Burke's description of poetry, quoted from his conversation in Prior's Life of Burke

The art of substantiating shadows, and of lending existence to nothing.

— Edmund Burke

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The art of substantiating shadows, and of lending existence to nothing." in the context of "Burke's description of poetry, quoted from his conversation in Prior's Life of Burke" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Edmund Burke" (Quotes, Undated) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Edmund Burke

About Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke (12 January 1729 – 9 July 1797) was a British and Irish statesman and philosopher. Born in Dublin, Burke served as a member of parliament (MP) between 1766 and 1794 in the House of Commons of Great Britain with the Whig Party after moving to London in 1750.