And what a congress of stinks!- Roots ripe as old bait, Pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich, Leaf mold, manure, lime, piled against slippery planks, Nothing would give up life: Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.
Theodore RoethkeRead
By daily dying, I have come to be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the idea of personal growth and transformation through embracing change and the acceptance of mortality.
The quote suggests that by confronting the inevitability of death and the transient nature of life daily, one can truly embrace existence and understand what it means to truly live. It implies that acknowledging our mortality can lead to deeper awareness and appreciation of life, guiding one towards a more profound sense of being and self-awareness.
Themes
MortalityGrowthTransformationSelf-AwarenessExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about embracing life's challenges and changes.
More from Theodore Roethke
All quotes βMy Papa's Waltz: The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.
Theodore RoethkeRead
Art is our defense against hysteria and death.
Theodore RoethkeRead
The indignity of it!-_x000D_ _x000D_ With everything blooming above me,_x000D_ _x000D_ Lilies, pale-pink cyclamen, roses,_x000D_ _x000D_ Whole fields lovely and inviolate,-_x000D_ _x000D_ Me down in the fetor of weeds,_x000D_ _x000D_ Crawling on all fours,_x000D_ _x000D_ Alive, in a slippery grave.
Theodore RoethkeRead
The stones were sharp, The wind came at my back; Walking along the highway, Mincing like a cat.
Theodore RoethkeRead
The self says, I am; The heart says, I am less; The spirit says, you are Nothing.
Theodore RoethkeRead
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