The best poems take long journeys. I like poetry best that journeys--while remaining in the human scale--to the other world, which may be a place as easily overlooked as a bee's wing
Robert BlyRead
The door to the soul is unlocked; you do not need to please the doorkeeper, the door in front of you is yours, intended for you, and the doorkeeper obeys when spoken to.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes personal agency and the intrinsic connection between the individual and their inner self.
Robert Bly's quote suggests that each person has direct access to their innermost being or soul, which can be reached without seeking approval or validation from others. The metaphor of a door indicates that while there may be barriers or challenges (the doorkeeper), ultimately, the path to self-discovery and understanding is in one's own hands, and by asserting oneself, one can open up to their true self.
Themes
SoulSelf-DiscoveryPersonal AgencyWisdomSelf-Acceptance
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational talk about self-empowerment, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of accessing one's true self without external validation.
More from Robert Bly
All quotes →As I've gotten older, I find I am able to be nourished more by sorrow and to distinguish it from depression.
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I am proud only of those days that pass in undivided tenderness.
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My feeling is that poetry is also a healing process, and then when a person tries to write poetry with depth or beauty, he will find himself guided along paths which will heal him, and this is more important, actually, than any of the poetry he writes.
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Every part of you that you do not love will regress and become hostile towards you.
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Don't go outside your house to see flowers. My friend, don't bother with that excursion. Inside your body there are flowers. One flower has a thousand petals. That will do for a place to sit. Sitting there you will have a glimpse of beauty inside the body and out of it, before gardens and after gardens.
Robert BlyRead
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