Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, this it overflows upon the outward world.
Nathaniel HawthorneRead
Eager souls, mystics and revolutionaries, may propose to refashion the world in accordance with their dreams; but evil remains, and so long as it lurks in the secret places of the heart, utopia is only the shadow of a dream
Interpretation
What this quote means
Dreams of a perfect world can be overshadowed by the persistent presence of evil within human nature.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's quote suggests that while visionary individuals and idealists may strive to reshape the world to fulfill their dreams, the existence of inherent evil within humanity poses a significant barrier to achieving a utopian society. It emphasizes the ongoing struggle between aspiration and reality, highlighting that as long as negativity and malice reside within people's hearts, the ideal world will remain elusive, merely a shadow of a dream.
Themes
UtopiaEvilDreamsHuman NatureAspiration
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on social reform, one could quote this to emphasize the challenges of idealism.
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There is so much wretchedness in the world, that we may safely take the word of any mortal professing to need our assistance; and, even should we be deceived, still the good to ourselves resulting from a kind act is worth more than the trifle by which we purchase it.
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Let men tremble to win the hand of woman, unless they win along with it the utmost passion of her heart! Else it may be their miserable fortune, when some mightier touch than their own may have awakened all her sensibilities, to be reproached even for the calm content, the marble image of happiness, which they will have imposed upon her as the warm reality.
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The thing you set your mind on is the thing you ultimately become.
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