Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
Wallace StevensRead
Complacencies of the peignoir, and late Coffee and oranges in a sunny chair. And the green freedom of a cockatoo Upon a rug mingle to dissipate The holy hush of ancient sacrifice
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a serene moment of leisure, contrasting the simplicity of daily pleasures with profound historical traditions.
Wallace Stevens' quote portrays the beauty and tranquility found in everyday rituals, such as enjoying coffee and oranges in a peaceful setting. The imagery evokes a sense of comfort and freedom, suggesting that such simple pleasures can transcend the weight of historical and cultural significance, allowing us to appreciate the present moment amidst the echoes of the past.
Themes
LeisureNatureSimplicityFreedomSerenity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to introduce a discussion about the importance of savoring simple moments in life.
More from Wallace Stevens
All quotes →Most modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.
Wallace StevensRead
After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
Wallace StevensRead
Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
Wallace StevensRead
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
Similar quotes
I am very attracted by bad taste-it is a lot more exciting than that supposed good taste which is nothing more than a standardized way of looking at things.
Helmut NewtonRead
If I could say with words what my dances express, I wouldn’t have a reason to dance.
Mary WigmanRead
The sky, at sunset, looked like a carnivorous flower.
Roberto BolanoRead
A truly good movie is enjoyable too. There’s nothing complicated about it.
Akira KurosawaRead
Out of all the guitars in the whole world, the Fender Mustang is my favorite. They're cheap and totally inefficient, and they sound like crap and are very small.
Kurt CobainRead
Flowers construct the most charming geometries: circles like the sun, ovals, cones, curlicues and a variety of triangular eccentricities, which when viewed with the eye of a magnifying glass seem a Lilliputian frieze of psychedelic silhouettes.
Duane MichalsRead