We have done with Hope and Honour. we are lost to Love and Truth, We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung; And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth. God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Hear and attend and listen; for this is what befell and be-happened and became and was, O my Best Beloved, when the Tame animals were wild. The dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild -as wild as wild could be - and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself and all places were alike to him
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote illustrates the independence and wild nature of animals, particularly emphasizing the unique individuality of the cat among them.
Rudyard Kipling's quote describes a time in the past when domesticated animals existed in their wild forms, highlighting their natural behaviors and untamed spirits. Among them, the cat is portrayed as the most independent and wild, symbolizing a uniqueness and freedom that allows it to explore the world on its own terms. This reflects themes of individuality and the intrinsic wildness that exists within all creatures, serving as a reminder of nature's purity before domestication.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a nature documentary discussing the behaviors of wild animals.
More from Rudyard Kipling
All quotes →Humble because of knowledge; mighty by sacrifice.
I keep six honest serving men.
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.
Savings represent much more than mere money value. They are the proof that the saver is worth something in himself. Any fool can waste; any fool can muddle; but it takes something more of a man to save and the more he saves the more of a man he makes of himself. Waste and extravagance unsettle a man's mind for every crisis; thrift, which means some form of self-restraint, steadies it.
Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established.
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