Wislawa Szymborska Quotes

Powerful Wislawa Szymborska for Daily Growth

About Wislawa Szymborska

Wislawa Szymborska (1923-2012), a Nobel laureate in Literature, was born on July 2, 1923, in Poznan, Poland, to a Roman Catholic family. Her early life was marked by the turmoil of World War II and the subsequent post-war communist regime. These experiences would later serve as profound influences in her poetic works. Szymborska's interest in literature started at a young age, and she began writing poetry in high school. However, it wasn't until 1945 that she formally joined the literary world, publishing poems in the "Poznanskie Zycie" magazine. In 1950, Szymborska became an assistant at the Institute of Literary Research in Warsaw, a position she held until her retirement in 1999. Throughout her career, Szymborska published numerous collections of poetry, including "Dworzysko zielone" (Green Veranda) in 1952, "W srodku sredniego shlucha" (In the Middle of the Third Millennium) in 1976, and "View with a Grain of Sand" in 1995, which earned her the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1996. Szymborska's poetry is characterized by its philosophical depth, wit, and humor. She often explored themes of mortality, memory, and the absurdity of human existence, using a conversational tone that made her works accessible to a wide audience. Szymborska was also known for her linguistic innovation, employing unconventional metaphors and unexpected rhyme schemes. Szymborska passed away on February 1, 2012, leaving behind a rich legacy of work that continues to resonate with readers around the world. Her poetry is celebrated for its ability to provoke thought and reflection about the human condition.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"After every end begins a beginning, and after every goodbye comes hello."

This quote by Wislawa Szymborska suggests that while endings may bring feelings of loss or closure, they also signal the start of something new. After parting ways or experiencing an ending, there is always a chance for a fresh start or reunion – symbolized by the word "hello". It reminds us that life, with its cycles of endings and beginnings, continues to move forward, offering opportunities for growth and change.


"The only important thing is to keep the soul alive - the body will catch up."

This quote emphasizes the significance of preserving one's spirit, or "soul," over physical existence. It suggests that if we nurture our minds, hearts, and personal growth, our bodies will naturally follow suit. In other words, prioritizing intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being is crucial for overall health and happiness.


"Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is."

This quote by Wislawa Szymborska suggests that within every person lies an unconscious aspect, or 'shadow', which may contain characteristics, desires, feelings, or behaviors considered unacceptable, negative, or dark by societal norms. The deeper this shadow remains unexplored in one's conscious life, the more powerful and influential it can become, potentially leading to psychological struggles or conflicts in personal relationships. Acknowledging and integrating these unconscious aspects can foster self-awareness, personal growth, and emotional balance.


"Poetry can resist everything except leather-bound volumes and the passing of time."

This quote by Wislawa Szymborska suggests that while poetry, as a form of art and expression, is powerful in its ability to convey deep emotions, thoughts, and ideas, it has limitations in terms of practical applications or physical durability. The "leather-bound volumes" refer to the tangible form of a poem, but even this material form can be damaged or worn out over time. Despite these limitations, poetry endures through passing generations and continues to resonate with readers long after it was first written.


"Possibility is the most wonderful word in the language."

This quote emphasizes the power, beauty, and optimism inherent in the concept of "possibility." In a world filled with limitations and obstacles, the idea that there are endless opportunities to explore, learn, grow, and improve serves as a source of inspiration and hope. It suggests that every moment holds potential for transformation and discovery, fostering an attitude of curiosity, openness, and resilience in the face of adversity or uncertainty. By embracing the idea of possibility, we can foster creativity, innovation, and a sense of wonder, allowing us to navigate our lives with greater grace and purpose.


Someone sits at a table or lies on a sofa while staring motionless at a wall or ceiling. Once in a while this person writes down seven lines, only to cross out one of them 15 minutes later, and then another hour passes, during which nothing happens. Who could stand to watch this kind of thing?

