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Solitude
A famous poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox dealing with the topic of fair weather friends. When things are good, everyone is around you. When times are rough you are often alone.
1 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2012
About the author
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
509 books133 followersElla Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet.
Her best-known work was "Poems of Passion". Her most enduring work was the poem "Solitude", which contains the lines:
"Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone".
Her autobiography, "The Worlds and I", was published in 1918, a year before her death.
Her best-known work was "Poems of Passion". Her most enduring work was the poem "Solitude", which contains the lines:
"Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone".
Her autobiography, "The Worlds and I", was published in 1918, a year before her death.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 27, 2017
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
Wow... (Y)
Finally I came to know that these sayings & quotes are taken from this poem :)
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
Wow... (Y)
Finally I came to know that these sayings & quotes are taken from this poem :)
October 19, 2026
"Solitude" is a poem of three stanzas published in 1883.
It is a melancholic poem, a really beautiful one.
It reminded me of the song "smile" sung by Nat King Cole, covered later by Michael Jackson
Although both of the poem and the song carry opposing meaning,
but they still share the same warmness, even the soul of it.
----------
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
----------
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
-October 2026
It is a melancholic poem, a really beautiful one.
It reminded me of the song "smile" sung by Nat King Cole, covered later by Michael Jackson
Although both of the poem and the song carry opposing meaning,
but they still share the same warmness, even the soul of it.
----------
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
----------
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
-October 2026
February 19, 2025
“No man can help you die” Yeah no this will stick with me for a bit
March 19, 2026
✧✧
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
✧
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
✧
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
✧
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
✧
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
✧
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
✧✧
Solitude - Ella wheeler wilcox
4.5
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
✧
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
✧
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
✧
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
✧
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
✧
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
✧✧
Solitude - Ella wheeler wilcox
4.5
April 5, 2014
The source of the eponymous quote " Laugh and the world laughs with you , Cry and you cry alone ..."
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
November 11, 2014
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
These lines have graced my college year desktop for so long that when I saw the wallpaper again, I had to find it out and re-read it.
Weep, and you weep alone.
These lines have graced my college year desktop for so long that when I saw the wallpaper again, I had to find it out and re-read it.
March 27, 2021
Solitude, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Powerful poem. Several lines famously recognisable. ****
............
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
Powerful poem. Several lines famously recognisable. ****
............
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
September 22, 2020
absolutely amazing!
February 5, 2022
A poem made of true.
February 17, 2025
Sing, and the hills will answer
Sigh, it is lost on the air
Sigh, it is lost on the air
October 15, 2026
Quick take: Solitude is a snappy, kind of chaotic read that never slows down. What worked: the nonstop jokes and a lead who has zero filter. What didn't: no one grows, and the plot runs in circles by the end. Recommend for readers who want a wild, silly escape, skip for anyone who wants the characters to change.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews