"Ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die."

Philosophy

Create & Download Quote Graphic

Customize Image

1. Canvas Aspect Ratio

2. Palette Theme

Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Philosophy as articulated by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Philosophy provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

Explore all Philosophy quotes → Browse all wisdom by Alfred Lord Tennyson →

About Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson was an English poet. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his first pieces, "Timbuktu". He published his first solo collection of poems, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, in 1830. "Claribel" and "Mariana", which remain some of Tennyson's most celebrated poems, were included in this volume. Some critics described Tennyson as overly sentimental. However, his poems proved popular and brought Tennyson to the attention of well-known writers of the day, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Tennyson's early poetry, with its medievalism and powerful visual imagery, was a major influence on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

View all quotes by Alfred Lord Tennyson →
Editorial Integrity: Curated and fact-checked under our Editorial Standards to eliminate misattributions and preserve historical authenticity.
Learn about our methodology →

More by Alfred Lord Tennyson

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'"

— Alfred Lord Tennyson
Read more →

"Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control these three alone lead one to sovereign power."

— Alfred Lord Tennyson
Read more →

"By blood a king, in heart a clown."

— Alfred Lord Tennyson
Read more →

"My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure."

— Alfred Lord Tennyson
Read more →

More about Philosophy

"If you really want something you just hang with it. We think our future's ahead and not behind."

— Jerry Only
Read more →

"The British system had requirements, including Latin. I'm not positive you ever had to know Greek, but there are certainly kinds of curricula where you had to know Greek too. I think in Britain there was the most mindless, repetitive sort of learning."

— William Scott
Read more →

"For me it's the instrument. If I want to think of a flute and the state of the arts I hear a vibrato; I don't know what a flute is unless the person plays it for me."

— Morton Feldman
Read more →

"When you're young you think that you're going to sail into a lovely lake of quietude and peace. This is profoundly untrue."

— Doris Lessing
Read more →
Browse all Philosophy quotes →