Who said “The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, and if…”?

Verified

William Butler Yeats. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThe Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933)

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“The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, and if it take the second must refuse a heavenly mansion, raging in the dark.”
— William Butler Yeats
VerifiedThe Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933) · evidencePerfection

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933).

APA

Yeats, W. B. (n.d.). The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, and if it take the second must refuse a heavenly mansion, raging in the dark. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/32241-the-intellect-of-man-is-forced-to-choose/

MLA

Yeats, William Butler. “The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, and if it take the second must refuse a heavenly mansion, raging in the dark.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/32241-the-intellect-of-man-is-forced-to-choose/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Yeats, William Butler. “The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, and if it take the second must refuse a heavenly mansion, raging in the dark.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/32241-the-intellect-of-man-is-forced-to-choose/.

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“In dreams begins responsibility.”
VerifiedEpigraph to the book Responsibilities (1914); this was later adapted as the title of the story "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" (1937) by Delmore Schwartz. · evidenceDetails & citeResponsibility
“A pity beyond all telling is hid in the heart of love.”
VerifiedThe Pity Of Love; in recent years a statement which might have originated as a misquotation of the first lines of this has been attributed to Oscar Wilde: "To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love." — no occurrence prior to 1999 has yet been located. · evidenceDetails & citeLove
“I think you can leave the arts, superior or inferior, to the conscience of mankind.”
VerifiedSpeech (7 June 1923), Seanad Éireann (Irish Free Senate), on the Censorship of Films Bill. · evidenceDetails & citeCensorship
All 36 William Butler Yeats quotes →