It is difficult to write a paradiso when all the superficial indications are that you ought to write an apocalypse.
Ezra PoundRead
Come, let us pity those who are better off than we are. Come, my friend, and remember that the rich have butlers and no friends, And we have friends and no butlers. (excerpt from 'The Garrett')
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the value of friendship over wealth, suggesting that true companionship is more meaningful than material possessions.
In this excerpt from 'The Garrett' by Ezra Pound, the poet highlights the often-overlooked truth that wealth can lead to isolation despite its comforts. By urging his friend to feel pity for the rich who, though surrounded by luxury and servants, lack genuine friendships, Pound emphasizes the significance of human connections over material success, suggesting that empathy and camaraderie are what truly enrich our lives.
Themes
FriendshipWealthCompanionshipEmpathyHuman Connection
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about the importance of relationships over material wealth.
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All quotes βThe ant's a centaur in his dragon world. Pull down thy vanity, it is not man Made courage, or made order, or made grace, Pull down thy vanity, I say pull down. Learn of the green world what can be thy place In scaled invention or true artistry, Pull down thy vanity, Paquin pull down! The green casque has outdone your elegance.
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I desired my dust to be mingled with yours Forever and forever and forever.
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The modern artist must live by craft and violence. His gods are violent gods. Those artists, so called, whose work does not show this strife, are uninteresting.
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Similar quotes
A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Between friends there is no need of justice.
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A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship.
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One of the brightest lights of our time-a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman.
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Everyone says they want community and friendship. But mention accountability or commitment to people, and they run the other way.
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Our friends - how distant, how mute, how seldom visited and little known. And I, too, am dim to my friends and unknown; a phantom, sometimes seen, often not. Life is a dream surely.
Virginia WoolfRead