Visions of glory, spare my aching sight! Ye unborn ages, crowd not on my soul!
Thomas GrayRead
Gay hope is theirs by fancy fed,_x000D_ _x000D_ Less pleasing when possest;_x000D_ _x000D_ The tear forgot as soon as shed,_x000D_ _x000D_ The sunshine of the breast.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that desire and imagination often lead to greater pleasure than the actual attainment of what we long for.
In this quote, Thomas Gray reflects on the nature of hope and desire. He posits that the joy derived from aspirations and dreams can often be more fulfilling than the reality of those aspirations. The 'gay hope' signifies the vibrant joy we feel in our fantasies, which can quickly diminish once we achieve what we desire, leading to a sense of fleeting happiness. The idea that tears are quickly forgotten underscores how our emotions can be transient, and that the true warmth and joy might lie more in our hopes than in their realization.
Themes
HopeDesireImaginationPleasureHappiness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about pursuing dreams, one might quote Gray to illustrate the fleeting nature of happiness.
More from Thomas Gray
All quotes βHere rests his head upon the lap of earth, A youth to fortune and to fame unknown: Fair Science frown'd not on his humble birth, And Melancholy mark'd him for her own.
Thomas GrayRead
Can honor's voice provoke the silent dust, or flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of death?
Thomas GrayRead
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray; Along the cool sequester'd vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
Thomas GrayRead
Ah, happy hills! ah, pleasing shade! Ah, fields beloved in vain! Where once my careless childhood stray'd, A stranger yet to pain! I feel the gales that from ye blow A momentary bliss bestow.
Thomas GrayRead
Any fool may write a most valuable book by chance, if he will only tell us what he heard and saw with veracity.
Thomas GrayRead
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