"I balanced all, brought all to mind, the years to come seemed waste of breath, a waste of breath the years behind, in balance with this life, this death"

This quote by William Butler Yeats speaks with the style of balance in between life and death, and the short lived nature of time. The author assesses his life and brings to mind all of his experiences, both great and bad. As he does so, he recognizes that the years to come hold no value which the years that have actually passed are similarly useless. The only thing that matters is the balance he has discovered between life and death, and he acknowledges that in the grand plan of things, all of life is ultimately leading towards death. Through this quote, Yeats advises us that while our time on this earth may be short lived, discovering balance and significance in our experiences can bring purpose to our lives.