74 Edgar Allan Poe Quotes & 5 Interesting Facts about the Writer
Christina Smith
(Senior Editor)
When it comes to dark and mysterious writers, Edgar Allan Poe is certainly one of the first to spring to mind. We’ve gathered some of his most thought-provoking quotes on these topics below, so you can awaken your dark side with his eerie words.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of America’s most famous literary icons, with his works still being adapted to the silver screen today, more than 150 years after his death.
His influence on the world of literature is undeniable, and his macabre, haunting writing sticks with you long after putting his books down.
Best Quotes from Edgar Allan Poe to Think about
Best Quotes from Edgar Allan Poe to Think about
Born in Boston in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe is best known for his Gothic fiction and poetry, including "The Raven", "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher".
His dark and mysterious writing has been referenced in popular culture countless times and is widely recognized around the world.
His affinity for Gothic horror stories and poems mean his works often revolve around death, producing dark and eerie words that haunt readers long after reading them.
Below, you will find a wide range of dark quotes from the author to give you a taste of his macabre writing style.
Edgar Allan Poe Quotes about Love
Edgar Allan Poe Quotes about Love
Despite being mostly known for his tales of death and gloom, Edgar Allan Poe also wrote about love.
He maintains his sombre tone in his words on the matter, and many of his love quotes are hauntingly beautiful.
If you are looking for some romantic love quotes with Poe’s characteristic dark style, the quotes below are perfect for you.
- And all I loved, I loved alone.
- And so being young and dipped in folly I fell in love with melancholy.
- I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched.
- Deep in earth my love is lying/And I must weep alone.
- Years of love have been forgot, In the hatred of a minute.
- Because it was my crime to have no one on Earth who cared for me, or loved me.
- For passionate love is still divine / I lov’d her as an angel might / With ray of the all living light / Which blazes upon Edis’ shrine.
- The death then of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover.
- In the Heaven’s above, the angels, whispering to one another, can find, among their burning terms of love, none so devotional as that of ‘Mother.
- To be thoroughly conversant with Man’s heart, is to take our final lesson in the iron-clasped volume of Despair.
- There is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasions to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere Man.
- I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
Most Famous Quotes by Edgar Allan Poe
Most Famous Quotes by Edgar Allan Poe
As one of America’s first great writers, the words of Edgar Allan Poe have become extraordinarily famous over the years. His works are referenced in popular culture across TV shows and movies as well as other literature.
Below, we have gathered the most famous quotes by Edgar Allan Poe; you’re sure to recognize a number of them.
- If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.
- All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.
- I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.
- Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence.
- The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls.
- It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic.
- There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion.
- The past is a pebble in my shoe.
- If a man deceives me once, shame on him; if he deceives me twice, shame on me.
- The best things in life make you sweaty.
- If a poem hasn’t ripped apart your soul; you haven’t experienced poetry.
- All suffering originates from craving, from attachment, from desire.
Quotes from “The Raven” By Edgar Allan Poe
Quotes from “The Raven” By Edgar Allan Poe
One of Poe’s all-time classics, "The Raven" is a narrative poem that features a supernatural atmosphere and the theme of undying love.
The poem was so popular upon its release that it made Poe a household name in the US, and even earned him the nickname “The Raven.”
If you’d like to explore the musicality and mystical nature of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven”, the snippets below will give you a taste of his famous poem.
- Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
- Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
- And the silken, sad, uncertain
rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me, filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; - Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore…
- To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
- Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore – - And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; - And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted – nevermore. - From my books surcease of sorrow-
sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here forevermore. - Leave my loneliness unbroken
Edgar Allan Poe Quotes about Death
Edgar Allan Poe Quotes about Death
Death is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most employed themes, with it cropping up in his writings over and over again.
His fascination with the macabre, from death itself to decomposition and funerals, is evident in all this famed Gothic writer’s fiction.
