“Works of art are of an infinite solitude, and no means of approach is so useless as criticism.”

— Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, Letter Three, 23 April 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.”

“For his heart was in his work, and the heart giveth grace unto every Art.”

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

“We need not be artists, but we should be able to appreciate the work of artists.”

“In science, read, by preference, the newest works; in literature, the oldest.”

“He is the greatest artist who has embodied, in the sum of his works, the greatest number of the greatest ideas.”

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