50+ Emily Dickinson quotes about love, life and death

50+ Emily Dickinson quotes about love, life and death

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, the enigmatic poet of the 19th century, left an indelible influence on literature with her insightful writings. Her poetry, known for its depth and introspection, appeals to readers of all ages. Explore the best of Emily Dickinson's quotes on love, life, death, and feminism, as well as some fascinating facts about her life.

Emily Dickinson quotes
Emily Dickinson's quotes give introspection about human experiences. Photo: Culture Club (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

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Emily Dickinson was among America's most famous poets and prolific writers, but only 10 of her roughly 1,800 poems and one letter were published. Emily Dickinson’s quotes explore themes of love, life, faith, personal identity, pain, and mortality.

Best Emily Dickinson's quotes

Although Dickinson's friends were probably aware of her writing, her work became public after she died in 1886, when Lavinia, Dickinson's younger sister, discovered her collection of poetry. Here is a list of Emily Dickinson's quotes on different life aspects.

Emily Dickinson's love quotes

Emily Dickinson's love quotes capture the depth and complexity of romance, enabling readers to look into the mysteries of the heart through her poetic lens. Here are her most captivating quotes that reveal the depths of the heart.

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Emily Dickinson quotes
Emily Dickinson's quotes about love reveal the depths of the heart. Photo: pexels.com, @asadphoto (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Love is anterior to life, posterior to death, initial of creation, and the exponent of breath.
  • The heart wants what it wants — or else it does not care.
  • Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.
  • Hold dear to your parents, for it is a scary and confusing world without them.
  • Till it has loved, no man or woman can become itself.
  • I argue thee that love is life. And life hath immortality.
  • If certain, when this life was out, that yours and mine should be, I'd toss it yonder like a rind and taste eternity.
  • Not with a club, the heart is broke, nor with a stone – a whip so small you could not see it, I've known.
  • Forever is composed of nows.
  • I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to Heaven.
  • That love is all there is, is all we know of love.

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Emily Dickinson's quotes about life

Emily Dickinson's quote on life provides profound insights into the human condition. She encourages readers to embrace the wonder and complexities of life, treasure each moment, embrace hope, and live in the boundless possibilities that life offers.

Emily Dickinson quotes
Emily Dickinson's quotes about life highlight the possibilities of life. Photo: pexel.com, @wildlittlethingsphoto (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.
  • If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.
  • To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.
  • To be alive is power, existence in itself, without a further function, omnipotence.
  • We turn not older with years but newer every day.
  • That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
  • My friends are my estate. I argue thee that love is life and life hath immortality.
  • It might be lonelier without the loneliness.
  • If you take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves. You can gain more control over your life by paying closer attention to the little things.
  • One step at a time is all it takes to get you there.

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Emily Dickinson's famous quotes

Emily's quotes highlight her poetic brilliance and timeless wisdom. What is Emily Dickinson's most famous quote? Here are some of her most famous and insightful quotes.

Emily Dickinson quotes
Emily Dickinson's most famous quotes showcase her poetry brilliance. Photo: pexels.com, @eberhardgross (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Luck is not chance; it’s toil fortune’s expensive smile is earned.
  • After great pain, a formal feeling comes. The nerves sit ceremonious, like tombs.
  • I’m nobody, who are you?
  • Tis harder knowing it is due, than knowing it is here.
  • He ate and drank the precious words; his spirit grew robust; he knew no more that he was poor nor that his frame was dust.
  • A wounded deer leaps the highest.
  • Tell the truth, but tell it slant.
  • Earth is crammed with Heaven.
  • Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.
  • Fame is a fickle food upon a shifting plate.

Emily Dickinson's quotes about death

Emily Dickinson's poetry delves into the perplexing issue of death with a disturbing and profound insight. Here are her most insightful words about death, reflecting on human existence's unavoidable and universal experience.

