Heaven but the vision of fulfilled desire, and Hell the shadow from a soul on fire.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that heaven is the realization of our deepest desires, while hell is the torment caused by unfulfilled desires.
Omar Khayyam's quote reflects the idea that our perception of bliss and suffering is deeply intertwined with our desires and aspirations. Heaven is portrayed as a state where desires are fully realized, embodying joy and contentment, whereas hell represents the pain and anguish that come when one's soul is consumed by longing and unfulfilled passions. The imagery of a 'soul on fire' evokes the intense emotional struggle of yearning, emphasizing that true happiness lies in the fulfillment of one's desires.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of pursuing one's dreams, one might quote this to illustrate the joy of fulfillment versus the pain of longing.
When you are so full of sorrow_x000D_ that you can't walk, can't cry anymore,_x000D_ think about the green foliage that sparkles after_x000D_ the rain. When the daylight exhausts you, when_x000D_ you hope a final night will cover the world,_x000D_ think about the awakening of a young child.
Oh! My beloved! fill the cup, that clears to-day of past regrets and future fears.
Itβs too bad if a heart lacks fire,_x000D_ and is deprived of the light _x000D_ of a heart ablaze._x000D_ The day on which you are_x000D_ without passionate love_x000D_ is the most wasted day of your life.
So when that Angel of the darker Drink, at last shall find you by the river-brink,_x000D_ _x000D_ And, offering his Cup, invite your Soul forth to your Lips to quaff-you shall not shrink.
A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou.
So I be written in the Book of Love. I do not care about that Book Above. Erase my name, or write it as you will. So I be written in the Book of Love.
for we are inquiring not in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good, since otherwise our inquiry would have been of no use
The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.
Certainly there is no contending against the Will of God; but still there is some difficulty in ascertaining, and applying it, to particular cases.
Christ did not die to make his Father loving, but because his Father is loving: the atoning blood is the outflow of the very heart of God toward us.
When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.
The feelings of our heart, the agitation of our passions, the vehemence of our affections, dissipate all its conclusions, and reduce the profound philosopher to a mere plebeian
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