My sole recreations consist in dancing English hornpipes and cutting capers. Italy is a land of sleep; I am always drowsy here.
Wolfgang Amadeus MozartRead
I thank my God for graciously granting me the opportunity of learning that death is the key which unlocks the door to our true happiness.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the idea that understanding death can lead to a deeper appreciation of true happiness.
Mozart's quote suggests that the awareness of mortality can profoundly influence one's perspective on life. By recognizing death as a key element that unlocks access to genuine happiness, he implies that embracing impermanence enables individuals to appreciate life more fully and prioritize what truly matters to them.
In practice
During a meditation retreat, I shared this quote to encourage participants to reflect on their own lives.
My sole recreations consist in dancing English hornpipes and cutting capers. Italy is a land of sleep; I am always drowsy here.
My dear sister! Iβm amazed to discover that you can compose so delightfully. In a word, your Lied is beautiful. You must compose more often.
I hope never to marry in this way; I wish to make my wife happy, but not to become rich by her means, so I will let things alone and enjoy my golden freedom till I am so well off that I can support both wife and children.
I am one of those who will go on doing till all doings are at an end.
My Constanze is the virtuous, honourable, discreet, and faithful darling of her honest and kindly-disposed Mozart.
I cannot write in verse, for I am no poet. I cannot arrange the parts of speech with such art as to produce effects of light and shade, for I am no painter. Even by signs and gestures I cannot express my thoughts and feelings, for I am no dancer. But I can do so by means of sounds, for I am a musician.
Anything whose presence or absence makes no discernible difference is no essential part of the whole.
Is it freedom to be a slave to the senses, to anger, to jealousies and a hundred other petty things that must occur every day in human life?
If one tries to think about history, it seems to me - it's like looking at a range of mountains. And the first time you see them, they look one way. But then time changes, the pattern of light shifts. Maybe you've moved slightly, your perspective has changed. The mountains are the same, but they look very different.
There is no nature at an instant.
It is the stars, The stars above us, govern our conditions.
War used to be something you could stand on the nearby hill and watch. Now we have total war; everybody's in it. We have total economics as well. Everything affects everybody. The Malaysian currency shakes, and people around the world are seriously affected.
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