No man is an island,
Poem by John Donne (1572 – 1631), English poet and scholar
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
The first line of this poem is often quoted, “No man is an island.” The poem reminds us that we are connected one to another in our connection to the one human race. The last line is made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s book, For Whom the Bell Tolls. “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.“
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