15 Quotes & Sayings By John Masefield

John Masefield was an English poet and writer. He is best known for his poem "Sea Drift", set to music by Sir Edward Elgar and the sea-like theme of his poem "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester". Masefield was born in East Dereham, Norfolk, the son of a vicar. He attended King's School, Canterbury and Christ Church, Oxford University Read more

In 1894, he published The Everlasting Man (1898), which was well received and has become a classic of literature. In 1900, Masefield married Helen Mary Varley; she died the following year. His first son Christopher was born in 1902; he followed his father into poetry and became a notable writer in his own right: his novel The Dog Beneath the Skin (1932) was based on his childhood experiences.

Masefield's other son, John Masefield Varley, born in 1913; died 1944 during World War II.

The distant soul can shake the distant friend's soul and...
1
The distant soul can shake the distant friend's soul and make the longing felt, over untold miles. John Masefield
2
Only the road and the dawn, the sun, the wind, and the rain, And the watch fire under stars, and sleep, and the road again. John Masefield
3
I have seen flowers come in stony places And kind things done by men with ugly faces, And the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races, So I trust, too. John Masefield
4
I must go down to the sea again, for the call of the running tide, is a wild call and a clear call, that cannot be denied! John Masefield
5
(...) It, s hard not to be able. There, look there! / I cannot get the movement nor the light;/ Sometimes it almost makes a man despair/ To try and try and never get it right./ Oh, if I could -oh, if I only might, / I wouldn, t mind what hells I, d have to pass, / Not if the whole world called me fool and ass." Dauber (A poem). John Masefield. 1916. London William Heinemann John Masefield
6
Christmas ought to be brought up to date, ” Maria said. “It ought to have gangsters, and aeroplanes and a lot of automatic pistols. John Masefield
7
But Time and Tide and Buttered Eggs wait for no man. John Masefield
8
I must go down to the sea...to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by...... John Masefield
9
Best trust the happy moments.... The days that make us happy make us wise. John Masefield
10
An art in which the artist by means of rhythm and great sincerity can convey to others the sentiment which he feels about life. John Masefield
11
Once in a century a man may be ruined or made insufferable by praise. But surely once a minute something generous dies for want of it. John Masefield
12
God warms his hands at man's heart when he prays. John Masefield
13
I must go down to the seas again to the lonely sea and the sky And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. John Masefield
14
Coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain. John Masefield