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Emily Dickinson quotes
Emily Dickinson's quotes about death tackle the unavoidable realities of death. Photo: pexels.com, @pixabay (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Dying is a wild night and a new road.
  • Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.
  • We never know we go when we are going – we jest and shut the door-fate-following-behind us bolts it – And we accost no more.
  • Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me. The Carriage held but just ourselves and immortality.
  • A death blow is a life blow to some who, till they died, did not alive become; who had they lived, had died, but when they died, vitality began.
  • Parting is all we know of Heaven and all we need of hell.
  • We never know how high we are till we are called to rise.
  • I measure every grief I meet with narrow, probing eyes –I wonder if it weighs like mine – or has an easier size.

Meaningful quotes from Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson's quotes encourage readers to consider life's most profound concerns and explore the complexities of the human experience. Here are her most meaningful quotes.

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Emily Dickinson quotes
Emily Dickinson's quotes offer meaningful insights. Photo: pexels.com, @stefanstefancik (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • 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.
  • Dwell in possibility.
  • A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.
  • The heart asks pleasure first, and then, excuse from pain.
  • Finite to fail but infinite to venture.
  • Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.
  • The brain is wider than the sky.
  • Saying nothing sometimes says the most.
  • Success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed.
  • The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.

Emily Dickinson's quotes about feminism

Emily Dickinson's poetry delves into themes of love, life, and death and offers a distinct viewpoint on feminism. Here are empowering quotes by Emily Dickinson that reflect her feminist insights and ideals.

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Emily Dickinson quotes
Emily Dickinson's quotes about feminism reflect her ideals and insights about feminism. Photo: pexels.com, @olly (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.
  • They shut me up in prose—as a little girl. They put me in the closet because they liked me still.
  • And now we roam in sovereign woods, and now we hunt the doe – and every time I speak for him.
  • We slowly drove—he knew no haste. And I had put away my labour and my leisure, too, for his civility.

What is the most powerful poem by Emily Dickinson?

One of Emily Dickinson's most powerful poems is Because I Could not Stop for Death. In this poem, she portrays death as a benevolent companion, accompanying the speaker on a journey through life and into eternity, providing a meditative and tranquil view of mortality.

What was Emily Dickinson's inspirational poem?

One of Emily Dickinson's most inspiring poems is Success is counted sweetest. This poem reflects the nature of success and the significance of perseverance, elaborating that individuals who have faced failure will likely appreciate success the most.

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What are 5 interesting facts about Emily Dickinson?

Emily Dickinson's poems had a gloomy beauty that expressed her thoughts about human experiences. However, Dickinson's life was more than just her prolific work output. Here are some lesser-known Emily Dickinson facts:

  1. Only ten poems were published in her lifetime: Emily Dickinson authored over 1,800 poems over her 56-year life, but only 10 were published. The published poems were heavily edited to match the rules of poetry that Emily purposefully broke.
  2. Her father was a prominent politician: Emily Dickinson was born into an affluent upbringing in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was a famous lawyer who served four non-consecutive terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Massachusetts Senate, and United States Congress.
  3. She lived a reclusive life: Emily Dickinson consciously decided to limit her social interactions from an early age. In her late twenties, she preferred to spend most of her time at home with her family rather than exploring the world around her. She rarely travelled and judged her pals on their ability to write back to her.
  4. Her family home is a museum: Samuel Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's grandfather, constructed the family home in the nineteenth century. In 1965, Amherst College purchased the property. It was officially named the Emily Dickinson Museum in 2003.
  5. Emily and her brother loved the same woman: Emily Dickinson's work is primarily devoted to "Susie" or "Sue," a woman whom Emily's older brother Austin married in 1856. When the newlyweds moved next door to the Dickinson Homestead, where Emily had spent her whole life, they exchanged over 275 poems.

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Emily Dickinson's quotes continue to captivate and inspire people globally. They provide profound insights into the timeless themes of love, life, and death. Her writings, full of depth and emotion, speak to the timeless realities of the human experience, cementing her place as one of history's most acclaimed poets.

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Racheal Murimi (Lifestyle writer) Racheal Murimi is a content creator who joined Yen in 2022. She has over four years of experience in creating content. Racheal graduated from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology with a bachelor's degree in BCom, Finance. She has amassed sufficient knowledge working on various topics, including biographies, fashion and lifestyles, guides, and more. In 2023, Racheal finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her at wambuimurimi254@gmail.com