Quote by Adam Mickiewicz: “He who has a soul, let him seek truth; he who has no soul, let him seek bread.”

This line distinguishes between spiritual and material pursuits. It suggests that individuals with deeper consciousness should prioritize understanding truth, while those focused purely on survival are driven by basic necessities.

From a play deeply rooted in Polish folklore and Christian mysticism, this quote reflects a Romantic concern for spiritual depth versus mere physical existence, a common theme in his work amidst national struggles.

Polish Romantic poet considered the national poet of Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus. His epic poem Pan Tadeusz, written in exile in Paris, is a masterpiece of Polish literature and a monument to a vanished way of life. He spent much of his adult life in exile fighting for Polish independence.