Quotation by

William Butler Yeats

The light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed, the shadow of shadows on the deed alone.

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Yeats is saying that the highest form of understanding focuses on the intention behind an action rather than the action itself. In contrast, the darkest or most limited view only sees the action without considering the reason behind it.

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But the wicked passions of men's hearts alone seem strong enough to leave pictures that persist the good are ever too luke-warm.
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I have two ideas for novels at the moment, neither of them all that conventional, but I'm not ready to choose between them yet, let alone settle down to the process of writing.