Welcome home, fellow poetry lover! Are you searching for your daily shot of emotions? Look no further! We’ve scoured the depths of literary history to bring you the cream of the crop — the best lines from the most famous poems. From Shakespeare’s sonnets to Maya Angelou’s musings, these poetry lines will have you reaching for a notebook (or a tweet) to share your newfound wisdom with the world.
As a kid, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of poetry. I struggled to understand the hidden meanings and symbols, especially with some style choices in romantic poems, and often felt discouraged by my inability to fully grasp the beauty of verse. But now, as an adult who has lived through lessons and journeys, it’s not as hard to find meaning in poems. In fact, it’s easier to appreciate the nuances and subtleties of a poem once you have some life experience under your belt.
So take the time to appreciate the craft and skill that went into these poems, with their perfect blend of carefully chosen words and intense emotion. Notice the rhythm and rhyme, the imagery and metaphor, and the feelings they evoke. Each line is a window into the mind and heart of the poet and a reflection of the society and culture in which they lived. Some may resonate with you on a personal level, while others could challenge your beliefs or make you see the world in a new way. That’s the beauty of poetry — it can move, change, and connect us to something greater than ourselves.
Whether you’re a seasoned poetry aficionado or a newcomer to the world of verse, we hope you’ll find something that speaks to you and that you’ll come back to read the best poetry lines again and again for inspiration and solace. Happy reading!
#1
"Wolf and Woman" — Nikita Gill
"Some days
I am more wolf
than woman
and I am still learning
how to stop apologizing
for my wild."
I am more wolf
than woman
and I am still learning
how to stop apologizing
for my wild."
unknown
Report33points
#2
"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" — Dylan Thomas
"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
unknown
Report22points
#3
"Still I Rise" — Maya Angelou
"You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise."
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise."
unknown
Report20points
#4
"Hope is the thing with feathers" — Emily Dickinson
"Hope is the thing with feathers, That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all."
unknown
Report19points
#5
"Coordinates" — Yrsa Daley-Ward
"Every time I travel
I meet myself a little more."
I meet myself a little more."
unknown
Report17points
#6
"To My Wife" — Oscar Wilde
"And when wind and winter harden
All the loveless land,
It will whisper of the garden,
You will understand."
All the loveless land,
It will whisper of the garden,
You will understand."
unknown
Report16points
#7
"Invictus" — William Ernest Henley
"I am the master of my fate"
unknown
Report16points
#8
"Variations on the Word Sleep" — Margaret Atwood
"I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed & that necessary."
unknown
Report15points
#9
"Song: To Celia" — Ben Jonson
"Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine; Or leave a kiss but in the cup, And I'll not look for wine."
unknown
Report15points
#10
"Happiness" — Raymond Carver
"Happiness. It comes on
unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,
any early morning talk about it."
unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,
any early morning talk about it."
unknown
Report15points
#11
"Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven" — W.B. Yeats
"I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."
unknown
Report14points
#12
"No Help For That" — Charles Bukowski
"There is a place in the heart that will never be filled and we will wait and wait in that space."
unknown
Report14points
#13
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" — William Wordsworth
"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils."
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils."
unknown
Report14points
#14
"Oh Yes" — Charles Bukowski
"there are worse things than
being alone
but it often takes decades
to realize this
and most often
when you do
it's too late
and there's nothing worse
than
too late."
being alone
but it often takes decades
to realize this
and most often
when you do
it's too late
and there's nothing worse
than
too late."
unknown
Report14points
#15
"Dreams" — Langston Hughes
“Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.”
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.”
unknown
Report14points
#16
"Fog" — Carl Sandburg
“The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.”
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.”
unknown
Report14points
#17
"The Laughing Heart" — Charles Bukowski
“your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.”
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.”
unknown
Report14points
#18
"Leisure" — William Henry Davies
"What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare"
unknown
Report14points
#19
"Mirror" — Sylvia Plath
"I am not cruel, just truthful —
The eye of a little god, four cornered."
The eye of a little god, four cornered."
unknown
Report13points
#20
"Sonnet 18" — William Shakespeare
"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate."
Thou art more lovely and more temperate."
unknown
Report13points