- Wislawa Szymborska

Seven, Another, 15 Minutes, Ceiling

I slide my arm from under the sleeper's head and it is numb, full of swarming pins, on the tip of each, waiting to be counted, the fallen angels sit.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Waiting, Pins, Each, Counted

I have sympathy for young people, for their growing pains, but I balk when these growing pains are pushed into the foreground, when you make these young people the only vehicles of life's wisdom.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Young, Pains, Vehicles, Foreground

Keep up the good work, if only for a while, if only for the twinkling of a tiny galaxy.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Work, Tiny, Twinkling, Galaxy

In the language of poetry, where every word is weighed, nothing is usual or normal. Not a single stone and not a single cloud above it. Not a single day and not a single night after it. And above all, not a single existence, not anyone's existence in this world.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Normal, Single Night, Usual, Single Day

I've reached the age of self-knowledge, so I don't know anything. People who claim that they know something are responsible for most of the fuss in the world.

- Wislawa Szymborska

People, Something, Anything, Claim

All the best have something in common, a regard for reality, an agreement to its primacy over the imagination.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Common, Over, Agreement, Primacy

Solitude is very important in my work as a mode of inspiration, but isolation is not good in this respect. I am not writing poetry about isolation.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Work, Very, About, Solitude

Everyone needs solitude, especially a person who is used to thinking about what she experiences. Solitude is very important in my work as a mode of inspiration, but isolation is not good in this respect. I am not writing poetry about isolation.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Used, Very, About, Solitude

All imperfection is easier to tolerate if served up in small doses.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Small, Doses, Served, Imperfection

Poets yearn, of course, to be published, read, and understood, but they do little, if anything, to set themselves above the common herd and the daily grind.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Yearn, Set, Read, Understood

At the very beginning of my creative life I loved humanity. I wanted to do something good for mankind. Soon I understood that it isn't possible to save mankind.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Beginning, Mankind, Very, Understood

This terrifying world is not devoid of charms, of the mornings that make waking up worthwhile.

- Wislawa Szymborska

World, Terrifying, Mornings, Charms

Each of us has a very rich nature and can look at things objectively, from a distance, and at the same time can have something more personal to say about them. I am trying to look at the world, and at myself, from many different points of view. I think many poets have this duality.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Distance, I Think, Very, Objectively

Take it not amiss, O speech, that I borrow weighty words, and later try hard to make them seem light.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Words, Seem, Them, Weighty

After every war someone has to tidy up.

- Wislawa Szymborska

War, Someone, After, Tidy

When I was young I had a moment of believing in the Communist doctrine. I wanted to save the world through Communism. Quite soon I understood that it doesn't work, but I've never pretended it didn't happen to me.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Young, Through, Communist, Understood

Though I may deny poets their monopoly on inspiration, I still place them in a select group of Fortune's darlings.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Still, Deny, Select, Group

I'm fighting against the bad poet who is prone to using too many words.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Bad, Using, Too, Prone

Every beginning is only a sequel, after all, and the book of events is always open halfway through.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Beginning, Through, Always, Open

You know, I'm worried about Szymborska. I wish she would stop smoking.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Wish, I Wish, About, Worried

In every tragedy, an element of comedy is preserved. Comedy is just tragedy reversed.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Comedy, Tragedy, Preserved, Element

I usually write for the individual reader -though I would like to have many such readers. There are some poets who write for people assembled in big rooms, so they can live through something collectively. I prefer my reader to take my poem and have a one-on-one relationship with it.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Big, Through, Some, Collectively

Any knowledge that doesn't lead to new questions quickly dies out: it fails to maintain the temperature required for sustaining life.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Knowledge, New, Sustaining, Dies

You can find the entire cosmos lurking in its least remarkable objects.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Find, Remarkable, Lurking, Cosmos

Sometimes I write quickly, sometimes I spend several weeks on a single poem. I would really love for readers not to be able to guess which of the poems took so much work!

- Wislawa Szymborska

Love, Which, Took, Readers

I like being near the top of a mountain. One can't get lost here.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Mountain, Top, Here, Near

Get to know other worlds, if only for comparison. I am near, too near for him to dream of me.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Comparison, Other, Worlds, Near

Unfortunately, poetry is not born in noise, in crowds, or on a bus. There have to be four walls and the certainty that the telephone will not ring. That's what writing is all about.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Bus, Ring, Will, Noise

Let the people who never find true love keep saying that there's no such thing. Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.

- Wislawa Szymborska

Love, Die, Will, True Love

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