The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.
All deep things are song. It seems somehow the very central essence of us, song; as if all the rest were but wrappages and hulls!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that music and song represent the core essence of human experience. Everything else is merely superficial in comparison.
Thomas Carlyle's quote reflects the idea that music is fundamental to the human experience, serving as a profound expression of our inner selves. He suggests that while life may be filled with various external forms and distractions, song captures our deepest emotions and essence. In this sense, song transcends mere entertainment, becoming a vital aspect of our identity and existence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of art in education, one might say, 'As Carlyle reminds us, all deep things are song, highlighting the crucial role of music in expressing our inner selves.'
More from Thomas Carlyle
All quotes βThirty millions, mostly fools.
There is a great discovery still to be made in literature, that of paying literary men by the quantity they do not write.
For the superior morality, of which we hear so much, we too would desire to be thankful: at the same time, it were but blindness to deny that this superior morality is properly rather an inferior criminality, produced not by greater love of Virtue, but by greater perfection of Police; and of that far subtler and stronger Police, called Public Opinion.
Enjoying things which are pleasant; that is not the evil; it is the reducing of our moral self to slavery by them that is.
Clean undeniable right, clear undeniable might: either of these once ascertained puts an end to battle. All battle is a confused experiment to ascertain one and both of these.
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Poetry operates by hints and dark suggestions. It is full of secrets and hidden formulae, like a witch's brew.
The writer has no responsibility other than to jack off in bed alone and write a good page.
Are not beauty and delicacy the same?