66 Haiku Quotes Compilation

Haiku, with its origins deeply rooted in Japanese tradition, is a form of poetry that captures vast emotions and profound observations in just three lines. The elegance of its simplicity often mirrors the beauty of nature, life's fleeting moments, and the essence of human experience. In this curated collection of the top 66 Haiku quotes, you'll find a blend of classic and contemporary voices, each offering a snapshot of wisdom, tranquility, and inspiration. Whether you're a seasoned haiku enthusiast or a curious newcomer, these timeless verses promise to evoke reflection and appreciation for the world around us. Join us in exploring this compilation that celebrates the art of saying much with little.

1. “You only live twice:Once when you are bornAnd once when you look death in the face” - Ian Fleming

2. “This autumn-why am I growing old?bird disappearing among clouds.” - Basho Matsuo

3. “Calligraphy of geeseagainst the sky-the moon seals it.” - Buson Yosa

4. “HereI'm here-the snow falling.” - Issa

5. “What a strange thing!to be alivebeneath cherry blossoms.” - Kobayashi Issa

6. “The world of dewis the world of dew.And yet, and yet--” - Issa Kobayashi

7. “It is easy to believe we are each waves and forget we are also the ocean.” - Jon J. Muth

8. “But for their cries,The herons would be lostAmidst the morning snow.” - Chiyo Ni

9. “alfrescothe sommelier decantsa red sunset” - Scott Mason

10. “Come windless invaderI am a carnival ofStars, a poem of blood.” - Sonia Sanchez

11. “If this were real life,Ed would have looked at her neck-bite, dead, burp, credits.” - Ryan Mecum

12. “Awakened at midnightby the sound of the water jarcracking from the ice” - Basho

13. “Kareeda niKarasu no tomarikeriAki no kuretrans:On a bare branchA crow is perched -Autumn evening” - Basho

14. “Dreams like a podcast,Downloading truth in my ears.They tell me cool stuff.""Apollo?" I guess, because I figured nobody else could make a haiku that bad.He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred.""A god named Fred?” - Rick Riordan

15. “He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically. “Green grass breaks through snow. Artemis pleads for my help. I am so cool.” He grinned at us, waiting for applause. "That last line was four syllables.” Artemis said. Apollo frowned. “Was it?” “Yes. What about I am so bigheaded?” “No, no, that’s six syllable, hhhm.” He started muttering to himself.Zoe Nightshade turned to us. “Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I’d had to hear one more poem that started with, There once was a godess from Sparta-" “I’ve got it!” Apollo announced. “I am so awesome. That’s five syllables!” He bowed, looking very pleased with himself.” - Rick Riordan

16. “If I had the knackI'd sing likeCherry flakes falling” - Basho

17. “In pale moonlight / the wisteria's scent / comes from far away.” - Yosa Buson

18. “Love taught me to die with dignity that I might come forth anew in splendor. Born once of flesh, then again of fire, I was reborn a third time to the sound of my name humming haikus in heaven’s mouth.” - Aberjhani

19. “When composing a verse let there not be a hair's breath separating your mind from what you write; composition of a poem must be done in an instant, like a woodcutter felling a huge tree or a swordsman leaping at a dangerous enemy.” - Basho

20. “Real haiku is the soul of poetry. Anything that is not actually present in one's heart is not haiku. The moon glows, flowers bloom, insects cry, water flows. There is no place we cannot find flowers or think of the moon. This is the essence of haiku. Go beyond the restrictions of your era, forget about purpose or meaning, separate yourself from historical limitations—there you will find the essence of true art, religion, and science.” - Santoka Taneda

21. “Blood is really warm,it's like drinking hot chocolatebut with more screaming.” - Ryan Mecum

22. “Summer grasses,All that remainsOf soldiers' dreams” - Basho

23. “Letmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeout.Wait--let me back in!...Letmeinletmeinletmeinletmein.Wait--let me back out!” - Lee Wardlaw

24. “Dogs have hair. Cats, fur.Dogs whine, yip, howl, bark. Cats purrr.I say: No contest.” - Lee Wardlaw

25. “Fine. If you insist.I'll try Just.One.Nibble. But--I won't enjoy it.” - Lee Wardlaw

26. “What do you mean "Ewww"?How is my tuna breath worsethan peanut butter?” - Lee Wardlaw

27. “I explained it loudand clear. What part of "meow"don't you understand?” - Lee Wardlaw

28. “...none live less the spark” - Kurt Brindley

29. “Your pain is a school unto itself–– and your joy a lovely temple.” - Aberjhani

30. “You are the hybrids of golden worlds and ages splendidly conceived.” - Aberjhani

