My garden, with its silence and pulses of fragrance that come and go on the airy undulations, affects me like sweet music. Care stops at the gates, and gazes at me wistfully through the bars.
Alexander SmithRead
Looking forward into an empty year strikes one with a certain awe, because one finds therein no recognition. The years behind have a friendly aspect, and they are warmed by the fires we have kindled, and all their echoes are the echoes of our own voices.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the contrast between the unknown future and the familiarity of the past, emphasizing how our memories shape our perception of time.
In this quote, Alexander Smith contemplates the emotional weight of facing an empty future year compared to the warmth and comfort provided by past experiences. The empty year symbolizes uncertainty and the lack of recognition of what is to come, while the years behind are filled with memories that bring a sense of solace and connection, suggesting that our past experiences and the voices we remember play a crucial role in how we view our lives and the passage of time.
Themes
FuturePastMemoriesTimeRecognition
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about making the most out of new beginnings, one could say, 'Looking forward into an empty year strikes one with a certain awe...'
More from Alexander Smith
All quotes →Fame is but an inscription on a grave, and glory the melancholy blazon on a coffin lid.
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Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.
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The world is not so much in need of new thoughts as that when thought grows old and worn with usage it should, like current coin, be called in, and, from the mint of genius, reissued fresh and new.
Alexander SmithRead
Books are a finer world within the world. (1863)
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A man does not plant a tree for himself; he plants it for posterity.
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