Poems about life lessons offer insights and wisdom gained from personal experiences and reflections. These verses may impart advice on resilience, love, forgiveness, and the pursuit of happiness.
Poets often use metaphors to convey the complexities of life and the valuable lessons hidden within challenges and triumphs. Through these poems, writers encourage readers to embrace the journey of self-discovery, learn from successes and failures and find meaning and purpose in the tapestry of life’s lessons.
‘Fame is a bee’ by Emily Dickinson uses a bee to describe the fleeting nature of fame. She uses clever images and original poetic writing throughout.
Few poets that have ever lived can distill a life lesson so effectively. Not a single word of the poem is wasted as each one contributes to the poet's central message. Dickinson effortlessly undermines the concept of fame, showing it to be nothing more than a loud, superficial and brief experience that likely leaves people feeling unhappy. If anything, the poem has only acquired even greater significance and resonance as time has gone on and our society has become even more saturated with images of fame.
‘The Noble Nature’ emphasizes that beauty and perfection, though fleeting, are far more virtuous than physical endurance.
The poem's last two lines impress upon the reader a life lesson that makes Jonson's poem enduring in its message: "In small proportions we just beauties see; / And in short measures life may perfect be." Here, the speaker reinforces the notion that even short, seemingly minute moments (or lives) can offer profound joy and even perfection. They argue that life's value lies in its capacity and reflection of beauty, not in its ability to endure. Change, then, is a natural process that shouldn't be resisted but marveled.
‘Twist Ye, Twine Ye’ envisions life as a fateful entanglement of bittersweet dualities that can never be separated.
The speaker of Scott's poem voices an optimistic life lesson. Using the repeated metaphor of twisting and twining, they advise the reader that joy and suffering are two invariable pieces of life. To live it to the fullest, one must accept the mixture of emotions and circumstances, acknowledging that neither bliss nor sorrow can exist without the other. Doing so allows one to truly cherish the beauty and bliss found in life.
‘Days’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a short allegorical poem reflecting on the passage of time and the expectations of humans that come and go with it. It is celebrated as one of the best transcendental poems of the 19th century.
This short poem reveals a lot about life's truths and lessons. The speaker tells of the seemingly interminable time while discussing how fast it flies. They then classify humans according to their ever-growing needs, subtly introducing the concept of classism. In a few lines, we get subtle comparisons between greed and contentment, then contentment and indifference. 'Days' is the perfect example of a short but powerful poem.
‘Failing and Flying’ by Jack Gilbert explores the idea that although something may ultimately fail, the process of arriving at that point may be a triumph.
The poem imparts the lesson that failure and struggles are an inevitable part of life, but they can be opportunities for growth and self-discovery.
Kilmer’s ‘Trees’ marvels at nature’s beauty, declaring trees as divine art surpassing human creation, in simple yet profound couplets.
Life Lessons in ‘Trees’ center on humility, faith, and appreciation. Kilmer’s line, ‘only God can make a tree,’ teaches reverence for divine artistry and the limitations of human creativity. The poem encourages readers to find beauty in simplicity and to value nature as a reflection of higher spiritual truths, offering timeless wisdom.
‘The Death of the Hired Man’ by Robert Frost delves into human relationships, compassion, and the passage of time through the interactions of its characters and the evocative imagery of a rural setting.
Silas wants to change some of the moments in the past and do better in the future. But, life has not given him another chance. He could have been a better employee, better co-worker etc.
Warren returned—too soon, it seemed to her,
Slipped to her side, caught up her hand and waited.
Rumi’s ‘The Guest House’ is a didactic poem that asks us to view emotions as separate, fleeting entities, coming and going like visitors.
This poem is profoundly rich in wisdom and offers valuable insights into the nature of life's experiences. The metaphor of the guest house eloquently illustrates the transient and ever-changing nature of our encounters with joy, sorrow, and everything in between. The poem emphasizes the importance of acceptance, resilience, and gratitude in navigating life's journey. Its message of embracing all experiences as opportunities for growth and learning resonates deeply with the essence of life lessons. Overall, it serves as a powerful reflection on the human experience and the wisdom gained from it.
‘Conductor’ by Marilyn Nelson offers the rousing introspections of a conductor on The Underground Railroad who asserts the necessity of replacing self-preservation with an instinctual selflessness.
This poem might be rooted in a specific moment in history, yet it imparts an important life lesson. "Let life have meaning, if it must be brief," the speaker asserts at one point, deriving that meaning from helping others despite the dangers to their own well-being. It's a poem that powerfully advocates for empathy and action in the face of inhumane realities.
‘I had been hungry, all the Years’ by Emily Dickinson comes to the ironic realization that a fulfilled desire can be disappointing and anticlimactic rather than satisfying.
Like many of Dickinson's poems, there are critical and profound life lessons to be found within. Here, that lesson is a hard one, effectively amounting to a forewarning against the allure of one's desires. The starving speaker not only feels unnerved by the novel availability of food but also seems to lose their hunger all at once. This isn't a moral lesson but rather a practical one: your cravings, no matter how desperate or essential, won't always give you the fulfillment you seek.
‘Leave him now Quiet by the Way’ by Trumbull Stickney is a complex poem that imparts a deeply devastating revelation about another man’s despair.
A life lesson lies in Stickney's didactic verse, an attempt to both recognize such suffering in others and to advocate treating it with empathy. But the speaker also sees in the man a darker lesson about life. Sometimes through no fault of our own, we become privy to some truth or experience that leaves us hopeless and adrift.
‘The Choir Invisible’ by George Eliot describes the hopes a speaker has for the afterlife and the impact her memory might have on those still living.
Eliot imparts significant life lessons about altruism, legacy, and moral integrity. The poem encourages readers to focus on contributing positively to society and emphasizes the lasting impact of such actions. These lessons are timeless and deeply resonant, presented through eloquent language that enhances their impact.
‘The Things that Are More Excellent’ by William Watson is a highly relatable poem that reminds readers to value the truly “excellent” things in life. One should not waste time on societal norms or acquiring material possessions.
This poem is an important life lesson. The poet's words convey a specific way of living that disregards what isn't important and focuses on the things that truly matter or are "excellent."
‘Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror’ by John Ashbery manifests art’s struggle to capture the multifaceted self.
This poem imparts lessons about self-acceptance, authenticity, courage, and the ongoing journey of self-discovery. It invites readers to contemplate the intricate layers of identity and the life lessons embedded within the complexities of self-perception and representation. For instance, the "recurring wave of arrival" suggests that self-discovery is an ongoing process. Hence, the poem teaches the lesson of embracing life as a journey of continual growth, understanding, and self-awareness.
As Parmigianino did it, the right hand
Bigger than the head, thrust at the viewer
And swerving easily away, as though to protect
What it advertises. A few leaded panes, old beams,
‘Brilliance’ by Mark Doty describes a dying man who wants to control his own life. He eventually opens himself up to new experiences.
In 'Brilliance', Mark Doty suggests that people can still learn new lessons about life even when they are close to death. At the beginning of the poem, the man firmly believes that he is doing the right thing by putting all his affairs in order. Later, he realizes that he was wrong: there is still a life to be lived, even if he is running out of time. The poem suggests that it is never too late to say yes to joy and love, even if one only has days left to live. There is always the opportunity to learn something more and to love something new.
Our Poem Guides, PDFs, Study Tools, and Articles are created by a team of qualified poetry experts to provide an unparalleled in-depth look into poetry.
