The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits;- on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Matthew ArnoldRead
Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human spirit.
Interpretation
Culture is essential for understanding human achievements and spirit.
In this quote, Matthew Arnold emphasizes the importance of culture in connecting individuals with the greatest thoughts and expressions throughout history. He suggests that immersing ourselves in cultural achievements allows us to better understand the evolution of human thought, creativity, and experience, thereby enriching our own lives and perspectives.
In practice
In a discussion about the role of arts in education, this quote can highlight the importance of cultural awareness.
The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits;- on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
And each day brings it's pretty dust, Our soon-choked souls to fll And we forget because we must, And not because we will.
It is almost impossible to exaggerate the proneness of the human mind to take miracles as evidence, and to seek for miracles as evidence.
To have the sense of creative activity is the great happiness and the great proof of being alive.
Nature, with equal mind, Sees all her sons at play, Sees man control the wind, The wind sweep man away.
Weary of myself, and sick of asking What I am, and what I ought to be, At this vessel's prow I stand, which bears me Forwards, forwards, o'er the starlit sea.
Man is an idea, and a precious small idea once he turns his back on love.
A life spent entirely in public, in the presence of others, becomes, as we would say, shallow. While it retains its visibility, it loses its quality of rising into sight from some darker ground which must remain hidden if it is not to lose its depth in a very real, non-subjective sense.
We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end to them.
There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than I do and who have a better understanding of what people are really like and what humanity is supposed to mean - hell, I know that.
I’m free, I think. I shut my eyes and think hard and deep about how free I am, but I can’t really understand what it means. All I know is I’m totally alone. All alone in an unfamiliar place, like some solitary explorer who’s lost his compass and his map. Is this what it means to be free? I don’t know, and I give up thinking about it.
Freedom would be not to choose between black and white but to abjure such prescribed choices.
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