To evade such temptations is the first duty of the poet. For as the ear is the antechamber to the soul, poetry can adulterate and destroy more surely then lust or gunpowder. The poet's, then, is the highest office of all. His words reach where others fall short. A silly song of Shakespeare's has done more for the poor and the wicked than all the preachers and philanthropists in the world. Virginia Woolf
About This Quote

The quote says that the poet is more important than the preacher or philanthropist. He is the one who is important for what he does. For example, if Shakespeare’s song has done more to help the poor and miserable than all the preachers and philanthropists in the world, then he is indeed very important.

Source: Orlando

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More Quotes By Virginia Woolf
  1. One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
  2. Love, the poet said, is woman's whole existence.
  3. Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. <span style="margin:15px; display:block"></span>So I am doing what seems the...
  4. What does the brain matter compared with the heart?
  5. To love makes one solitary.
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