Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
William BlakeRead
How do you know but ev’ry Bird that cuts the airy way, Is an immense world of delight, clos’d by your senses five?
Interpretation
The quote suggests that our perception limits our experience of the beauty and wonder in the world around us.
William Blake's quote invites reflection on the nature of reality and perception, implying that our senses may restrict our understanding and appreciation of the universe. It challenges us to consider that every aspect of life, symbolized by the birds, carries a wealth of joy and beauty that may remain unnoticed due to our limited sensory engagement.
In practice
During a nature walk, someone could use this quote to inspire others to pay closer attention to their surroundings.
Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
O thou who passest through our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! Thou, O Summer, Oft pitchest here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.
Every Night and every Morn Some to Misery are born. Every Morn and every Night Some are born to Sweet Delight, Some are born to Endless Night.
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
He who would do good to another must do it in minute particulars.
We are the children of our landscape; it dictates behavior and even thought in the measure to which we are responsive to it.
You can make any human activity into meditation simply by being completely with it and doing it just to do it.
God will judge my heart, Man will judge my actions.
Then a miracle occurred in the form of a plate of sandwiches. Geryon took three and buried his mouth in a delicious block of white bread filled with tomatoes and butter and salt. He thought about how delicious it was, how he liked slippery foods, how slipperiness can be of different kinds. I am a philosopher of sandwiches, he decided. Things good on the inside.
Probably a dozen times since their death I've heard my mother or father, in an ordinary conversational tone of voice, call my name. They had called my name often during my life with them ... It doesn't seem strange to me.
Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this, that you are dreadfully like other people.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.