Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
Wallace StevensRead
Throw away the light, the definitions, and say what you see in the dark.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Embrace the unknown and trust your instincts rather than relying solely on established definitions and knowledge.
Wallace Stevens encourages us to look beyond conventional wisdom and definitions, especially in times of uncertainty. By suggesting we observe the 'darkness' of the unknown, he invites us to find our own understanding and insights rather than depending on external explanations and labels.
Themes
UnknownInstinctPerceptionDarknessUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about knowledge and perception.
More from Wallace Stevens
All quotes βMost modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.
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After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
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Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
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LIGHT FROM WITHIN my friend, cancer got you damn it: you had it beat for seven years at least. how did it come back? Why all that pain. again. and you, such a fighter you fought me over and over with tears and words and promises. you fought for me with honesty and a light so bright it hurts my heart. sweet lorna. at peace now finally no more battles, just light from within a flickering candle in the dark burns with you.
Wallace StevensRead
Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
Wallace StevensRead
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