Unleash your dark side and explore the collection of Edgar Allan Poe quotes about death below.
- But our love it was stronger by far than the love / Of those who were older than we- / Of many far wiser than we- / And neither the angels in heaven above, / Nor the demons down under the sea, / Can ever dissever my soul from the soul / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.
- The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?
- Sleep, those little slices of death — how I loathe them.
- Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.
- To die laughing must be the most glorious of all glorious deaths!
- “Come! let the burial rite be read–the funeral song be sung!—An anthem for the queenliest dead that ever died so young—A dirge for her the doubly dead in that she died so young.
- Thank Heaven! the crisis—The danger is past, And the lingering illness, Is over at last—And the fever called “Living,” Is conquered at last.
- And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave.
- In the deepest slumber-no! In delirium-no! In a swoon-no! In death-no! even in the grave all is not lost.
- All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim.
Find here more quotes about death to think about.
Quotes From Edgar Allan Poe about Soulmates
Quotes From Edgar Allan Poe about Soulmates
Beyond horror-themed writing, Edgar Allan Poe also wrote about soulmates and their never-ending love. His words about soulmates, however, differ greatly to other literary love quotes.
While some are profound and touching, others are more somber and dark, making his quotes truly unique.
- Yes, I now feel that it was then on that evening of sweet dreams—that the very first dawn of human love burst upon the icy night of my spirit. Since that period I have never seen nor heard your name without a shiver half of delight half of anxiety.
- We loved with a love that was more than love… With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven/Coveted her and me.
- This maiden she lived with no other thought / Than to love and be loved by me.
- Love like mine can never be gotten over.
- O, human love! thou spirit given, / On Earth, of all we hope in Heaven!
- We grew in age – and love – together / Roaming the forest, and the wild; / My breast her shield in wintry weather – / And, when the friendly sunshine smil’d, / And she would mark the opening skies, / I saw no Heaven – but in her eyes.
- I have no words — alas! — to tell / The loveliness of loving well!
- Thy grace, thy more than beauty, / Shall be an endless theme of praise, / And love—a simple duty.
- Thou wast that all to me, love, for which my soul did pine.
- There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion.
More beautiful soulmate quotes.
Quotes From “The Tell-Tale Heart” By Edgar Allan Poe
Quotes From “The Tell-Tale Heart” By Edgar Allan Poe
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe that describes a murder the narrator commits.
The reason for the murder is never fully revealed, other than the narrator’s hatred for the “old man’s eye”, nor do we fully understand the relationship between the narrator and his victim.
This story is a classic example of Poe’s death-themed, horror writing and includes some haunting quotes, which you can find below.
- The discoloration of ages had been great.
- Object there was none. Passion there was none.
- But we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabel Lee.
- It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.
- Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees, very gradually.
- True, nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am, but why will say that I am mad?! The disease had sharpened my senses, not destroyed, not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute.
- They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
- And so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye.
- I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.
- I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Inspirational Quotes from Edgar Allan Poe
Inspirational Quotes from Edgar Allan Poe
Despite the reoccurring themes of darkness and terror, Edgar Allan Poe’s writing contains many beautiful nuggets of wisdom that can offer inspiration to readers.
The quotes below include messages that leave a lingering impression and might even change your perspective on life.
- Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.
- Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.
- The true genius shudders at incompleteness — imperfection — and usually prefers silence to saying the something which is not everything that should be said.
- Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
- Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.
- For all we live to know is known.
- Be nothing which thou art not.
- A wise man hears one word and understands two.
- A lie travels round the world while truth is putting her boots on.
- In criticism I will be bold, and as sternly, absolutely just with friend and foe. From this purpose nothing shall turn me.
Find here more inspirational quotes.
Interesting Facts about Edgar Allan Poe
Interesting Facts about Edgar Allan Poe
After reading all these inspiring and mysterious quotes from Edgar Allan Poe, you’re no doubt wondering what this esteemed writer’s life was like. Was his life as dark and dramatic as his writing?
