Air — am I — And Debauchee of Dew — Reeling — thro endless summer days — From Inns of Molten Blue —

Emily Dickinson
The poet lights the light and fades away. But the light goes on and on.

The poet lights the light and fades away. But the light goes on and on.

Emily Dickinson
A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend.

A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend.

Emily Dickinson
There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away...

There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away...

Emily Dickinson
Art is a house that tries to be haunted.

Art is a house that tries to be haunted.

Emily Dickinson
Celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent.

Celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent.

Emily Dickinson
One need not be a Chamber — to be Haunted — 
One need not be a House — 
The Brain has Corridors — surpassing 
Material Place —

One need not be a Chamber — to be Haunted — One need not be a House — The Brain has Corridors — surpassing Material Place —

Emily Dickinson
You ask of my companions. Hills, sir, and the sundown, and a dog as large as myself.

You ask of my companions. Hills, sir, and the sundown, and a dog as large as myself.

Emily Dickinson
I hope your rambles have been sweet, and your reveries spacious

I hope your rambles have been sweet, and your reveries spacious

Emily Dickinson