if we have not found the heaven within,we have not found the heaven without
James HiltonRead
What a host of little incidents, all deep-buried in the past -- problems that had once been urgent, arguments that had once been keen, anecdotes that were funny only because one remembered the fun. Did any emotion really matter when the last trace of it had vanished from human memory; and if that were so, what a crowd of emotions clung to him as to their last home before annihilation? He must be kind to them, must treasure them in his mind before their long sleep.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the transient nature of emotions and memories, suggesting that while emotions may fade, they still hold importance in our minds.
James Hilton's quote delves into the concept of how past experiences, even those that may seem trivial or forgotten, leave a lasting impression on our consciousness. The speaker contemplates the significance of emotions that have faded from memory and emphasizes the need to cherish these remnants as they represent a part of our shared human experience before they are lost to time.
Themes
MemoriesEmotionsPastHuman ExperiencePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of remembering our history, this quote can highlight how past experiences shape who we are today.
More from James Hilton
All quotes →The first quarter-century of your life was doubtless lived under the cloud of being too young for things, while the last quarter-century would normally be shadowed by the still darker cloud of being too old for them; and between those two clouds, what small and narrow sunlight illumines a human lifetime!
James HiltonRead
Similar quotes
I was asked why I did not give a rod with which to fish, in the hands of the poor, rather than give the fish itself as this makes them remain poor. So I told them: The people whom we pick up are not able to stand with a rod. So today I will give them fish and when they are able to stand, then I shall send them to you and you can give them the rod. That is your job. Let me do my work today.
Mother TeresaRead
No human face is exactly the same in its lines on each side, no leaf perfect in its lobes, no branch in its symmetry. All admit irregularity as they imply change; and to banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality. All things are literally better, lovelier, and more beloved for the imperfections which have been divinely appointed, that the law of human life may be Effort, and the law of human judgment, Mercy.
John RuskinRead
For one gains by losing And loses by gaining.
LaoziRead
I cannot then believe in this concept of an anthropomorphic God who has the powers of interfering with these natural laws. As I said before, the most beautiful and most profound religious emotion that we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. And this mysticality is the power of all true science.
Albert EinsteinRead
In darkness one may be ashamed of what one does, without the shame of disgrace.
SophoclesRead
why does what was beautiful shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths?
Bernhard SchlinkRead