“When the bird of the heart begins to sing, too often will reason stop up her ears.”

—  Hans Christian Andersen

Last update Oct. 23, 2022. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "When the bird of the heart begins to sing, too often will reason stop up her ears." by Hans Christian Andersen?
Hans Christian Andersen photo
Hans Christian Andersen 41
Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet 1805–1875

Related quotes

Terry Pratchett photo

“Her singing always cheered him up. Life seemed so much brighter when she stopped.”

Terry Pratchett book Pyramids

Source: Pyramids

Letitia Elizabeth Landon photo

“Take that singing bird away!
It has too glad a lay
For an ear so lorn as mine!
And its wings are all too light,
And its feathers all too bright,
To rest in a bosom like mine!”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–1838) English poet and novelist

The Vow of the Peacock (1835)

Victor Hugo photo

“Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.”

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) French poet, novelist, and dramatist
Lois Lowry photo

“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come.”

Lois Lowry (1937) American writer

Source: Taking Care of Terrific

Khalil Gibran photo

“When Life does not find a singer to sing her heart she produces a philosopher to speak her mind.”

Khalil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese artist, poet, and writer

Sand and Foam (1926)

Suzanne Collins photo

“See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner," "A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?" "Because when he sings… even the birds stop to listen.”

Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games

Source: The Hunger Games

Ed Harcourt photo

“And every word that you speak makes my heart sing when it's weak for often this outlook on life can be bleak.”

Ed Harcourt (1977) British musician

Bittersweetheart

Kuvempu photo

“When I hear Kannada, my heart leaps up and I am all ears.”

Kuvempu (1904–1994) Kannada novelist, poet, playwright, critic, and thinker

Quoted in A Few inches of Ivory, 24 November 2013, Jstor Organization http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/23001425?uid=3738256&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21102981873241,

“My heart is like the willow
That bends, but never breaks.
It sighs when summer jilts her,
It sings when April wakes.”

Yip Harburg (1896–1981) American song lyricist

"Irreverent Heart"
Rhymes for the Irreverent (1965)
Context: My heart is like the willow
That bends, but never breaks.
It sighs when summer jilts her,
It sings when April wakes. So you, who come a-smiling
With summer in your eyes,
Think not that your beguiling
Will take me by surprise. My heart's prepared for aching
The moment you take wing.
But not, my friend, for breaking
While there's another spring.

Related topics