Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Death, only death, can break the lasting chain; And here, ev'n then, shall my cold dust remain
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that death is the ultimate force that can sever all connections, yet even after death, the remnants of our existence linger.
In this quote, Alexander Pope reflects on the enduring nature of existence and the ties that bind us even in death. He implies that while death may physically separate us from the world, the impact of our lives and our essence persist in the memories and legacies we leave behind, symbolized by the phrase 'my cold dust remain'. This contemplation on mortality prompts deeper reflection on how we are remembered and the ties that continue to resonate even after life has ended.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a eulogy reflecting on a beloved family member's life.
More from Alexander Pope
All quotes βWhat dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
Similar quotes
Outside our consciousness there lies the cold and alien world of actual things. Between the two stretches the narrow borderland of the senses. No communication between the two worlds is possible excepting across the narrow strip. For a proper understanding of ourselves and of the world, it is of the highest importance that this borderland should be thoroughly explored.
The most interesting thing in the world is another human being who wonders, suffers and raises the questions that have bothered him to the last day of his life, knowing he will never get the answers.
Why are we worn out? Why do we, who start out so passionate, brave, noble, believing, become totally bankrupt by the age of thirty or thirty-five? Why is it that one is extinguished by consumption, another puts a bullet in his head, a third seeks oblivion in vodka, cards, a fourth, in order to stifle fear and anguish, cynically tramples underfoot the portrait of his pure, beautiful youth? Why is it that, once fallen, we do not try to rise, and, having lost one thing, we do not seek another? Why?
You climb to reach the summit, but once there, discover that all roads lead down.
A man's intentions should be allowed in some respects to plead for his actions.
When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.