O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
I shot an arrow into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where; For, so swiftly it flew, the sight Could not follow it in its flight. I breathed a song into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where; For who has sight so keen and strong, That it can follow the flight of song? Long, long afterward, in an oak I found the arrow, still unbroke; And the song, from beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote speaks to the lasting impact of our words and actions, and how they resonate with others over time.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's quote reflects on the nature of creativity and connection. It illustrates how our thoughts and expressions, like arrows shot into the air, may not have an immediate destination or visible effect, but can ultimately land in the hearts of those we care about. The discovery of the unbroken arrow and the song in the heart of a friend symbolizes the enduring bonds and the profound influence of our words and emotions on others, emphasizing that true connections can transcend time and distance.
Themes
FriendshipWordsImpactCreativityConnection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a friendship anniversary celebration to emphasize the importance of lasting connections.
More from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
All quotes βThere are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
To be seventy years old is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow-crowned summit, and see behind you the deep valley stretching miles and miles away, and before you other summits higher and whiter, which you may have strength to climb, or may not. Then you sit down and meditate and wonder which it will be.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
God is not dead; nor doth He sleep; ... _x000D_ The wrong shall fail,_x000D_ The right prevail,_x000D_ With peace on earth, good will to men.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Similar quotes
Do not keep on with a mockery of friendship after the substance is gone - but part, while you can part friends. Bury the carcass of friendship: it is not worth embalming.
William HazlittRead
What vexes me most is, that my female friends, who could bear me very well a dozen years ago, have now forsaken me, although I am not so old in proportion to them as I formerly was: which I can prove by arithmetic, for then I was double their age, which now I am not. Letter to Alexander Pope. 7 Feb. 1736.
Jonathan SwiftRead
Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.
Baha'U'LlahRead
A friend is long sought, hardly found, and with difficulty kept.
St. JeromeRead
A man's growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were.
C. S. LewisRead