Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.
Emily DickinsonRead
After great pain, a formal feeling comes. The Nerves sit ceremonious, like tombs.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the numbness and formalities that often follow intense emotional pain.
Emily Dickinson's quote captures the nature of human emotions after experiencing profound pain. It suggests that, in the aftermath of suffering, individuals may adopt a detached and formal demeanor, almost as if they are in a state of mourning. The metaphor of nerves sitting 'ceremonious, like tombs' emphasizes the idea of being emotionally paralyzed, highlighting the stark contrast between the vibrancy of feelings and the stillness that often follows distress.
Themes
PainEmotionNumbnessSufferingCeremony
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about coping mechanisms after a traumatic event, this quote could highlight the process of emotional recovery.
More from Emily Dickinson
All quotes βI held a jewel in my fingers And went to sleep. The day was warm, and winds were prosy; I said: "'T will keep." I woke and chid my honest fingers,β The gem was gone; And now an amethyst remembrance Is all I own.
Emily DickinsonRead
I'll tell you how the sun rose, a ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst, The news like squirrels ran. The hills untied their bonnets, The bobolinks begun. Then I said softly to myself, "That must have been the sun!
Emily DickinsonRead
My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word
Emily DickinsonRead
This is the Hour of Lead- Remembered, if outlived, As freezing persons, recollect the Snow- First-Chill-then Stupor- then the letting go---
Emily DickinsonRead
Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.
Emily DickinsonRead
Similar quotes
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
Hannah ArendtRead
The iron bolt...mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in a gloomy prison.
Charles SpurgeonRead
To the dumb question, 'Why me?' the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply, 'Why not?'
Christopher HitchensRead
Thus we arrive at the singular conclusion that of all the information passed by our cultural assets it is precisely the elements which might be of the greatest importance to us and which have the task of solving the riddles of the universe and of reconciling us to the sufferings of life -- it is precisely those elements that are the least well authenticated of any.
Sigmund FreudRead
How unbearable at times are people who are happy, people for whom everything works out.
Anton ChekhovRead
Laws are no longer made by a rational process of public discussion; they are made by a process of blackmail and intimidation, and they are executed in the same manner
H. L. MenckenRead