“Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”
–Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4, 1792 – July 8, 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets, who is regarded by some as among the finest lyric and philosophical poets in the English language, and one of the most influential. Wikipedia
I’ve always loved this idea. Though I’m also aware that many among us hold a different opinion, and that, more often than not, they have a point.
For instance, here’s what W. H. Auden had to say on the subject:
“‘The unacknowledged legislators of the world’ describes the secret police, not the poets.”
…which always comes to mind whenever I see or hear the Shelley quote.
For more context, drawn from one of Auden’s many fine essays, click this link:
https://www.mbird.com/2012/02/w-h-auden-on-disintoxicating-poetry-new-york-penthouses-and-the-endpoint-of-addiction/