52+ Best Sappho Quotes: Exclusive Selection

Sappho was an Archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by a lyre. In ancient times, Sappho was widely regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets and was given names such as the “Tenth Muse” and “The Poetess”. Profoundly inspirational Sappho quotes will fire up your brain and encourage you to look at life differently while making you laugh.

If you’re searching for inspiring poetry quotes from poets that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of greatest Virgil quotes, best William Morris quotes and amazing William Wordsworth quotes.

Famous Sappho Quotes

Without warning as a whirlwind swoops on an oak Love shakes my heart — Sappho

What cannot be said will be wept. — Sappho

The moon is setand the Pleiades; Middle ofthe night, time passes by,I lie alone. — Sappho

Beauty endures only for as long as it can be seen; goodness, beautiful today, will remain so tomorrow. — Sappho

Dancing up the full moon Round some fair new altar Trample the soft blossoms of fine grass. — Sappho

You may forget but let me tell you this: someone in some future time will think of us — Sappho

Love, like a mountain-wind upon an oak, falling upon me, shakes me leaf and bough. — Sappho

How love the limb-loosener sweeps me away — Sappho

May I write words more naked than flesh, stronger than bone, more resilient than sinew, sensitive than nerve. — Sappho

Stars veil their beauty soon / Beside the glorious moon, / When her full silver light / Doth make the whole earth bright. — Sappho

When I look on you a moment, then I can speak no more, but my tongue falls silent, and at once a delicate flame courses beneath my skin, and with my eyes I see nothing, and my ears hum, and a wet sweat bathes me and a trembling seizes me all over. — Sappho

Eros harrows my heart: wild gales sweeping desolate mountains, uprooting oaks. — Sappho

Mere air, these words, but delicious to hear. — Sappho

Death is an evil; the gods have so judged; had it been good, they would die. — Sappho

Builders, raise the ceiling high, Raise the dome into the sky, Hear the wedding song! For the happy groom is near, Tall as Mars, and statelier, Hear the wedding song! — Sappho

Stand and face me, my love,and scatter the grace in your eyes. — Sappho

If you are squeamish Don’t prod the beach rubble. — Sappho

Death is an ill; ’tis thus the Gods decide: / For had death been a boon, the Gods had died. — Sappho

All the while, believe me, I prayed our night would last twice as long. — Sappho

Raise high the roof beam, carpenters. Like Ares comes the bridegroom, taller far than a tall man. — Sappho

Love – bittersweet, irrepressible – loosens my limbs and I tremble. — Sappho

From all the offspring of the earth and heaven love is the most precious. — Sappho

The moon has set In a bank of jet That fringes the Western sky, The pleiads seven Have sunk from heaven And the midnight hurries by; My hopes are flown And, alas! alone On my weary couch I lie. — Sappho

Whatever one loves most is beautiful. — Sappho

With his venom irresistible and bittersweet that loosener of limbs, Love reptile-like strikes me down — Sappho

When anger spreads through the breath, guard thy tongue from barking idly. — Sappho

Now the Earth with many flowers puts on her spring embroidery — Sappho

Death must be an evil and the gods agree; for why else would they live for ever? — Sappho

Eros seizes and shakes my very soul like the wind on the mountain shaking ancient oaks. — Sappho

Although only breath, words which I command are immortal. — Sappho

Love is a cunning weaver of fantasies and fables. — Sappho

Someone, I tell you, in another time will remember us — Sappho

I do not know what to do, my mind’s in two. — Sappho

In gold sandals / dawn like a thief / fell upon me. — Sappho

The Moon and Pleiades have set, / Midnight is nigh, / The time is passing, passing, yet / Alone I lie. — Sappho

Some say an army of horsemen, or infantry, A fleet of ships is the fairest thing On the face of the black earth, but I say It’s what one loves. — Sappho

Love shook my heart/ Like the wind on the mountain/ Troubling the oak-trees — Sappho

Would Jove appoint some flower to reign, in matchless beauty on the plain, the Rose (mankind will all agree). The Rose the queen of flowers should be. — Sappho

There is no place for grief in a house which serves the Muse. — Sappho

Hesperus bringing together All that the morning star scattered. — Sappho

Once again love drives me on, that loosener of limbs, bittersweet creature against which nothing can be done. — Sappho

I would not think to touch the sky with two arms — Sappho

I will let my body flow like water over the gentle cushions. — Sappho

No honey for me, if it comes with a bee. — Sappho

Experience shows us Wealth unchaperoned by Virtue is never an innocuous neighbor. — Sappho

The moon has set, and the Pleiades; it is midnight, and time passes, and I sleep alone. — Sappho

I took my lyre and said: come now, my heavenly tortoise shell: become a speaking instrument. — Sappho

To me the Muses truly gave / An envied and a happy lot: / E’en when I lie within the grave, / I cannot, shall not, be forgot. — Sappho

The evening star Is the most beautiful of all stars — Sappho

I know not what to do, my mind is divided — Sappho

For some the fairest thing on the dark earth is Thermopylae, And the Spartan phalanx lowering lances to die. — Sappho

He who is fair to look upon is good, and he who is good will soon be fair also. — Sappho