Give me hunger, pain and want, Shut me out with shame and failure From your doors of gold and fame, Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger! But leave me a little love.
Carl SandburgRead
Arithmetic is where the answer is right and everything is nice and you can look out of the window and see the blue sky - or the answer is wrong and you have to start over and try again and see how it comes out this time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the nature of arithmetic as a straightforward discipline, emphasizing the duality of correct and incorrect answers.
Carl Sandburg's quote highlights arithmetic as not just a mathematical discipline but also a metaphor for life. It suggests that in arithmetic, outcomes can be clearly right or wrong, mirroring the processes of trial and error we often face in life: there is a satisfaction in achieving the right answer, but also a valuable lesson in learning from mistakes as we try again, symbolized by looking outside at the sky, embodying hope and new beginnings.
Themes
ArithmeticLifeLearningTrial And ErrorMistakes
In practice
Example use cases
A teacher might use this quote when discussing the importance of understanding mistakes in learning math.
More from Carl Sandburg
All quotes →Nothing happens... but first a dream.
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Read the dictionary from A to Izzard today. Get a vocabulary. Brush up on your diction. See whether wisdom is just a lot of language.
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My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
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There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.
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A liar goes in fine clothes, a liar goes in rags, a liar is a liar, clothes or no clothes.
Carl SandburgRead
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