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Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you. Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you. And without feet I can make my way to you, without a mouth I can swear your name. Break off my arms, I'll take hold of you with my heart as with a hand. Stop my heart, and my brain will start to beat. And if you consume my brain with fire, I'll feel you burn in every drop of my blood.
Rainer Maria Rilke
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote expresses the depth of love that transcends physical senses and limitations.

In this powerful quote by Rainer Maria Rilke, the speaker conveys an intense and unconditional love that persists despite any obstacles or physical limitations. The imagery of losing senses and body parts illustrates that the connection to the beloved is so profound that it exists beyond the physical realm. This love is depicted as essential to the speaker's being, emphasizing that no matter what is taken away, their love will endure and manifest in different forms.

Themes

LoveConnectionSensesUnconditionalDevotion

In practice

Example use cases

During a wedding speech, one could use this quote to illustrate the depth of love between partners.

More from Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring has again returned. _x000D_ _x000D_ The Earth is like a child that knows many poems._x000D_ _x000D_ Many, O so many. For the hardship_x000D_ _x000D_ of such long learning she receives the prize._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Strict was her teacher. _x000D_ _x000D_ The white in the old man's beard pleases us._x000D_ _x000D_ Now, what to call green, to call blue,_x000D_ _x000D_ we dare to ask: She knows, She knows!
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a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude
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He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog.
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The only journey is the one within.
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And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
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I watched him, filled with tenderness and ache, wondering what it was that connected us. Was it the wounded places down inside people that sought each other out, that bred a kind of love between them?
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