But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
Lord ByronRead
The great object of life is Sensation - to feel that we exist - even though in pain - it is this "craving void" which drives us to gaming - to battle - to travel - to intemperate but keenly felt pursuits of every description whose principal attraction is the agitation inseparable from their accomplishment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life is driven by the desire to feel and experience sensations, even if they involve pain.
This quote by Lord Byron emphasizes that the essence of life is rooted in our pursuit of sensations, regardless of whether they come from joy or suffering. The yearning for experiences, represented as a 'craving void,' propels individuals towards various activities such as gaming, battling, and traveling, as these endeavors provide a unique agitation that makes us feel alive and connected to our existence.
Themes
SensationExistenceExperiencePainPursuit
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about the value of experience, one might quote Byron to highlight the importance of embracing both highs and lows in life.
More from Lord Byron
All quotes →It is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake.
Lord ByronRead
For what were all these country patriots born? To hunt, and vote, and raise the price of corn?
Lord ByronRead
Absence - that common cure of love.
Lord ByronRead
Her great merit is finding out mine; there is nothing so amiable as discernment.
Lord ByronRead
But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
Lord ByronRead
Similar quotes
Life has been some combination of fairy-tale coincidence and joie de vivre and shocks of beauty together with some hurtful self-questioning.
Sylvia PlathRead
Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
Mark TwainRead
We have to realize that we are as deeply afraid to live and to love as we are to die.
R. D. LaingRead
Armed and dangerous, ain't too many can bang with us_x000D_ _x000D_ Straight up weed no angel dust, label us Notorious_x000D_ _x000D_ Thug ass niggaz that love to bust, it's strange to us_x000D_ _x000D_ Y'all niggaz be scramblin, gamblin_x000D_ _x000D_ Up in restaraunts with mandolins, and violins_x000D_ _x000D_ We just sittin here tryin to win, tryin not to sin_x000D_ _x000D_ High off weed and lots of gin_x000D_ _x000D_ So much smoke need oxygen, steadily countin them Benjamins
The Notorious B.I.G.Read
It's hard enough to write a good drama, it's much harder to write a good comedy, and it's hardest of all to write a drama with comedy. Which is what life is.
Jack LemmonRead
It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts.
Adlai Stevenson IRead