But unpoetical natures are precisely those which require poetic cultivation. This cultivation Wordsworth is much more fitted to give, than poets who are intrinsically far more poets than he." - Meaning and context.">
(p. 149)

Compared with the greatest poets, he may be said to be the poet of unpoetical natures, possessed of quiet and contemplative tastes. But unpoetical natures are precisely those which require poetic cultivation. This cultivation Wordsworth is much more fitted to give, than poets who are intrinsically far more poets than he.

— John Stuart Mill

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Compared with the greatest poets, he may be said to be the poet of unpoetical natures, possessed of quiet and contemplative tastes. But unpoetical natures are precisely those which require poetic cultivation. This cultivation Wordsworth is much more fitted to give, than poets who are intrinsically far more poets than he." in the context of "(p. 149)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "John Stuart Mill" (Quotes, Autobiography (1873): Full text online Note: page links below are to the 1873 edition @archive.org from the Library of Congress, unless otherwise noted., Ch. 5: A Crisis in My Mental History. One Stage Onward.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Stuart Mill

About John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), also known as J. S. Mill, was an English political philosopher and economist who was an advocate of utilitarianism.