Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
God is Love, we are taught as children to believe. But when we first begin to get some inkling of how He loves us, we are repelled; it seems so cold, indeed, not love at all as we understand the word.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the complex nature of divine love as perceived by humans, often feeling distant or cold compared to our understanding of love.
W. H. Auden's quote explores the paradox of divine love, suggesting that while we are taught that God embodies love, the realization of how this love operates can sometimes feel unwelcoming or unfamiliar. This tension arises when we encounter the idea of love that transcends human emotions, provoking a sense of disconnection from what we traditionally understand as warmth and affection.
Themes
LoveDivineUnderstandingEmotionRelationship
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about spirituality in a philosophy class.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes →That the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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