We ought not to extract pernicious honey from poison blossoms of misrepresentation and mendacious half-truth, to pamper the course appetite of bigotry and self-love.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
I look'd to Heav'n, and try'd to pray; But or ever a prayer had gusht, A wicked whisper came and made My heart as dry as dust.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the struggle between spiritual aspiration and the distractions of negative thoughts.
In this quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the speaker expresses a deep internal conflict where an attempt to reach out to a higher power through prayer is thwarted by troubling thoughts. The phrase 'a wicked whisper' symbolizes the intrusive negativity that can obstruct one's spiritual and emotional openness, leading to a feeling of desolation and dryness in the heart, akin to a lack of vitality or hope.
Themes
PrayerThoughtsStruggleSpiritualityNegativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about the challenges of faith in difficult times.
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And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread, For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.
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Often do the spirits stride on before the event; and in today already walks tomorrow.
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Mr. Lyell's system of geology is just half the truth, and no more. He affirms a great deal that is true, and he denies a great deal which is equally true; which is the general characteristic of all systems not embracing the whole truth.
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To believe and to understand are not diverse things, but the same things in different periods of growth.
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