No need to wonder much longer, we’ve gathered the top 5 most interesting facts about Edgar Allan Poe’s life to give you a deeper insight into this fascinating author. Time to delve in.
- He was an orphan. When he was just three years old, Poe’s mother – his sole provider – died. He was taken in by a wealthy couple, Mr. and Mrs Allan, who christened him Edgar Allan Poe.
- Poe was a college dropout. Poe’s dream of becoming a writer was not shared by his foster father, and for this reason he refused to fully finance his college fees. As such, Poe resorted to gambling to cover the remaining fees.
- He had a gambling addiction. He developed an addiction and accumulated gambling debt, which eventually forced him to drop out of college.
- He published his first book at 18. Poe was something of a prodigy, having published his first book, "Tamerlane and Other Poems", at just 18.
- Poe created a new profession. He is considered America’s first well-known writer to make a living doing so. He also earned money as a professional literary critic and reviewer.
- His cause of death remains a mystery. Poe went missing for five days in 1849 and was found delirious in Baltimore and brought to a hospital, where he soon died. No autopsy was performed, and his cause of death was an ambiguous “congestion of the brain”.
Many possible causes of death have since been proposed, from rabies to “cooping” (a practice where voters were drugged and forced to vote at multiple polling stations), but to this day his cause of death is still befitting of his own mystery stories.
Tips and Occasions on How to Use Edgar Allan Poe Quotes
Tips and Occasions on How to Use Edgar Allan Poe Quotes
Now that you have a collection of Edgar Allan Poe quotes at your disposal, you might be wondering how you can put them to use.
Well, not to worry, because we have created a list of tips for using these quotes so you can make the most out of them.
Whether you want to use them privately or share them more widely, we’ve got some inspiration for where to use them below, so check them out.
Inspire Your Own Writing
Inspire Your Own Writing
If you’re a writer yourself, whether that’s for a living, as a hobby or aspirationally, a great way to spark your own imagination and get over that writer’s block is to read some captivating words by other renowned writers.
And what better words than the hauntingly beautiful quotes from Edgar Allan Poe. His unique writing style and macabre way with words could help you to add a darker edge to your own writing.
Rekindle Your Passion for Reading
Rekindle Your Passion for Reading
Have you fallen out of love with reading? Sometimes, life gets hectic and our beloved hobbies end up taking a backseat.
If this is true for you, and you want to reignite your love for reading, a great stepping stone to returning to your reading habits is by starting small – with quotes.
Reading some quotes from an author you admire or are curious about can reestablish your love for words and get you excited about reading again.
It’s not as daunting as picking up a large book again, and will help you decide what kind of content you want to get back into reading.
Incorporate in Your Home Decor
If you’re someone who likes to have a few meaningful quotes dotted around your home, then incorporating Edgar Allan Poe quotes in your home decor is a great way to do this.
Once you’ve chosen your favorite quotes, simply add it to a poster using a free online graphic design website, print it off and hang it up. Now every time you pass it in your home, you can be inspired by Poe’s irreverent words.
Share with Fellow Bookworms
Share with Fellow Bookworms
What better way to show your appreciation for Edgar Allan Poe’s thought-provoking quotes that by sharing them with the bibliophiles in your life.
Sending a quote to someone you know will appreciate it is a great way to bond over your shared interest while also allowing you to show some love to this author.
Just pick a quote you think your fellow bookworm will enjoy and send it to them via WhatsApp, SMS or even social media.
If you’re feeling particularly old-school, you could even transcribe your chosen quote to a letter or card and send it to them.
Post on Your Social Media
Post on Your Social Media
If you want to share an Edgar Allan Poe quote with a wider audience, posting it to a social media account is the way to go.
Whether it’s a caption on Instagram, a status on Facebook or a tweet on X (Twitter), a short quote will work perfectly on any account and will allow you to open a dialogue with others who share your interest.
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