Quotation
Quote by Siegfried Sassoon
One cannot be a good soldier and a good poet at the same time.
Explore the idea
Understanding this quote
The quote presents being a good soldier and being a good poet as incompatible roles. It says a person cannot fully meet the standard of both at once, treating soldiering and poetry as commitments that pull in opposing directions. This is a broad contrast between two identities, not a claim about any particular person or situation.
Source & trust
About this quotation
- Source
- Cambridge University Library
- Format
- Official Statement
Explore the idea
Topics
Join the community
Keep meaningful words close.
Save quotes, follow people and topics, join conversations, and publish words of your own.
Read quote“Yang pasti pendekatan keamanan seperti biasa itu akan menyuburkan gejolak lagi.”
“لك عقل واحد، وهمة واحدة، فلا تضيعهما في محاولة الانتقام من أعدائك.”
“My only duty as a poet is to defend the use of language.”
“The directors are united in determining to make the Pacific Coast Hockey association go through with the “war.””
“So, montage is conflict.”
“The important thing in assessing the merit of a poem is time.”
“من یک شاعر تراژدی هستم.”
“A poem is not a poem if it does not open readers’ eyes to political wrongs.”
“There is no doubt that what the superpowers are now planning, and in which they are investing billions, is precisely the preparation for waging war.”
“Para conocer la utilidad, el arte, el mérito, la gracia y la beldad de la poesía no es menester ser poeta.”
When Desks Learned to Bend
Nera’s first folding desk collapsed under the weight of a single book. Hiding the failure would be easy; inviting others to inspect it would be harder—and far more useful.
Read Story