QuoteProject
It's bad taste to be wise all the time, like being at a perpetual funeral.
D. H. Lawrence
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Being overly wise can lead to a dull and lifeless existence.

D. H. Lawrence suggests that wisdom should not be a constant state; if one is always serious and wise, life becomes monotonous and devoid of joy, similar to the gloominess of a perpetual funeral. Balance is essential, as moments of lightheartedness and playfulness are necessary to fully appreciate life.

Themes

WisdomBalanceLifeJoyHumor

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about life lessons, one might quote Lawrence to emphasize the importance of joy alongside wisdom.

More from D. H. Lawrence

God how I hate new countries: They are older than the old, more sophisticated, much more conceited, only young in a certain puerile vanity more like senility than anything.
D. H. LawrenceRead
A young man is afraid of his demon and puts his hand over the demon's mouth sometimes and speaks for him. And the things the young man says are very rarely poetry.
D. H. LawrenceRead
And besides, look at elder flowers and bluebells-they are a sign that pure creation takes place - even the butterfly. But humanity never gets beyond the caterpillar stage -it rots in the chrysalis, it never will have wings.It is anti-creation, like monkeys and baboons.
D. H. LawrenceRead
The Christian fear of the pagan outlook has damaged the whole consciousness of man.
D. H. LawrenceRead
The cosmos is a vast living body, of which we are still parts. The sun is a great heart whose tremors run through our smallest veins. The moon is a great nerve center from which we quiver forever. Who knows the power that Saturn has over us, or Venus? But it is a vital power, rippling exquisitely through us all the time.
D. H. LawrenceRead
... he preferred his own madness, to the regular sanity. He rejoiced in his own madness, he was free. He did not want that old sanity of the world, which was become so repulsive. He rejoiced in the new-found world of his madness. It was so fresh and delicate and so satisfying.
D. H. LawrenceRead

Similar quotes

For the warrior, there is no "better" or "worse"; everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path.
Paulo CoelhoRead
What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is that of the mind.
Victor HugoRead
Always look for the fool in the deal. If you don't find one, it's you.
Mark CubanRead
My four articles of faith: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.
William ZinsserRead
And as the ax bites into the wood, be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your soul means that you are still alive, still human, and still open to the beauty of the world, even though you have done nothing to deserve it.
Paul HardingRead
I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless he sees that it is good for him to wait.
C. S. LewisRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by D. H. Lawrence | QuoteProject