QuoteProject
Our emotions Are only “incidents” In the effort to keep day and night together.
T. S. Eliot
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote suggests that our emotions are transient events in the broader context of life, which is a continuous cycle of day and night.

T. S. Eliot's quote reflects the philosophical idea that emotions are fleeting and serve as mere 'incidents' in our journey through life. He likens life to the day-night cycle, emphasizing that while emotions may rise and fall like the sun and moon, they are part of a larger, ongoing experience. This perspective invites us to view our feelings with a sense of detachment, understanding that they contribute to the overall rhythm of existence rather than define it.

Themes

EmotionsLifePhilosophyTransienceExperience

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech on emotional resilience, one might quote this to illustrate the temporary nature of feelings.

More from T. S. Eliot

There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
T. S. EliotRead
I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
T. S. EliotRead
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
T. S. EliotRead
For I have known them all already, known them all— Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
T. S. EliotRead
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
T. S. EliotRead

Similar quotes

Everything's got space between it, the planets, trees, your eyes. Your eyes get too close together, it's a whole different world. You can lose perspective.
Mos DefRead
How can I make difference so that I may bring peace to this world that I love and cherish so much? A name flickers instantly in my mind.
Mahatma GandhiRead
So long as we represent technology as an instrument, we remain held fast in the will to master it.
Martin HeideggerRead
A good man can be stupid and still be good. But a bad man must have brains.
Maxim GorkyRead
We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed. We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we are being worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life.
Swami VivekanandaRead
We used to say poor people had lousy genes. Then we decided that wasn't OK, but we transferred the prejudice to upbringing. We said, 'You were neglected as a child, so you'll never make it.' That's just as pernicious.
Malcolm GladwellRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.