This collection of Carl Sandburg quotes shares his timeless insights into human nature, life, and culture.
Best Carl Sandburg Quotes
Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet, writer, and biographer. Sandburg is known for his poetry, which often deals with the lives of ordinary people, particularly workers and immigrants.
He is most famous for his works honoring Abraham Lincoln, and he was awarded three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and one for his biography of Lincoln.
Sandburg’s writing is known for its accessible style and populist themes. He was a beloved figure in American culture during his lifetime and remains a celebrated writer today.
Quotes From Carl Sandburg
One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude.
Nothing happens unless first a dream.
Two bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves.
They flickered out saying:
“It was worth being a bubble, just to have held that rainbow thirty seconds.
Yesterday and tomorrow cross and mix on the skyline. The two are lost in a purple haze. One forgets, one waits.
For we know when a nation goes down and never comes back, when a society or a civilization perishes, one condition may always be found. They forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what brought them along
Well Known Quotes Carl Sandburg
Time is the coin of your life. You spend it. Do not allow others to spend it for you
Someday they’ll give a war and nobody will come.
There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.
Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln never saw a movie, heard a radio or looked at television. They had ‘Loneliness’ and knew what to do with it. They were not afraid of being lonely because they knew that was when the creative mood in them would work.
The United States is, not are. The Civil War was fought over a verb.
Poetry is an echo asking a shadow to dance.
Related: Benjamin Franklin Quotes
Famous Quotes By Carl Sandburg
Nothing happens unless first we dream.
Back of every mistaken venture and defeat is the laughter of wisdom, if you listen.
I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.
A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on.
Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during a moment.
Life is like an onion; you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.
We can never possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.
Love your neighbor as yourself; but don’t take down the fence.
There are 10 men in me and I do not know or understand one of them.
Shame is the feeling you have when you agree with the woman who loves you that you are the man she thinks you are.
Carl Sandburg
Some of his most notable works include:
- “Chicago Poems” (1916): This collection of poetry explores the city of Chicago and its people, reflecting on the urban experience and the challenges faced by the working class.
- “Cornhuskers” (1918): Another poetry collection that continued Sandburg’s exploration of American life and the struggles of ordinary people.
- “The American Songbag” (1927): This is a collection of folk songs and ballads from various regions of the United States. Sandburg’s work as a folklorist and collector of traditional American music is celebrated in this volume.
- “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years” (1926) and “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years” (1939): Sandburg’s monumental biography of Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the most comprehensive and influential works on the 16th President of the United States.
Throughout his career, Carl Sandburg received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to American literature and culture, including three Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry and biography of Lincoln. His writing often celebrated the common people and the American spirit, making him a significant figure in 20th-century American literature.