“A work of art is good if it has grown out of necessity.”

— Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, Letter One, 17 February 1903

About Rainer Maria Rilke

1875 – 1926

Austro-Bohemian poet, best known for 'Letters to a Young Poet' (written 1903–1908, published 1929) and 'Duino Elegies'.

“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart, and try to love the questions themselves.”

“A good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude.”

“I could give you no advice but this: to go into yourself and to explore the depths where your life wells forth.”

“The poet shall not spend his time in unneeded work.”

“Works of art express space as opportunity for movement and action.”

“To 'catch' a husband is an art; to 'hold' him is a job.”

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

“Beauty is the mark God sets upon virtue.”

“If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.”