31. “The love of nature is religion, and that religion is poetry; these three things are one thing. This is the unspoken creed of haiku poets.” - Reginald Horace Blyth

32. “The sun shines, snow falls, mountains rise and valleys sink, night deepens and pales into day, but it is only very seldom that we attend to such things. . . . When we are grasping the inexpressible meaning of these things, this is life, this is living. To do this twenty-four hours a day is the Way of Haiku. It is having life more abundantly.” - Reginald Horace Blyth

33. “Haiku sounds like I'mSaying hi to someone namedKu. Hi, Ku. Hello.” - Ellen DeGeneres

34. “Dead my old fine hopesAnd dry my dreaming but still...Iris, blue each spring” - Shushiki

35. “April's air stirs in Willow-leaves...a butterflyFloats and balances” - Basho

36. “Hi! My little hutIs newly-thatched I see...Blue morning-glories” - Issa

37. “Don't touch my plumtree!Said my friend and saying so...Broke the branch for me” - Taigi

38. “Twilight whippoorwill...Whistle on, sweet deepenerOf dark loneliness” - Basho

39. “Many solemn nights Blond moon, we stand and marvel...Sleeping our noons away” - Teitoku

40. “Amorous cat, alasYou too must yowl with your love...or even worse, without!” - Yaha

41. “Describe plum-blossoms?Better than my verses...whiteWordless Butterflies” - Reikan

42. “Old dark sleepy pool...Quick unexpected frog Goes plop! Watersplash!” - Basho

43. “Come come! Come Out!From bogs old frogs command the darkand look...the stars” - Kikaku

44. “Giddy grasshopperTake care...do not leap and crushThese pearls of dewdrop” - Issa

45. “If you were silent Flight of herons on dark sky...Oh! Autumn snowflakes!” - Sokan

46. “Such a little childTo send to be a priestling...Icy poverty” - Shiki

47. “people don't get meit's more rule than exceptionGod bless exceptions” - Beth Myrle Rice

48. “Bitting into headsis much harder than it looks.The skull is feisty.” - Ryan Mecum

49. “You are so luckythat I cannot rememberhow to use doorknobs.” - Ryan Mecum

50. “Feet sandaled with dreams tread paths of vision leading to wisdom’s sharp peaks.” - Aberjhani

51. “Oare ce-s nouriiDaca nu o justificare a cerului?Oare ce-i viataDaca nu o amanare a mortii?” - James Clavell

52. “Love, Mercy, and Grace, sisters all, attend your wounds of silence and hope.” - Aberjhani

53. “Un-winged and naked, sorrow surrenders its crown to a throne called grace.” - Aberjhani

54. “If the world stops spinning, slowing to a crawl. I will continue to dream of you. Until, I no longer dream at all.” - Jessica de la Davies

55. “My children are monsters, Kiro thought. And I am responsible. Perhaps if I had read them the haikus of Basho when they were little instead of that American manifesto of high-pressure sales, Green Eggs and Ham...” - Christopher Moore

56. “forge forever ontho' dark death rewards us allforge forever on” - Kurt Brindley

57. “hear not what I saylike the howl, words fade awayonly fear remains” - Kurt Brindley

58. “Since my house burned downI now have a better viewof the rising moon” - Mizuta Masahide

59. “Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow.” - Natsume Soseki

60. “If it weren't for dreams," he said. "I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids." He cleared his throat then held up his hands dramatically: "Dreams like a podcast,Downloading truth in my ears.They tell me cool stuff""Apollo?" I guessed, because I figured nobody else could make a haiku that bad. He put his finger to his lips, "[Shh] I'm incognito. Call me Fred.” - Rick Riordan

61. “No trail to followwhere the teacher has wandered off-the end of autumn.” - Yosa Buson

62. “Inside Jade Hall is a curtain of pearlsbehind it lives a graceful girlher beauty transcends the immortalsher skin is like that of a peachspring mists rise in the eastautumn winds stir in the westthirty years from nowshe’ll look like chewed sugarcane” - Cold Mountain

63. “I had never thought of haiku, or any kind of poetry for that matter, as a social activity.” - Abigail Friedman

64. “Heady rivuletsUnlike the swollen riverWill crack and blacken” - Martha Robach

65. “If death is like a sonnet then life would be a haiku. The sonnet, a lyrical poem, the beauty and magic with the last breath~ love, words fading and floating off into the abyss that is space whilst our everyday lives or days more important than normal become just a mere whisper in only a few short syllables through which we convey with our hearts the truth of the universe in a single moment briefly.” - R.M. Engelhardt

66. “Old pond — frogs jumped in — sound of water” - Matsuo Basho